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NCHC TOURNAMENT FORMATS

The NCHC will use three different postseason formats from 2025 through 2027, due to membership changes and championship site location. After holding its final Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. in 2025, below are details of the 2026 and 2027 formats:


2026 NCHC TOURNAMENT
49846Starting in 2026, the NCHC will move its playoffs entirely to campus sites, as first announced in December of 2023. Like in 2025, only the top eight teams in the regular season will make the 2026 NCHC Tournament, however the playoffs will stretch over three weeks, rather than two as was the case previously. The first weekend (March 6-8, 2026) will consist of best-of-3 quarterfinal series between the top four seeds and the bottom four seeds (No. 1 seed hosts No. 8, No. 2 hosts No. 7, etc.). Teams are then re-seeded with the next Saturday (March 14, 2026) featuring both single-game semifinals as the two highest remaining seeds host the other two quarterfinal winners. The championship game will then be the following Saturday, March 21 at the highest remaining seed. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2026 NCHC Tournament Dates

  • March 6-8 - Best-of-3 Quarterfinal Series (campus sites/top four seeds)
  • Sat., March 14 - Single-game Semifinals (campus sites/two highest remaining seeds)
  • Sat., March 21 - Championship Game at highest remaining seed

2027 NCHC TOURNAMENT
Starting in 2026-27, the NCHC membership will expand to 10 teams with the addition of the University of St. Thomas. The 2027 NCHC Tournament will also expand to allow all 10 teams to make the playoffs. The NCHC Tournament will again be spread out over three weeks and held entirely on campus sites, like in 2026. 

Beginning with the 2027 NCHC Playoffs and beyond, the top five seeds will host the bottom five seeds (No. 1 vs. No. 10, No. 2 vs. No. 9, No. 3 vs. No. 8, No. 4 vs. No. 7, and No. 5 vs. No. 6) in the first round of the NCHC Playoffs in a best-of-3 series (March 5-7, 2027). The following weekend, the five remaining teams will be re-seeded and three games will take place. The two lowest remaining seeds (now seeds No. 4 and No. 5) will play a single-game quarterfinal on a Friday night (March 12, 2027) at the site of the No. 1 seed. The next night (Saturday, March 13, 2027), both NCHC Semifinals will take place with the No. 1 seed hosting the winner of the quarterfinal game and the No. 2 seed welcoming the No. 3 seed.
 
The NCHC Championship game will then take place the next weekend on either Friday or Saturday night (March 19 or 20, 2027), with the highest remaining seed hosting the other semifinal winner. The winner of the NCHC Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2027 NCHC Tournament Dates

  • March 5-7 - Best-of-3 First-Round Series (campus sites/top five seeds)
  • Fri., March 12 - One, single Quarterfinal Game (at site of No. 1 seed)
  • Sat., March 13 - Single-game Semifinals (campus sites/two highest remaining seeds)
  • Fri., Mar. 19 or Sat., Mar. 20 - Championship Game at highest remaining seed
Media rights and coverage for the NCHC Tournament and Championship starting in 2026 and beyond will be announced in the future.