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The annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament determines the top men's ice hockey team in NCAA Division I and Division III.

The semi-finals and finals of the Division I Championship are branded as the Frozen Four, a passing nod to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - known as the Final Four in its final rounds. The tournament was first referred to as the Frozen Four in 1999.

The NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Championship is a single elimination competition that has determined the collegiate national champion since the inaugural 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament. The tournament features 16 teams representing all six Division I conferences in the nation. The Championship Committee seeds the entire field from 1 to 16 within four regionals of 4 teams. The winners of the six Division I conference championships receive automatic bids to participate in the NCAA Championship. The tournament begins with initial games played at four regional sites culminating with the semi-finals and finals played at a single site.

In setting up the tournament, the Championship Committee seeks to ensure "competitive equity, financial success and likelihood of playoff-type atmosphere at each regional site." A team serving as the host of a regional is placed within that regional. The top four teams are assigned overall seeds and placed within the bracket such that the national semifinals will feature the No. 1 seed versus the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed versus the No. 3 seed should the top four teams win their respective regional finals. Number 1 seeds are also placed as close to their home site as possible, with the No. 1 seed receiving first preference. Conference matchups are avoided in the first round; should five or more teams from one conference make the tournament, this guideline may be disregarded in favor of preserving the bracket's integrity.

The NCAA started a Women's Frozen Four beginning with the 2000-01 season.

The Hobey Baker Award ceremony, Hockey Humanitarian Award ceremony, and USCHO.com Town Hall Meeting take place annually during Frozen Four weekend.[1]

Division I[]

Championship game results[]

Rankings by most championships[]

Teams are listed first in order of championships won, and then by most recent championship.

Rank School #
1 Michigan 9
2 Denver 7
North Dakota 7
4 Wisconsin 6
5 Boston University 5
Minnesota 5
7 Boston College 4
8 Michigan State 3
Lake Superior State 3
Michigan Tech 3
11 Maine 2
Rensselaer 2
Cornell 2
Colorado College 2
15 Northern Michigan 1
Harvard 1
Bowling Green

1

Union College

1

Rankings by state[]

The following list is of championships won ranked by state.

Rank State School #
1 Michigan Michigan (9)
Lake Superior State (3)
Michigan State (3)
Michigan Tech (3)
Northern Michigan (1)
19
2 Massachusetts Boston University (5)
Boston College (4)
Harvard (1)
10
3 Colorado Denver (7)
Colorado College (2)
9
4 North Dakota North Dakota (7) 7
5 Wisconsin Wisconsin (6) 6
6 Minnesota Minnesota (5) 5
7 New York

Cornell (2)
Rensselaer (2)
Union (1)

5
8 Maine Maine (2) 2
9 Ohio Bowling Green (1) 1

Tournament format history[]

1948–1976
4 teams (1 game series)
1977–1980
5-6 teams (1 game series)
1981–1987
8 teams (2 game, total goals first round at higher seed)
1988
12 teams (2 game, total goals first two rounds at higher seed)
1989–1991
12 teams (best of 3 games first two rounds series at higher seed)
1992–2002
12 teams (divided up into 2 regionals, East Regional and West Regional; 6 Teams each)
2003–present
16 teams (divided up into 4 regionals: Northeast, East, Midwest and West Regionals: 4 Teams each)

Division II[]

The Division II Championship was suspended following 1999, due to a lack of sponsoring schools. Most of the schools in Division II hockey became members of newly formed hockey conferences such as College Hockey America. The Northeast Ten Conference is the last remaining Division II conference that sponsors ice hockey.

Championship game results[]

Year Champion Score Runner-up Notes
1978 Merrimack 12–2 Lake Forest
1979 Lowell 6–4 Mankato State
1980 Mankato State 5–2 Elmira
1981 Lowell 5–4 Plattsburgh State
1982 Lowell 6–1 Plattsburgh State
1983 RIT 4–2 Bemidji State
1984 Bemidji State 6–3, 8–1 Merrimack Two-game, total-goal series
1985-1992 Not held
1993 Bemidji State 10–6, 5–0 Mercyhurst Best-of-three series
1994 Bemidji State 3–5, 2–1, 2–1 (OT) Ala.-Huntsville
1995 Bemidji State 6–2, 5–4 Mercyhurst
1996 Ala.-Huntsville 7–1, 3–0 Bemidji State
1997 Bemidji State 3–2, 4–2 Ala.-Huntsville
1998 Ala.-Huntsville 6–2, 5–2 Bemidji State
1999 St. Michael's 4–4, 8–5 New Hampshire College

Division III[]

Championship game results[]

Year Champion Score Runner-up
1984 Babson 8–0 Union (N.Y.)
1985 RIT 5–1 Bemidji State
1986 Bemidji State 8–5 #Plattsburgh State
1987 Plattsburgh State 8–3 Oswego State
1988 Wis.-River Falls 7–1, 3–5, 3–0 Elmira
1989 Wis.-Stevens Point 3–3, 3–2 RIT
1990 Wis.-Stevens Point 10–1, 3–6, 1–0 Plattsburgh State
1991 Wis.-Stevens Point 6–2 Mankato State
1992 Plattsburgh State 7–3 Wis.-Stevens Point
1993 Wis.-Stevens Point 4–3 (OT) Wis.-River Falls
1994 Wis.-River Falls 6–4 Wis.-Superior
1995 Middlebury 1–0 Fredonia State
1996 Middlebury 3–2 RIT
1997 Middlebury 3–2 Wis.-Superior
1998 Middlebury 2–1 Wis.-Stevens Point
1999 Middlebury 5–0 Wis.-Superior
2000 Norwich 2–1 St. Thomas (Minn.)
2001 Plattsburgh State 6–2 RIT
2002 Wis.-Superior 3–2 (OT) Norwich
2003 Norwich 2–1 Oswego State
2004 Middlebury 1–0 (OT) St. Norbert
2005 Middlebury 5–0 St. Thomas (Minn)
2006 Middlebury 3–0 St. Norbert
2007 Oswego State 4–3 (OT) Middlebury
2008 St. Norbert 2-0 Plattsburgh State
2009 Neumann College 4-1 Gustavus Adolphus
2010 Norwich 2-1 (2OT) St. Norbert
2011 St. Norbert 4-3 Adrian
2012 St. Norbert 4-1 Oswego State
2013 Wisconsin-Eau Claire 5-3 Oswego State
2014 St. Norbert 3-1 UW-Stevens Point
2015 Trinity College 5-2 UW-Stevens Point
2016 Wisconsin-Stevens Point 5-1 St. Norbert Green Knights
2017 Norwich 4-1 Trinity College
2018 St. Norbert 3-2 (2ot) Salve Regina
2019 UW-Stevens Point 3-2 (ot) Norwich
2020 Tournament Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
2021

References[]

  1. Hobey Baker Award. HobeyBaker.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.


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