The road to the Frozen Four began on Sunday with the 2025 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament bracket reveal.
And the Hockey East Conference had a big day.
Leading the way for Hockey East was Boston College, as the Eagles received the No. 1 overall seed in the 16-team field for the Frozen Four. It is the 38th NCAA Tournament appearance for Boston College, which is coming off an early exit in the Hockey East tournament to Northeastern.
Joining Boston College on the 1-seed line were Michigan State (No. 2 overall seed), Maine (No. 3 overall seed) and Western Michigan (No. 4 overall seed).
The men’s NCAA hockey bracket reveal show created some history for two programs, as Bentley and UConn heard their names called for the national tournament for the first time in their respective program histories. The Falcons will play their first NCAA Tournament game against Boston College in the No. 1 vs. No. 4 game of the Manchester Region. Meanwhile, the Huskies will open up against their cross-state rival Quinnipiac in the Allentown Region.
Defending national champion Denver (29-11-1, 15-8-1 in NCHC play) was given the third seed in the Manchester Region on Sunday by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Nine additional programs were selected to the field as at-large bids.
As alluded to, the Hockey East Conference had a big day, as it received six bids to the field, the most of any conference in the country and its most to the field since 2016.
Follow along for a recap of updates on the 2025 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament bracket reveal, including seedings, snubs, first-round matchups and more from the USA TODAY Sports Network:
Frozen Four predictions
Here’s a look at some predictions on the 2025 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament from the ESPNU bracket reveal show panel:
Colby Cohen: Boston College, Western Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State
Andrew Raycroft: Boston College, Western Michigan, UConn and Michigan State
To expound on this, Cohen, a former Boston University defenseman, picked Boston College to win it all in 2025 at the Frozen Four in St. Louis on Saturday, April 12. He also picked Penn State to come out with the upset of the Allentown Region.
‘I think this team is as good or better than last year because they are a year old and more mature,’ Cohen said. ‘Think they are back there (in the Frozen Four).’
Frozen Four 2025 teams
No. 1 seeds for the 2025 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament were rewarded to Boston College, Michigan State, Maine and Western Michigan.
Here’s a full breakdown of the teams in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament:
Boston College
Michigan State
Maine
Western Michigan
Boston University
UConn
Providence
Bentley
Denver
Ohio State
Cornell
Penn State
Quinnipiac
Minnesota
UMass
Minnesota State
Bentley, UConn makes NCAA Tournament history
Bentley and UConn heard their names called to the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament, for the first time on Sunday during the bracket reveal down on ESPNU.
UConn is coming off a 5-2 loss to Maine, the No. 3 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament in the Hockey East championship game on Friday. The Huskies are 22-11-4 overall on the season and a dark horse team to make the Frozen Four, per former Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Colby Cohen on the ESPNU bracket reveal show.
Bentley defeated Holy Cross 6-3 in the Atlantic Hockey championship game on Saturday, the first Atlantic Hockey title in program history for the Falcons.
Boston College named No. 1 overall seed in NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament
The Boston College Eagles were tabbed as the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament bracket by the NCAA selection committee. It is the 38th NCAA Tournament appearance for Boston College, which is looking for its first back-to-back Frozen Four appearances since 2006-08.
‘We didn’t really have to mention it. All the guys that returned (from last season), knew what that felt like. There is so much work to be done before you can get back to the national tournament, so we focused on the short term than looking at the national,’ Boston College coach Greg Brown said on ESPNU when asked if last year’s ending in the Frozen Four has fueled them this year.
‘It’s a goal we knew for us to get to the tournament. But we had to do so many little things right early in the year to put us in this position.’
Hockey East leads NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament bracket bids
Hockey East had six of its programs selected to the 2025 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament, the most selections to the field of any conference.
Of its six bids to the Frozen Four, Hockey East received two No. 1 seeds in No. 1 overall seed Boston College and No. 3 overall seed Maine. Joining the Eagles and Black Bears was Boston University, UConn, Providence and UMass.
Frozen Four bracket schedule
Here’s a full breakdown of the schedule for the Frozen Four, including first-round game information:
Manchester
No. 1 Boston College (1) vs. Bentley | Friday | 2 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Providence vs. Denver | Friday | 5:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Fargo
No. 1 Western Michigan (4) vs. Minnesota State | Thursday | 5 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Minnesota vs. UMass | Thursday | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Allentown
No. 1 Maine (3) vs. Penn State | Friday | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
UConn vs. Quinnipiac | Friday | 5 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Toledo
Boston University vs. Ohio State | Thursday | 2 p.m. ET | ESPNU
No. 1 Michigan State (2) vs. Cornell | Thursday | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Frozen Four bracket
No. 1 seed in Toledo Region goes to Michigan State
The final No. 1 seed in the Frozen Four bracket goes to No. 2 overall seed Michigan State, who is coming off a thrilling double-overtime win over Ohio State on Saturday to claim the Big Ten trophy.
Here’s a breakdown of who is in the Fargo Region:
No. 2 Michigan State vs. Cornell
Boston University vs. Ohio State
No. 1 seed in Allentown Region goes to Maine
Maine is rewarded the No. 1 seed in the Allentown Region, and the No. 3 overall seed in the 2025 Frozen Four Bracket. Maine gets a tough draw in the first round of the Allentown Region against Penn State. Then there is the Connecticut Rivalry between UConn and Quinnipiac in the other Allentown Region first-round game.
Here’s a breakdown of who is in the Allentown Region:
No. 3 Maine vs. Penn State
UConn vs. Quinnipiac
No. 1 seed in Fargo Region goes to Western Michigan
The top seed in the Fargo Region goes to Western Michigan, which is the No. 4 overall seed in the Frozen Four bracket. The Broncos are coming off their first-ever NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship title in program history on Saturday over Denver thanks to a double-overtime goal scored by forward Alex Bump.
Here’s a breakdown of who is in the Fargo Region:
No. 4 Western Michigan vs. Minnesota State
Minnesota vs. UMass
No. 1 seed in Manchester Region goes to Boston College
Despite losing in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East quarterfinals to Northeastern, Boston College was still given the No. 1 seed in the Manchester Region. At 26-7-2, the Eagles enter the Frozen Four tournament as one of the top teams in the field. An intriguing Manchester Region quarterfinal matchup could be Boston College and Providence, a New England region rivalry. The Eagles took all three regular-season matchups against the Friars this year, while outscoring Providence 10-3 in those.
Here’s a breakdown of who is in the Manchester Region:
No. 1 Boston College vs. Bentley
Providence vs. Denver
Frozen Four bracket predictions
Manchester Region
Boston College
Providence
Denver
Holy Cross/Bentley
Toledo Region
Michigan State
Boston University
Ohio State
Clarkson/Cornell
Allentown Region
Maine
UConn
Penn State
Quinnipiac
Fargo Region
Western Michigan
Minnesota
Massachusetts
Minnesota State
What channel is NCAA hockey bracket reveal?
Channel: ESPNU
The NCAA men’s hockey selection show will air on ESPNU.
How to stream men’s NCAA hockey bracket reveal
Streaming: Fubo (free trial)
Streaming options for the 2025 men’s NCAA hockey bracket reveal show include Fubo, which not only carries the ESPN family of networks (including ESPNU), but also offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Watch men’s NCAA hockey bracket reveal
What time is NCAA men’s hockey selection show?
Date: Sunday, March 23
Time: 3 p.m. ET
The NCAA men’s hockey selection show is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET.
What day does men’s NCAA hockey tournament start?
Start date: Thursday, March 27
The first round of the 2025 men’s NCAA hockey tournament will begin on Thursday, March 27, carrying on into Friday, March 28.
When is the Frozen Four?
Men’s Frozen Four date: Thursday, April 10 and Saturday, April 12
The men’s Frozen Four will occur on Thursday, April 10 and Saturday, April 12.
Where is the Frozen Four 2025?
Men’s Frozen Four Location: Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
The men’s Frozen Four will take place at Enterprise Center, the home of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, in St. Louis this year. It is the first time that the Frozen Four has returned to St. Louis since the 2007 Frozen Four, when Michigan State defeated Boston College 3-1 in the national championship game.
2025 NCAA hockey tournament schedule
Here is the full schedule for the 2025 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship:
First round: Thursday, March 27-Friday, March 28
Second round: Saturday, March 29-Sunday, March 30
Frozen Four: Thursday, April 10
Men’s NCAA hockey championship: Saturday, April 12
2024 Frozen Four winner
Denver is coming off a win in the 2024 Frozen Four, and also won the national championship in 2022. Here’s a look at the 10 most recent national champions:
2024: Denver
2023: Quinnipiac
2022: Denver
2021: UMass
2020: Canceled
2019: Minnesota Duluth
2018: Minnesota Duluth
2017: Denver
2016: North Dakota
2015: Providence
2014: Union (N.Y.)
For a full list of champions, click here.
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(This story was updated with new information)