What to know about NCAA Frozen Four: top players, field, schedule, TV

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Apr 3, 2026 - 16:00
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What to know about NCAA Frozen Four: top players, field, schedule, TV

MADISON – Wisconsin will get a taste of nostalgia at the Frozen Four on April 9 and then maybe make some history.

When the Badgers men’s hockey team takes the ice for its first national semifial appearance in 16 years, it will do so against an old rival from its days in the WCHA: North Dakota.

A UW win plus a Michigan victory over Denver would set up the first championship matchup of teams from the Big Ten since Bob Johnson’s Badgers defeated Minnesota in 1981. Back then, however, the Big Ten didn’t have a hockey conference so those teams played as members of the WCHA.

Badgers coach Mike Hastings, who grew up in Crookston, Minnesota, watching the league, explained what it was like during its heyday.

“You were able to get in a car and drive to Duluth. You were able to get in a car and drive to North Dakota,” Hastings said March 31. “The old WCHA was a geographic footprint that was manageable. You weren't driving out to [the airport] and getting on a plane. That was different back in the day, so you had those rivalries that were based on communities and universities that had tried to beat the heck out of each other for decades.”

That was Wisconsin and North Dakota for years, but the teams have played just 10 times since the 2012-13 season. In 2013-14, UW joined the Big Ten and North Dakota joined the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).

Here is what you need to know about the field and broadcast information.

How to watch the Frozen Four

Semifinal games April 9 will be broadcast on ESPN2. The final April 11 will be shown on ESPN. All games can also be streamed on the ESPN app.

What is the schedule for the Frozen Four

THURSDAY, APRIL 9

Semifinals at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

No. 1 seed North Dakota (29-9-1) vs. No. 3 seed Wisconsin (23-12-2), 4 p.m.

No. 1 seed Michigan (31-7-1) vs. No. 2 seed Denver (27-11-3), 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

Championship

Semifinal winners, 4:30 p.m.

A look at the teams that will challenge UW for the title

Michigan makes fourth trip to Frozen Four in five years

Coach: Brandon Naurato (98-49-10, fourth season).

Record: 31-7-1 overall, 17-6-1, 49 points Big Ten (second).

All-conference players: First team – T.J. Hughes, sr. F; Second team – Tyler Duke, sr., D; Jack Ivankovic, fr., G; Michael Hage, soph., F.

Michigan’s best player is T.J. Hughes

The senior was the Big Ten’s player of the year and is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. He checks into the Frozen Four with 21 goals and 35 assists and ranks third in the nation averaging 1.44 points per game. Only eight times in 39 games did he fail to produce a point. He is the NCAA active leader in points (178), goals (68) and assists (110).

The Wolverines’ lethal attack sparks success

Michigan doesn’t just lead the nation in scoring with 4.56 goals per game, it owns that distinction by .50 goals. The Wolverines are one of three teams with two 50-point scorers, but in Hughes and Hage they have the nation’s top scoring tandem. It doesn’t stop there. Nine players are double-digit goal scorers, the most for the program in 10 years. When you consider Michigan’s all-conference caliber goaltending, it’s no wonder the team was the No. 1 seed for the tournament.

North Dakota back at Frozen Four for first time since 2016

Coach: Dane Jackson, first season.

Record: 28-9-2, 17-6-1, 55 points NCHC (first).

All-conference players: First team – Jan Spunar, fr., G; Jake Livanavage, jr. D; Second team – Ben Strinden, sr., F; Abram Wiebe, jr., D. Third team – Ellis Rickwood, sr., F.

North Dakota’s best player is Ian Spunar

No goaltender has shutdown more opponents that Spunar, a freshman from Czechia who leads the nation with six shutouts. He also ranks among the top three in goals-against average (1.902, third) and winning percentage (.820, second). He has been unbeatable in the tournament, recording shutouts in both games and making 53 saves in the process.

Fighting Hawks playing beyond their years

With a 1.59 goal differential, the Fighting Hawks are one of the most dominant teams. They’re also very young. The 27-man roster features only five seniors or graduate players. Including Spunar, who received first-team all-conference distinction, four freshmen made the NCHC all-rookie team: forwards Cole Reschny and Will Zellers and defenseman Keaton Verhoeff and Spunar.

Denver is making third straight Frozen Four appearance

Coach: David Carle (206-85-20, eighth season).

Record: 27-11-3 overall, 17-6-1, 52 points NCHC (second).

All-conference players: First team – Eric Pohlkamp, jr., D; Third team – Boston Buckberger, jr., D.

Denver’s best player is Eric Pohlkamp

Is there anything the 5-11 junior defenseman doesn’t do? He leads the Pioneers in goals (18), assists (21) and points (39), tops in the nation in each category for defenseman. He also leads the team with 77 blocks and is second on the squad in plus/minus (+25). He is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.

Pioneers bring 15-game unbeaten streak to Vegas

With a 15-game unbeaten streak, Denver is the hottest team in the field. The impressive part of the Pioneers’ run is they’re doing it with a backup goaltender. Quentin Miller was the team’s No. 1 player at the position until he suffered a lower-body injury in late January. Enter another freshman, Johnny Hicks, who is 14-0-1 in his first 15 decisions. That is the best start for a Denver goalie since at least 2002-03, the farthest back the program’s record go.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: NCAA men's hockey Frozen Four: top players, field, schedule, TV

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