ROSEMONT, Ill. – Four Big Ten Conference teams have been selected to participate in the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship which begins Thursday. The four bids match a Big Ten record that occurred in 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Michigan (seeded No. 1 overall) earned an automatic berth while Michigan State (seeded No. 3 overall), Penn State, and Wisconsin received at-large berths into the 16-team field.
Michigan (29-7-1), which captured the Big Ten Tournament title on Saturday, is the No. 1 seed at the Albany (N.Y.) Regional and will host No. 4 seed Bentley (23-11-5), which won the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, on Friday, March 27, at 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU) at MVP Arena. The No. 1/1-ranked Wolverines are making their 42nd appearance in the tournament, tied for the most by any school.
Penn State (21-13-2) is also at the Albany Regional as the No. 3 seed and will face No. 2 seed Minnesota-Duluth (23-14-1), an at-large from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, on Friday, March 27, at 9 p.m. (ESPN2). The No. 10/11-ranked Nittany Lions are making their fifth appearance in the NCAA postseason, having advanced to the Frozen Four last year. The Albany Regional Final is scheduled for Sunday, March 29.
Michigan State (25-8-2) is the No. 1 seed at the Worcester (Mass.) Regional and encounters No. 4 seed Connecticut (20-12-5), an at-large from Hockey East, on Thursday, March 26, at 1:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) at the DCU Center. The No. 3/3-ranked Spartans, who won the Big Ten Championship, are making their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance and third in a row.
Wisconsin (21-12-2) will travel to the Worcester Regional as well as the No. 3 seed, squaring off against No. 2 seed Dartmouth (23-7-4), winner of the ECAC Hockey Tournament, on Thursday, March 26, at 5 p.m. ET (ESPNU). The No. 12/12th-ranked Badgers are making their 28th trip to the NCAAs having last appeared in 2024. The Worcester Regional Final is slated for Saturday, March 28.
The four regional champions advance to the NCAA Frozen Four, to be held April 9 and 11, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
