ESPN to exclusively present NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championships, March 26-April 11

Andrea DiCristoforo

March 24, 2026

Regional Semifinals on Thursday and Friday, followed by Regional Finals on Saturday and Sunday on ESPN, ESPN2
NCAA Men’s Frozen Four (April 9 & 11 in Las Vegas) on ESPN & ESPN2
ESPN’s John Buccigross, Colby Cohen and Quint Kessenich lead the Men’s Frozen Four coverage
All coverage streaming on the ESPN App

ESPN continues its winter sports championship season with the exclusive presentation of the NCAA DI Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. Coverage begins with the first round games on Thursday, March 26 and culminates with the Men’s Frozen Four Semifinals (April 9) and the National Championship (April 11) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Thursday and Friday, the puck drops for the Regional Semifinals and the Regional Finals take place Saturday and Sunday across ESPN networks (on ESPN/ESPN2). Kicking off Friday’s action, the reigning national champion Western Michigan Broncos (26-10-1) will take on Minnesota State at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Michigan (29-7-1), making their 42^nd postseason appearance, is the No. 1 seed and will take on Bentley (23-11-5), who will make their second straight postseason appearance on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Capping off Friday action, projected No. 1 NHL Draft Pick, Gavin McKenna, and Penn State will face Minnesota-Duluth at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

ESPN’s lead college hockey commentator team of John Buccigross, Colby Cohen and Quint Kessenich will call the Frozen Four and Championship game. Buccigross will call his 13^th Frozen Four, alongside analyst Cohen – who earned the Men’s Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player in 2009 – and reporter Kessenich. The 2025-26 National Champion will be crowned on Saturday, April 11 at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN). Studio coverage with Zubin Mehenti, Andrew Raycroft and Paul Caponigri will take place throughout tournament play. ESPN NHL rules analyst Dave Jackson will bring his expertise to the Men’s Frozen Four and Championship game.

All coverage available to stream on the ESPN App with an applicable subscription.

ESPN’s GAME ON: Journey to the NCAA Championship hits the ice as it continues to cover the postseason for collegiate winter sports. This show will be co-hosted by ESPN hockey play-by-play announcer John Buccigross and Jeremy Schaap of E60 and The Sports Reporters, GAME ON is a multi-sport documentary-style series that spotlights the most compelling storylines and journeys of NCAA athletes in the lead-up to their respective NCAA Championships. The Men’s Division I Hockey Tournament concludes with the Frozen Four in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 9 & 11.

NHL insider/reporter Emily Kaplan reports on Gavin McKenna, the projected top overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. Penn State’s first Frozen Four appearance a year ago played a role in McKenna’s decision to leave Medicine Hat in the CHL for State College, PA. McKenna’s first year with the Nittany Lions has been brilliant on the ice and provided a learning experience off it. Now this generation talent looks to lead Penn State to a national title in the program’s 14th year of existence.

Schaap profiles this season’s leading scorer in DI men’s hockey – Quinnipiac forward Ethan Wyttenbach. Ethan grew up in a hockey household on Long Island, with his grandfather being a professional player in Switzerland and his dad and uncles having played at Cornell. In 2015, Ethan’s father, Andrew, helped opened an indoor multi-sport complex with an ice rink 10 minutes away from their home, where Ethan could have unlimited access to hone his craft.

*GAME ON: Journey to the NCAA Championship*	Date	Time (ET)	Where to Watch
Men’s Ice Hockey	Wed, March 25	6 p.m.	ESPN2
Men’s Ice Hockey	Thu, March 26	12:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Men’s Ice Hockey	Fri, March 27	1 p.m.	ESPNU
Men’s Ice Hockey	Sun, March 29	2 p.m.	ESPNU

*Available on ESPN+ beginning March 26

2026 NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship Schedule on ESPN networks:
*All games available on the ESPN App with an applicable subscription

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Where to Watch
Thu, Mar 26	1:30 p.m.	Worcester, Mass. Regional UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State Kevin Gehl, Angela Ruggiero	ESPN2
	5 p.m.	Worcester, Mass. Regional Dartmouth vs. Wisconsin Kevin Gehl, Angela Ruggiero	ESPNU
	5 p.m.	Sioux Falls, S.D. Regional Quinnipiac vs Providence Jason Ross Jr., Kevin Weekes	ESPN+
	8:30 p.m.	Sioux Falls, S.D. Regional Merrimack vs. No. 2 North Dakota Jason Ross Jr., Kevin Weekes	ESPN2
Fri, Mar 27	2:30 p.m.	Loveland, Colo. Regional Minnesota State vs. No. 4 Western Michigan John Buccigross, Colby Cohen	ESPNU
	5:30 p.m.	Albany, N.Y. Regional Bentley vs. No. 1 Michigan Roxy Bernstein, Sean Ritchlin	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	Loveland, Colo. Regional Cornell vs. Denver John Buccigross, Colby Cohen	ESPN+
	9 p.m.	Albany, N.Y. Regional Penn State vs. Minnesota-Duluth Roxy Bernstein, Sean Ritchlin	ESPN2
Sat, Mar 28	4:30 p.m.	Worcester, Mass. Regional Finals Wisconsin vs. No. 3 Michigan State Kevin Gehl, Angela Ruggiero	ESPN2
Sat, Mar 28	7 p.m.	Sioux Falls, S.D. Regional Finals Quinnipiac vs. No. 2 North Dakota Jason Ross Jr., Kevin Weekes	ESPN2
Sun, Mar 29	3 p.m.	Loveland, Colo. Regional Denver vs. No. 4 Western Michigan John Buccigross, Colby Cohen	ESPN2
Sun, Mar 29	5:30 p.m.	Albany, N.Y. Regional Minnesota-Duluth vs. No. 1 Michigan Roxy Bernstein, Sean Ritchlin	ESPN
Thu, Apr 9	5 p.m.	Men’s Frozen Four – Semifinals Wisconsin vs. No. 2 North Dakota John Buccigross, Colby Cohen, Quint Kessenich Studio \| Zubin Mehenti, Paul Caponigri, Andrew Raycroft	ESPN2
Thu, Apr 9	8:30 p.m.	Men’s Frozen Four – Semifinals Denver vs. No. 1 Michigan John Buccigross, Colby Cohen, Quint Kessenich Studio \| Zubin Mehenti, Paul Caponigri, Andrew Raycroft	ESPN2
Sat, Apr 11	5 p.m.	NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship Pregame Show Zubin Mehenti, Paul Caponigri, Andrew Raycroft	ESPN
Sat, Apr 11	5:30 p.m.	NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship John Buccigross, Colby Cohen, Quint Kessenich Studio \| Zubin Mehenti, Paul Caponigri, Andrew Raycroft	ESPN