The path to the Frozen Four is underway. The 2025 NCAA men's hockey tournament consists of 16 teams that battle through four rounds in an attempt to be crowned national champions.
Many of college hockey’s most storied programs qualified for this year’s tournament, including each of the past four programs to win a championship. Others, such as UConn and Bentley, are making their first tournament appearances in their program’s history.
The tournament, which has taken place since 1948, is quickly dwindling down to four teams. The Boston University Terriers clinched their third straight appearance in the national semifinals with an overtime win over Cornell in the Toledo Regional, while the Western Michigan Broncos advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time in program history with a victory over UMass in the Fargo Regional.
The Denver Pioneers have won two of the past three national titles under coach David Carle. The reigning champions will look to defend their title against the Boston College Eagles in the Manchester Regional. The Eagles entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and have a chance to exact revenge after losing last year’s championship against Denver. A victory would send them to their 27th Frozen Four appearance and keep hope alive for the program’s sixth championship.
The winner between Denver and Boston College will face Western Michigan in the national semifinals. The winner of the Allentown Regional — either UConn or Penn State — will advance to face Boston University in the semifinals. The Frozen Four semifinals will take place on Thursday, April 10, and a national champion will be crowned on Saturday, April 12.
Here’s a look at which programs have won more than one Frozen Four championship.
Teams with multiple Frozen Four championships
Team | Championships |
|---|---|
Denver | 10 |
Michigan | 9 |
North Dakota | 8 |
Wisconsin | 6 |
Boston College | 5 |
Boston University | 5 |
Minnesota | 5 |
Lake Superior State | 3 |
Michigan State | 3 |
Michigan Tech | 3 |
Minnesota Duluth | 3 |
Colorado College | 2 |
Cornell | 2 |
Maine | 2 |
RPI | 2 |
Denver has made 19 Frozen Four appearances and won 10 national titles, the most by any program. The Pioneers have only missed the tournament once in the past 18 years, and they’re now looking to defend their championship in their 34th NCAA tournament appearance.
Michigan has made the most Frozen Four appearances, advancing to the semifinals 28 times. They’ve collected 26 wins in the final two rounds but still trail Denver with nine national titles. North Dakota has won eight championships and Wisconsin rounds out the top four programs with six titles. Three other programs — Boston College, Boston University and Minnesota — have each won five championships. Boston College and Boston University have a chance to tie Wisconsin with six titles, while Denver can pad its lead for most titles by collecting an 11th national championship.