2026 NCAA men’s Frozen Four field set

Four teams are on their way to Sin City to represent their schools and play for ultimate bragging rights.

On Sunday, the Michigan Wolverines and Denver Pioneers punched their ticket to the 2026 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, joining the Wisconsin Badgers and North Dakota Fighting Hawks as the programs that will play for the D-I National Championship in Las Vegas.

Let’s see how things went down on the final day for regional action.

Albany

Minnesota Duluth 3, Michigan 4

The second regional final of the day proved to be the most exciting, though it didn’t seem like it at one point.

The Wolverines’ high-powered offense was giving the Bulldogs fits in the early going on Sunday, with the team scoring a trio of goals in the first period in a variety of ways. Will Horcoff tipped in his team-leading 25th goal of the season just a few minutes into the game. Then, on the power play, Adam Valentini extended the lead after a gorgeous feed from Nick Moldenhauer.

Then, just over a minute later and with Duluth on the man advantage, Garrett Schifsky scored shorthanded to send the Wolverines into the intermission up 3-0.

Michigan seemed to be cruising to Las Vegas with that three-goal lead heading into the final period of regulation. However, the Bulldogs refused to go down quietly. Harper Bentz’s second goal of the postseason came in the opening minute of the third to give the team some life. Despite Michigan quickly answering, UMD continued to press. A great setup from the brothers Max Plante (Detroit Red Wings) and Zam Plante led to Ty Hanson making it a 4-2 game on the power play.

Then, with a few minutes to go in the game, Scout Truman’s 14th goal of the season made things very interesting, as Duluth had all the momentum and the confidence that they could pull off the comeback. They had a number of chances to tie the game in the closing moments, but Michigan was able to hang on, advancing to the Frozen Four for the third time in four years.

Michigan had a little bit of an emotional boost, as Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage returned to the lineup after missing Friday’s regional semifinal against Bentley.

The Bulldogs outshot the Wolverines 33-27, including 16-6 in the third. Nashville Predators prospect Jack Ivankovic was sensational for the Maize and Blue, as the freshman remained calm in the net, even when UMD was firing everything at him late in the contest.

The Wolverines are going to be playing in the Frozen Four for the 29th time in the program’s illustrious history.

Jayden Perron, RW, Michigan (Carolina Hurricanes): Perron has been on a roll as of late. When Duluth started to get some confidence in the third, he scored a big goal, which ended up being the game-winner.

While there was a little bit of luck, with UMD defender Ty Hanson deflecting Perron’s pass at first, the way the junior drove to the net, stuck with the play, and had the awareness to quickly tip it into the empty cage. The North Dakota native is third on the Wolverines behind Hobey Baker semifinalist TJ Hughes and Hage, having potted 17 goals and 40 points this year, riding a five-game point streak into the Frozen Four.

Zam Plante, C, Minnesota Duluth (Pittsburgh Penguins): The Plante brothers have been one of the best 1-2 scoring threats any team has in college hockey, with Max and Zam finishing their season third and sixth in the nation in scoring. While neither found the back of the net on Sunday, Zam showcased his hands and vision that made him one of the top playmakers in the country. Just look at the way he feathers the puck to Bentz to help UMD get on the board.

The sophomore made a great feed to Hanson later in the third, giving him his third two-assist game in the past month. Plante, who finishes with 30 assists and 50 points, is part of a young core that could carry Duluth for years to come.

Loveland

Denver 6, Western Michigan 2

The first quarterfinal was a highly anticipated matchup, as the Broncos and Pioneers were set to meet for the 10th time in the past two seasons and the fourth time in the postseason. While everyone was expecting another overtime thriller between conference rivals.

That didn’t happen.

In what was pretty much a home crowd for the NCHC Champions, the Pioneers dominated against the defending national champions. Montreal Canadiens prospect Sam Harris and Kyle Chyzowski scored in the opening moments of the game. Despite Zach Bookman putting the Broncos on the board with his second of the weekend, Denver continued to pepper WMU netminder and Los Angeles Kings draft pick Hampton Slukynsky. New Jersey Devils prospect Samu Salminen and Brendan McMorrow added more to DU’s side of the scoreboard before the buzzer went for the first intermission.

It was the most goals scored in a single period in the national tournament since 1997.

The action calmed down a little in the middle frame, but it seemed like Western Michigan was starting to find its rhythm, despite being unable to find the back of the net, as rookie netminder Johnny Hicks made some clutch stops. The Broncos were able to cut the deficit to two with Ottawa Senators prospect Theo Wallberg scoring his second goal of the year.

That was as close as WMU would get. Goals from Kieran Cebrian and San Jose Sharks draft pick Eric Pohlkamp sealed the victory, sending the Pioneers to the Frozen Four for the third year in a row, and fourth time in the past five seasons.

DU outshot Western Michigan 32-28, with Hicks making 26 saves for his 11th win in a row. The Pioneers are heading to the Frozen Four for the 21st time in program history.

Eric Chyzowski, LW, Denver: The bottom six played a big role in the Pioneers’ win in Loveland, particularly the third line. With DU up one in the first, Chyzowski got loose and collected a feed from Pohlkamp, scoring a beauty on a breakaway to give Denver an immense amount of momentum.

The rookie from Surrey, B.C. native continued to help out the offense, picking up a pair of primary assists, leading DU with three points in the win. For a team with so many future NHLers, seeing a grinder like Chyzowski flourish on a big stage was something special. If Denver wants to win a third championship since 2022, it’ll need guys like him to rise to the occasion.

Brendan McMorrow, RW, Denver (Los Angeles Kings): Chyzowski’s linemate, McMorrow, has had a tough second half of the year, as he missed almost the last two months of the regular season after breaking his finger at the World Juniors. While he had been pretty quiet for most of his freshman year, the Lakeville, Minn. native stepped up in a big way on Sunday. He picked up a rebound after a great play from Cebrian and Chyzowski for his first goal with the Pioneers since early December.

He returned the favor in the third by picking up a secondary assist on Cebrian’s goal, giving McMorrow the first multi-point game of his career. Despite being a seventh-round pick, McMorrow could develop into a solid pro with some crafting in Denver.

Wisconsin will face North Dakota in the first semifinal at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday, April 9, while Michigan will take on Denver in the second game of the day. The national championship game is scheduled for Saturday, April 11.