Free Press staff and wire reports
| Detroit Free Press
Michigan State hockey coach Adam Nightingale on Dan Sturges being the ‘Glue Guy.’
Michigan State hockey coach Adam Nightingale on Dan Sturges being the “Glue Guy.”
Sports Illustrated – Michigan State Spartans
Michigan hockey has its NCAA Tournament path to the Frozen Four, and it will be a tough one, as announced by the NCAA on Sunday, March 22.
The No. 1 overall seed Wolverines (29-7-1) – who are No. 1 in the USCHO poll and won won their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2023 on Saturday night – are headed to Albany, New York. U-M, making its record-tying 42nd NCAA appearance, will face 4-seed Bentley, the Atlantic Hockey champs, in the first round on Friday, March 27 (5:30 p.m., ESPNU).
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Who else is in Michigan hockey regional?
The bottom half of U-M’s region should have some appeal to NHL prospect watchers, as well: Potential No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and Penn State will face Minnesota Duluth in the second game. The Bulldogs are led by Detroit Red Wings prospect Max Plante; the second-round pick in 2024 has 24 goals and 25 assists for UMD to sit fifth in points nationally.
The final for the Albany regional, which could be an all-Big Ten affair, is set for Sunday, March 29.
Two wins for the Wolverines would send them to the Frozen Four, which is set to be played at T-Mobile Arena (the home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights) on April 9-11. U-M hasn’t made the
Where is Michigan State hockey playing?
Meanwhile, Michigan State, the No. 3 overall seed, is headed to Worcester, Massachusetts. The Spartans (25-8-2), who won the Big Ten regular-season title but fell in the tournament semifinals, will face Hockey East runner-up Connecticut (20-12-5) on Thursday, March 26 (1:30 p.m., ESPN2).
The Worcester regional could also feature an all-Big Ten final on Saturday, with Wisconsin (21-12-2 to finish fourth in the Big Ten) facing ECAC champ Dartmouth on Thursday (5 p.m., ESPNU).
Where is Western Michigan hockey playing?
Finally, there’s Western Michigan, only the defending champs. The Broncos (26-10-1) will start their title defense as the No. 4 overall seed, and the top seed in the Loveland, Colorado, region. They’ll face CCHA champions Minnesota State (22-10-7) in the regional semifinal on Friday (2:30 p.m., ESPNU).
Despite having the champion bona fides and the 1-seed, the Broncos might be the underdogs to advance to the Frozen Four, as they’re likely to face host Denver (25-11-3) in the regional final; the Pioneers won NCAA titles in 2022 and ‘24 and beat WMU in the NCHC semifinals, 2-1 in OT, last weekend.
The 16-team field was rounded out with the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, regional, which features North Dakota – the No. 2 overall seed – facing Merrimack in the first round on Thursday, The bottom of that regional features another recent NCAA champ, as Quinnipiac (which won it all in 2023) takes on Providence.
