NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship

The annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament determines the top men's ice hockey team in NCAA Division I and Division III.
The semi-finals and finals of the Division I Championship are branded as the Frozen Four, a passing nod to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - known as the Final Four in its final rounds. The tournament was first referred to as the Frozen Four in 1999.
The NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Championship is a single elimination competition that has determined the collegiate national champion since the inaugural 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament. The tournament features 16 teams representing all six Division I conferences in the nation. The Championship Committee seeds the entire field from 1 to 16 within four regionals of 4 teams. The winners of the six Division I conference championships receive automatic bids to participate in the NCAA Championship. The tournament begins with initial games played at four regional sites culminating with the semi-finals and finals played at a single site.
In setting up the tournament, the Championship Committee seeks to ensure "competitive equity, financial success and likelihood of playoff-type atmosphere at each regional site." A team serving as the host of a regional is placed within that regional. The top four teams are assigned overall seeds and placed within the bracket such that the national semifinals will feature the No. 1 seed versus the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed versus the No. 3 seed should the top four teams win their respective regional finals. Number 1 seeds are also placed as close to their home site as possible, with the No. 1 seed receiving first preference. Conference matchups are avoided in the first round; should five or more teams from one conference make the tournament, this guideline may be disregarded in favor of preserving the bracket's integrity.
The NCAA started a Women's Frozen Four beginning with the 2000-01 season.
The Hobey Baker Award ceremony, Hockey Humanitarian Award ceremony, and USCHO.com Town Hall Meeting take place annually during Frozen Four weekend.
== Division I ==
===Championship game results===
===Rankings by most championships===
Teams are listed first in order of championships won, and then by most recent championship.
Rank	School 	#
1 	Michigan 	9
2 	Denver 	7
2 	North Dakota 	7
4 	Wisconsin 	6
5 	Boston University 	5
5 	Minnesota 	5
7 	Boston College 	4
8 	Michigan State 	3
8 	Lake Superior State	3
8 	Michigan Tech 	3
11 	Maine 	2
11 	Rensselaer 	2
11 	Cornell 	2
11 	Colorado College 	2
15 	Northern Michigan 	1
15 	Harvard 	1
15 	Bowling Green 	
1
15 	Union College 	
1
===Rankings by state===
The following list is of championships won ranked by state.
Rank	State 	School 	#
1 	Michigan 	Michigan (9)Lake Superior State (3)Michigan State (3)Michigan Tech (3)Northern Michigan (1)	19
2 	Massachusetts	Boston University (5)Boston College (4)Harvard (1) 	10
3 	Colorado 	Denver (7)Colorado College (2) 	9
4 	North Dakota 	North Dakota (7) 	7
5 	Wisconsin 	Wisconsin (6) 	6
6 	Minnesota 	Minnesota (5) 	5
7 	New York 	
Cornell (2)Rensselaer (2)Union (1) 	5
8 	Maine 	Maine (2) 	2
9 	Ohio 	Bowling Green (1) 	1
===Tournament format history===
;1948–1976
: 4 teams (1 game series)
;1977–1980
: 5-6 teams (1 game series)
;1981–1987
: 8 teams (2 game, total goals first round at higher seed)
;1988
: 12 teams (2 game, total goals first two rounds at higher seed)
;1989–1991
: 12 teams (best of 3 games first two rounds series at higher seed)
;1992–2002
: 12 teams (divided up into 2 regionals, East Regional and West Regional; 6 Teams each)
;2003–present
: 16 teams (divided up into 4 regionals: Northeast, East, Midwest and West Regionals: 4 Teams each)
==Division II==
The Division II Championship was suspended following 1999, due to a lack of sponsoring schools. Most of the schools in Division II hockey became members of newly formed hockey conferences such as College Hockey America. The Northeast Ten Conference is the last remaining Division II conference that sponsors ice hockey.
===Championship game results===
Year 	Champion 	Score 	Runner-up 	Notes
1978 	Merrimack 	12–2 	Lake Forest 	
1979 	Lowell 	6–4 	Mankato State 	
1980 	Mankato State 	5–2 	Elmira 	
1981 	Lowell 	5–4 	Plattsburgh State 	
1982 	Lowell 	6–1 	Plattsburgh State 	
1983 	RIT 	4–2 	Bemidji State 	
1984 	Bemidji State 	6–3, 8–1 	Merrimack 	Two-game, total-goal series
1985-1992	Not held 	Not held 	Not held 	Not held
1993 	Bemidji State 	10–6, 5–0 	Mercyhurst 	Best-of-three series
1994 	Bemidji State 	3–5, 2–1, 2–1 (OT)	Ala.-Huntsville 	
1995 	Bemidji State 	6–2, 5–4 	Mercyhurst 	
1996 	Ala.-Huntsville	7–1, 3–0 	Bemidji State 	
1997 	Bemidji State 	3–2, 4–2 	Ala.-Huntsville 	
1998 	Ala.-Huntsville	6–2, 5–2 	Bemidji State 	
1999 	St. Michael's 	4–4, 8–5 	New Hampshire College	
==Division III==
===Championship game results===
Year	Champion 	Score 	Runner-up
1984	Babson 	8–0 	Union (N.Y.)
1985	RIT 	5–1 	Bemidji State
1986	Bemidji State 	8–5 	#Plattsburgh State
1987	Plattsburgh State 	8–3 	Oswego State
1988	Wis.-River Falls 	7–1, 3–5, 3–0 	Elmira
1989	Wis.-Stevens Point 	3–3, 3–2 	RIT
1990	Wis.-Stevens Point 	10–1, 3–6, 1–0 	Plattsburgh State
1991	Wis.-Stevens Point 	6–2 	Mankato State
1992	Plattsburgh State 	7–3 	Wis.-Stevens Point
1993	Wis.-Stevens Point 	4–3 (OT) 	Wis.-River Falls
1994	Wis.-River Falls 	6–4 	Wis.-Superior
1995	Middlebury 	1–0 	Fredonia State
1996	Middlebury 	3–2 	RIT
1997	Middlebury 	3–2 	Wis.-Superior
1998	Middlebury 	2–1 	Wis.-Stevens Point
1999	Middlebury 	5–0 	Wis.-Superior
2000	Norwich 	2–1 	St. Thomas (Minn.)
2001	Plattsburgh State 	6–2 	RIT
2002	Wis.-Superior 	3–2 (OT) 	Norwich
2003	Norwich 	2–1 	Oswego State
2004	Middlebury 	1–0 (OT) 	St. Norbert
2005	Middlebury 	5–0 	St. Thomas (Minn)
2006	Middlebury 	3–0 	St. Norbert
2007	Oswego State 	4–3 (OT) 	Middlebury
2008	St. Norbert 	2-0 	Plattsburgh State
2009	Neumann College 	4-1 	Gustavus Adolphus
2010	Norwich 	2-1 (2OT) 	St. Norbert
2011	St. Norbert 	4-3 	Adrian
2012	St. Norbert 	4-1 	Oswego State
2013	Wisconsin-Eau Claire 	5-3 	Oswego State
2014	St. Norbert 	3-1 	UW-Stevens Point
2015	Trinity College 	5-2 	UW-Stevens Point
2016	Wisconsin-Stevens Point 	5-1 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2017	Norwich 	4-1 	Trinity College
2018	St. Norbert 	3-2 (2ot) 	Salve Regina
2019	UW-Stevens Point 	3-2 (ot) 	Norwich
2020	Tournament Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic	Tournament Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic	Tournament Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
2021	 	 	
==References==
Category:NCAA