There you have it. The 2026 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament bracket is set. We knew #5 overall Denver would go to Loveland as the host of that regional, but the only questions that remained were what #1 seed would join them at Blue FCU Arena, and who they would play in the first round. The answers are Cornell – again – and #4 overall Western Michigan. The full bracket is below:
The 2026 Men’s Ice Hockey stage is set 🏒🏆
➡️https://t.co/XsmZYS8AjF
🎟️https://t.co/2tzhEFNKHg#NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/bssrw2UMOm— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 22, 2026
The WMU-MSU matchup will be at 12:30pm MT (ESPNU), while the third NCAA Tournament matchup between Denver and Cornell in the last four years will begin at 4pm MT (ESPN+). The regional final between the winners of the two semifinals will take place on Sunday.
The only real “surprise,” if you can even call it that, was flipping Wisconsin and Cornell as 3-seeds to avoid a Dartmouth-Cornell first-round matchup since both teams are in the ECAC. Had the committee stuck with strict bracket integrity, Denver would have faced the #12 overall seed Badgers instead of the #11 Big Red.
Denver’s march to its 11th national title begins next weekend.
The surprise to me was three eastern teams were sent to Sioux Falls. North Dakota got a cupcake draw.
Pios have a much tougher road in Loveland. Cornell is always a tough out, and we all know Western Michigan is a slog, too.
If DU wins Loveland, they would likely face Michigan or UMD in the NCAA semis in Vegas.
Win that game, and it’s probably North Dakota or Michigan State for all the marbles.
Way to go out on a limb Puck. Your audience is waiting for a detailed analysis on the Cornell game later in the week.
ESPN+. Cheapskates can’t watch.
Soosies draw three eastern pansies on essentially home ice. The fix is in!