UMD Bulldogs Men’s Hockey Team Wins Frozen Faceoff, Heading To NCAA Tournament

The UMD Bulldogs men's hockey team won the NCHC conference tournament, defeating Western Michigan 3-0 in the "Frozen Faceoff" Championship game over the weekend.

Following the win, the Bulldogs are on their way to the 2022 NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament.

The matchups in this year's Division I tournament were announced on Sunday, with UMD earning a 2 seed in the Loveland regional, drawing Michigan Tech in the opening round of the tournament.

The Bulldogs are one of 4 Minnesota teams in this year's tournament. Also appearing are Minnesota State Mankato, St. Cloud State, and the University of Minnesota, all of which are in different regionals. This once again sets up opportunities for an all-Minnesota Frozen Four if each team can advance through the first two rounds. I know, that's a lot easier said than done.

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The Bulldogs will play their first game of the tournament on Thursday, March 24 at 2 pm. This game will be broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN+.

If you want to follow all of the Minnesota teams (and we'll lump in North Dakota as well), here's when those games are all scheduled:

• Minnesota State vs. Harvard: 3/24 @ 11 am on ESPNU
• UMD vs. Michigan Tech: 3/24 @ 2 pm on ESPNU
• North Dakota vs. Notre Dame: 3/24 @ 5 pm on ESPNU
• U of MN vs. Massachusetts: 3/25 @ 5 pm on ESPNU
• St. Cloud State vs. Quinnipiac: 3/25 @7 pm on ESPNews

If UMD advances past Michigan Tech, they will take on the winner of Denver/UMass Lowell. That game would be on Saturday, March 26. Times and other details would be determined once the teams are known for this game.

Tournament appearances are nothing new to the Bulldogs in recent years. The team made Frozen Four appearances in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021 (2020 was canceled due to COVID-19). During that span, UMD won championships in 2018 and 2019. Last year, the Bulldogs were defeated 3-2 by Massachusetts in the Frozen Four. Massachusetts went on to win the 2021 Championship.