The field is set for the 2026 NCAA women’s hockey tournament, with 11 teams looking to advance to the Frozen Four on March 20 and 22 at University Park, Pennsylvania.

The winners of the five conference tournaments earned automatic bids to the field, with the next six highest teams in the NPI rankings getting at-large spots. The top five seeds receive first-round byes, with the top four teams hosting regional finals. Regional play begins Thursday with three first-round games.

Every game of the tournament will be streamed live on the ESPN App, with the championship game airing on March 22 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Ohio State earned the top overall seed after beating Wisconsin 2-1 for the WCHA tournament championship Saturday. The Badgers are the No. 2 seed, with Penn State of Atlantic Hockey America at No. 3. Minnesota (WCHA) and Northeastern (Hockey East) round out the top five seeds.

Wisconsin beat Ohio State 4-3 in overtime to win the 2025 national championship. Those teams have alternated as national champs over the last five seasons and have met in the title game the last three years, with Wisconsin winning in 2023 and Ohio State taking the crown in 2024.

Below is the schedule for the tournament and a look at every team in the field, including insight from ESPN college hockey analyst Paige Capistran. This page will be updated with results as the tournament progresses.

Schedule

All times Eastern. All games streamed on ESPN App.

REGIONALS

First round, Thursday

Yale vs. Minnesota Duluth, 6 p.m.

UConn vs. Princeton, 7 p.m.

Quinnipiac vs. Franklin Pierce, 8 p.m.

Finals, Saturday

Quinnipiac-Franklin Pierce winner at No. 2 Wisconsin, 2 p.m.

UConn-Princeton winner at No. 3 Penn State, 2 p.m.

No. 5 Northeastern at No. 4 Minnesota, 3 p.m.

Yale-Minnesota Duluth winner at No. 1 Ohio State, 6 p.m.

FROZEN FOUR
at University Park, Pennsylvania

Semifinals, March 20

4 and 7:30 p.m.

Final, March 22

4 p.m., ESPNU

Field at a glance

Ohio State (33-4-0)

NPI ranking: 1

How the Buckeyes got in: WCHA tournament champion

NCAA history: Eighth appearance, seeking third title

Numbers to know: The Buckeyes are 19-1 since the calendar flipped to 2026, with the one loss to Wisconsin on Feb. 8. They have allowed less than two goals in 15 of their last 20 games. … Hailey MacLeod blanked Minnesota in the WCHA semifinals for her fifth shutout of the season, then limited high-scoring Wisconsin to one goal with 28 saves in a 2-1 win in the final. … Ohio State can put the puck in the net, too, ranking third in the country with 4.42 goals per game. Joy Dunne of the US Olympic team leads the Buckeyes with 26 goals in 28 games. … Hilda Svensson, who played for Sweden in the Milan Olympics, is the top scoring freshman in the country with 1.67 points per game. She had a goal and a team-high eight shots on goal in the WCHA title win over the Badgers.

Paige Capistran’s take: The top seeded Buckeyes are peaking and coming together as a team at the right time. Coming into the tournament as the favorite, they won’t take their foot off the gas and will continue the blue-collar play that defines them.

Wisconsin (32-4-2)

NPI ranking: 2

How the Badgers got in: At-large berth (WCHA)

NCAA history: 20th appearance, seeking ninth title

Numbers to know: The Badgers split four games with Minnesota and were 3-2 against Ohio State, accounting for their four losses on the season. … Wisconsin leads the country in scoring (5.26 goals per game), is second in goals allowed per game (1.45) and is tops in power-play percentage (.357). … Seniors Caroline Harvey (2.03 points per game) and Lacey Eden (1.92) lead the high-powered attack. Six Badgers have more than 40 points on the season. … Ava McNaughton, who leads the NCAA with a 1.32 goals-against average, had a career-high 38 saves in the Badgers’ WCHA final loss to Ohio State. … Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson is one win away from becoming the first NCAA women’s hockey coach to reach 700 career victories.

Capistran’s take: The Badgers’ stacked roster includes four Olympians who won gold for Team USA: Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards, McNaughton and Olympic MVP Harvey. Plus, Eden is a top-10 Patty Kazmaier finalist along with Edwards, Harvey and Simms. Johnson’s team certainly has the skill to go all the way.

Penn State (32-5-0)

NPI ranking: 3

How the Nittany Lions got in: Atlantic Hockey tournament champion

NCAA history: Fourth appearance, seeking first title

Numbers to know: Penn State claimed its fourth straight AHA title with a 3-2 win over Mercyhurst on Saturday. … Senior Katie DeSa is one of the best goaltenders in the country, allowing just 37 goals in 29 games this season. She has an NCAA-high 11 shutouts and a .935 save percentage. … The Nittany Lions lead the country in scoring defense (1.35 goals per game) and are fourth in scoring offense (4.3 goals per game). … US Olympian Tessa Janecke leads a balanced offense with 45 points (23 goals, 22 assists) in 29 games. Grace Outwater leads Penn State with 24 goals and 10 skaters have at least 20 points on the season.

Capistran’s take: Janecke is tough as nails and leads the Nittany Lions on and off the ice. Penn State will have home-ice advantage through the Frozen Four and has proven how hard it is to beat at home, going 17-1 at Pegula Ice Arena. Penn State wants to win its first national title in its own building.

Minnesota (26-11-1)

NPI ranking: 4

How the Golden Gophers got in: At-large berth (WCHA)

NCAA history: 23rd appearance, seeking seventh title

Numbers to know: Minnesota closed January with a 23-4 record, but struggled down the stretch with Abbey Murphy (Team USA) and Josefin Bouveng (Sweden) away for the Olympics, going 1-6-1 before winning two straight over St. Cloud State in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. The Gophers then lost 4-0 to Ohio State in the WCHA semifinals. … Murphy leads the country with 2.13 points per game (38 goals and 26 assists for 64 points in 30 games) and Bouveng is 10th at 1.40 (15 goals, 27 assists in 30 games). … Minnesota is second in the country with 171 goals and fourth in goal margin (plus-2.34).

Capistran’s take: Minnesota was playing its best hockey before the Olympics and wants to revive its offensive identity, playing with speed and pushing the pace. With a deep lineup, Brad Frost has the flexibility to roll three lines evenly. But Murphy, one of the most lethal players in the NCAA, will lead the way.

Northeastern (28-8-1)

NPI ranking: 5

How the Huskies got in: At-large berth (Hockey East)

NCAA history: Eighth appearance, seeking first title

Numbers to know: Northeastern won all three regular-season meetings with UConn, but lost a 2-1 double-overtime heartbreaker in the Hockey East final. Before that loss, the Huskies had been 12-1-1 in their previous 14 games. … Goaltender Lisa Jönsson has been rock solid for NU, allowing two or fewer goals in each of her last 12 games, including a 54-save effort in the loss to UConn. … Northeastern trails only Wisconsin in penalty-kill percentage (.895). … Stryker Zablocki (18 goals, 25 assists) became the first player to win Hockey East player of the year and freshman of the year since 2017-18. … The Huskies are back in the NCAA tournament after a two-year absence. They had been in the field six straight years before that.

Capistran’s take: The Huskies play shutdown defense in front of Jönsson, who has been outstanding in her sophomore campaign. Captain Lily Shannon has had a breakout senior season, playing a 200-foot game; she will be a key. Jules Constantinople is Northeastern’s go-to defender and brings great physicality.

UConn (27-8-2)

NPI ranking: 6

How the Huskies got in: Hockey East tournament champion

NCAA history: Second appearance, seeking first title

Numbers to know: Tia Chan made 57 saves, 33 after regulation, in UConn’s 2-1 double-overtime win over Northeastern in the Hockey East title game. A top-three finalist for national goalie of the year, she has the best save percentage (.950) of any netminder in the NCAA tournament and is sixth in the country with a 1.59 goals against average. … UConn blocked 39 shots against Northeastern. … The Huskies, who led Hockey East in both scoring (3.05) and defense (1.62), have won eight of their last nine games.

Capistran’s take: The Hockey East champions took their offense up a notch this season and continued to play the top-notch defense they have displayed in years past. While Chan is a force at the back end, forwards Julia Pellerin, Claire Murdoch and Kyla Josifovic have been key to the Huskies’ success this year.

Quinnipiac (28-8-3)

NPI ranking: 7

How the Bobcats got in: ECAC tournament champion

NCAA history: Fifth appearance, seeking first title

Numbers to know: Quinnipiac won its first ECAC title since 2016 with a 5-1 win over top seed Yale. … Goaltender Felicia Frank, a top-three finalist for national goalie of the year, was the tournament MVP with 61 saves and just two goals allowed over two games. The sophomore is first nationally with 28 wins, third in shutouts (nine) and fourth in goals against average (1.51). … Kahlen Lamarche keys the Bobcats offense, scoring better than a goal per game (42 goals in 39 games). She had seven goals in a three-game ECAC quarterfinal win over Brown.

Capistran’s take: Frank backboned the Bobcats this season and Lamarche, a top-10 Patty Kaz finalist, is an offensive threat whenever she hits the ice. Quinnipiac will want to build off its momentum from the ECAC tournament and will be a tough out.

Yale (25-9-0)

NPI ranking: 8

How the Bulldogs got in: At-large berth (ECAC)

NCAA history: Third appearance, seeking first title

Numbers to know: The Bulldogs’ loss to Quinnipiac in the ECAC final was just their second defeat in 2026 (16-2). … Senior Carina DiAntonio is fifth in the country with 26 goals, doubling her team-high total from last season. … Freshman defender Molly Boyle led the ECAC with 21 assists, while fellow first-year player Samson Frey has a 1.47 GAA in 17 games. … Yale is fifth in the country with 3.65 goals per game. … The Bulldogs have seven wins over teams ranked in the top 15 in NPI.

Capistran’s take: ECAC coach of the year Mark Bolding led his team to the conference title game in his seventh season behind the bench. The Bulldogs have a great shot-blocking mentality, and Boyle, who was named ECAC defender of the year, sets the tone.

Princeton (23-10-0)

NPI ranking: 9

How the Tigers got in: At-large berth (ECAC)

NCAA history: Fifth appearance, seeking first title

Numbers to know: Princeton fell to Quinnipiac 2-1 in overtime in the ECAC semifinals. … The Tigers are fourth in the country in scoring defense, allowing 1.41 goals per game. … Princeton was 3-3 against NCAA qualifiers Yale and Quinnipiac this season, with four of the six games going to overtime. … Issy Wunder has 27 goals, with eight of them game-winners, tied for most in the country.

Capistran’s take: Despite having a short bench this season, Princeton found success with the help of team captain Wunder. Her offensive ability and high hockey IQ define her game and will be key to the Tigers’ chances.

Minnesota Duluth (20-14-3)

NPI ranking: 10

How the Bulldogs got in: At-large berth (WCHA)

NCAA history: 17th appearance, seeking sixth title

Numbers to know: Eve Gascon, the third finalist for national goaltender of the year, led WCHA with a .943 save percentage and 10 shutouts, second nationally. She has averaged just shy of 30 saves per game this season. … The Bulldogs have shown they can win in hostile environments, posting a 13-4-1 record on the road. … After closing the regular season with six straight wins, UMD lost a tight best-of-three series with Minnesota State in the WCHA playoffs.

Capistran’s take: Gascon had another phenomenal season being a brick wall for the Bulldogs. She won WCHA goalie of the year for the second year in a row and will have to bring her A game for Minnesota Duluth to find success in this year’s tournament. Offensively the Bulldogs will turn to Caitlin Kraemer, who again leads the team in points (15 goals, 15 assists).

Franklin Pierce (23-11-2)

NPI ranking: 25

How the Ravens got in: NEWHA tournament champion

NCAA history: First appearance

Numbers to know: The Ravens are in the NCAA tournament for the first time as Jill Hertl made 41 saves for her 19th career shutout in Franklin Pierce’s 2-0 win over Saint Anselm in the NEWHA championship game. Hertl was the conference’s top goaltender, with a 1.63 GAA and .955 save percentage. … Franklin Pierce is third nationally with an .890 penalty-kill percentage. … Caleigh Murphy is the Ravens’ leading scorer (17 goals, 16 assists). … David Stockdale, the only coach in program history, is in his 14th season at the helm for Franklin Pierce. The team moved to Division I in 2019-20.

Capistran’s take: Franklin Pierce had its most exciting season yet and will look to build off its the NEWHA championship, but just taking this step is huge. The Ravens will depend on Hertl and will want to use physicality to slow down their opponent.