ESPN to Cover Entire 2016 NCAA Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Championship

- March 25-27: Regional Semifinals and Finals
- April 7 & 9: Frozen Four Semifinals and Championship Game
- John Buccigross and Barry Melrose Call Frozen Four; Quint Kessenich and Victoria Arlen Report
ESPN will cover all 15 games from the 2016 NCAA Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Championship, which begins with regional semifinals and finals (March 25-27) from Worcester, Ma., St. Paul, Minn., Albany, N.Y., and Cincinnati and concluding with the Frozen Four semifinals (April 7) and national championship (April 9) from Tampa, Fla. This is ESPN’s 37th year airing college hockey’s championship game, its 22nd televising the Frozen Four and 12th year covering every game from the tournament.
Regional Semifinals and Finals
The 16-team, single-elimination NCAA Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Championship begins with eight regional semifinals and four regional finals across ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and ESPN3. Quinnipiac is the overall No. 1 seed and will play in the Northeast Regional, St. Cloud State is the No. 2 seed and in the West, North Dakota is the No. 3 seed and in the Midwest and defending National Champion Providence is the No. 4 seed and in the Northeast. The complete bracket can be found here.
- Midwest Regional: US Bank Arena in Cincinnati
- Dates: March 25-26
- Semifinal: Northeastern at 3 North Dakota
- Semifinal: Notre Dame at Michigan
- Networks: ESPNU and ESPN2
- Northeast Regional: DCU Center in Worcester, Ma.
- Dates: March 25-26
- Semifinal: Minnesota-Duluth vs. No. 4 Providence
- Semifinal: Harvard vs. Boston College
- Networks: ESPN3 and ESPNU
- West Regional: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
- Dates: March 26-27
- Semifinal: Ferris State at No. 2 St. Cloud State
- Semifinal: Boston University vs. Denver
- Networks: ESPNEWS and ESPNU
- East Regional: Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
- Dates: March 26-27
- Semifinal: RIT vs. No. 1 Quinnipiac
- Semifinal: Yale vs. UMass-Lowell
- Networks: ESPN3 and ESPNU
Frozen Four
The Frozen Four will be held at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. with the two semifinals on Thursday, April 7, on ESPN2 (5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) and the Frozen Four National Championship on Saturday, April 9, on ESPN (8 p.m.). More details will be announced the week of the Frozen Four.
Every game of the 2016 Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Championship is available on WatchESPN.
ESPN NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship Commentators
ESPN’s lead hockey play-by-play commentator John Buccigross teams up with lead hockey analyst Barry Melrose to call the action in the Northeast Regional (Worcester, Mass.) and, for the fourth consecutive year, the Frozen Four. Quint Kessenich will, once again, be the reporter with Buccigross and Melrose at both the Northeast Regional and Frozen Four. Victoria Arlen will also be a part of the Frozen Four coverage, focusing on the untold stories of the participating teams and players off the ice.
Buccigross, the popular SportsCenter anchor, has developed a passionate following on Twitter (@Buccigross) through consistent college hockey dialogue with fans (#cawlidgehawkey) and by showcasing hockey throughout the country.
Melrose, who has been with ESPN 19 of the last 20 years and has been an analyst for several Frozen Fours, played 11 seasons in the NHL before leading the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals as head coach.
Other ESPN broadcast tandems: Allen Bestwick and Colby Cohen (Midwest Regional), Clay Matvick and Sean Ritchlin (West Regional) and Kevin Brown and Billy Jaffe (East Regional). Both Jaffe and Ritchlin played at Michigan and Cohen played for Boston University, where he scored the game-winning goal in the 2009 National Championship Game.
Regional Semifinals and Finals
Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Network |
Friday, March 25 | 2 p.m. | Midwest Regional Semifinal: Northeastern vs. No. 3 North Dakota Allen Bestwick and Colby Cohen |
ESPNU |
4:30 p.m. | Northeast Regional Semifinal: Minnesota-Duluth vs. No. 4 Providence John Buccigross, Barry Melrose, Quint Kessenich |
ESPN3 | |
5:30 p.m. | Midwest Regional Semifinal: Notre Dame vs. Michigan Allen Bestwick and Colby Cohen |
ESPNU | |
8 p.m. | Northeast Regional Semifinal: Harvard vs. Boston College John Buccigross, Barry Melrose, Quint Kessenich |
ESPNU | |
Saturday, March 26 | 3 p.m. | West Regional Semifinal: Ferris State at No. 2 St. Cloud State Clay Matvick and Sean Ritchlin |
ESPNEWS |
4 p.m. | East Regional Semifinal: RIT vs. No. 1 Quinnipiac Kevin Brown and Billy Jaffe |
ESPNU | |
6 p.m. | Midwest Regional Final Allen Bestwick and Colby Cohen |
ESPN2 | |
6:30 p.m. | West Regional Semifinal: Boston University vs. Denver Clay Matvick and Sean Ritchlin |
ESPNU | |
7:30 p.m. | East Regional Semifinal: Yale vs. UMass-Lowell Kevin Brown and Billy Jaffe |
ESPN3 | |
9 p.m. | Northeast Regional Final John Buccigross, Barry Melrose, Quint Kessenich |
ESPNU | |
Sunday, March 27 | 5 p.m. | West Regional Final Clay Matvick and Sean Ritchlin |
ESPNU |
7:30 p.m. | East Regional Final Kevin Brown and Billy Jaffe |
ESPNU |
Frozen Four
Thursday, April 7 | 5 p.m. | Frozen Four Semifinal John Buccigross, Barry Melrose, Quint Kessenich, Victoria Arlen |
ESPN2 |
8:30 p.m. | Frozen Four Semifinal John Buccigross, Barry Melrose, Quint Kessenich, Victoria Arlen |
ESPN2 | |
Saturday, April 9 | 8 p.m. | Frozen Four Championship John Buccigross, Barry Melrose, Quint Kessenich, Victoria Arlen |
ESPN |
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Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; [email protected] and @DerekVolner