March 22, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee has selected the 16 teams that will be participating in the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.

The championship playoff format involves four predetermined regional sites with four teams assigned to each site.  The four regional winners advance to the Men’s Frozen Four.  The entire championship uses a single-elimination format.  

Automatic qualification privileges are granted to the postseason champions of six conferences.  The remainder of the field is selected at large.

Boston University was the No. 1 overall seed.  The other No. 1 seeds, in order, included the University of Notre Dame, the University of Denver and the University of Michigan.

The dates, sites, times and pairings of this year’s championship are as follows:

East Regional, March 27-28
Bridgeport Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, Connecticut

Friday, March 27, 3 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU HD
No. 1 Michigan (29-11-0) vs. No. 4 Air Force (27-10-2)

Friday, March 27, 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU HD
No. 2 Yale (24-7-2) vs. No. 3 Vermont  (20-11-5)


Saturday, March 28, 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU HD
East Regional Championship

West Regional, March 27-28
Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Friday, March 27, 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2 HD/ESPN360.com
No. 1 Denver (23-11-5) vs. No. 4 Miami (Ohio) (20-12-5)

Friday, March 27, 9 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU HD
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth (21-12-8) vs. No. 3 Princeton (22-11-1)

Saturday, March 28, 9 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU HD
West Regional Championship

Midwest Regional, March 28-29
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Saturday, March 28, 4 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU
No. 2 Northeastern (25-11-4) vs. No. 3 Cornell (21-9-4)

Saturday, March 28, 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN Classic (TBD)/ESPN360.com (Live)
No. 1 Notre Dame (31-5-3) vs. No. 4 Bemidji State (18-15-1)

Sunday, March 29, 8 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU
Midwest Regional Championship

Northeast Regional, March 28-29
Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire

Saturday, March 28, 2 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2/ESPN360.com
No. 2 North Dakota (24-14-4) vs. No. 3 New Hampshire (19-12-5)

Saturday, March 28, 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2/ESPN360.com
No. 1 Boston University (31-6-4) vs. No. 4 Ohio State (23-14-4)

Sunday, March 29, 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPNU
Northeast Regional Championship
 
Men’s Frozen Four, April 9 and 11
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.

Thursday, April 9, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN2 HD/ESPN360.com (order of games TBD)
Northeast Regional Champion vs. East Regional Champion
West Regional Champion vs. Midwest Regional Champion

Saturday, April 11, 7 p.m. Eastern time, ESPN HD/ESPN360.com
National Championship

The following conferences and teams received automatic qualification:

Atlantic Hockey Association – Air Force
Central Collegiate Hockey Association – Notre Dame  
College Hockey America – Bemidji State
ECAC Hockey – Yale
Hockey East Association – Boston University
Western Collegiate Hockey Association – Minnesota Duluth

For more information about the championship, log on to www.NCAA.com.

http://www.ncaa.com/photos/schools/ncaa/sports/m-hockey/auto_pdf/MH-D1-2009Bracket.pdf