The field of 16 for the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship was released on Sunday, with Yale, North Dakota, Boston College and Miami (OH) receiving the No. 1 seeds in the bracket (in that order). Play begins this Friday, March 25, with the first round, and quickly progresses to the Frozen Four, set for April 7-9, in Minnesota.
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.
Complete 2011 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship Schedule:
2011 NCAA Hockey Championship, First and Second Rounds (March 25-27)
Friday, March 25
3 p.m., East Region: Minnesota-Duluth vs. Union (Bridgeport, CT), ESPNU
5:30 p.m., West Region: Michigan vs. Nebraska-Omaha (St. Louis, MO), ESPN3
6:30 p.m., East Region: No. 1 Yale vs. Air Force (Bridgeport, CT), ESPNU
9 p.m., West Region: No. 1 Boston College vs. Colorado College (St. Louis, MO), ESPNU
Saturday, March 26
1:30 p.m., Midwest Region: No.1 North Dakota vs. Rensselaer (Green Bay, WI), ESPN3
4 p.m., Northeast Region: No. 1 Miami vs. New Hampshire (Manchester, NH), ESPNU
5 p.m., Midwest Region: Denver vs. Western Michigan (Green Bay, WI), ESPN3
7:30 p.m., Northeast Region: Merrimack vs. Notre Dame (Manchester, NH), ESPN3
6:30 p.m. East Regional Final (Teams TBD), ESPNU
9 p.m. West Regional Final (Teams TBD), ESPNU
Sunday, March 27, 2011
5:30 p.m. Midwest Regional Final (Teams TBD), ESPNU
8 p.m. Northeast Regional Final (Teams TBD), ESPNU
2011 NCAA Hockey Championship Semifinals (April 7)
Frozen Four Semifinal #1, ESPN2
Frozen Four Semifinal #2, ESPN2
2011 NCAA Hockey National Championship Game (April 9, 7 p.m., ESPN)
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For more on the 2011 NCAA Hockey Championship, visit the StoryStreams at both SB Nation and SBN Boston as well as our Boston College blog, BC Interruption.