Here is your guide to the history and records of the Frozen Four, the championship for college men’s ice hockey.
What is the Frozen Four?
The Frozen Four is the semifinals and finals of the college men’s ice hockey tournament. The final two rounds of that tournament take place on one weekend in April after the field has been whittled down from 16 to four.
The Frozen Four only refers to the semifinals, but the tournament consists of four rounds that cut the field in half from 16 to The selection committee grants the four No. 1 seeds in order, but does not officially release seed lines for the other 12 teams. This tournament setup requires the national champion to win four tournament games in a row to claim the national championship crown.
History of the Frozen Four
The Frozen Four started in 1948, with Michigan taking the title over Dartmouth. It was just called the NCAA men’s ice hockey championship until 1999, when it was re-branded as the Frozen Four.
The first 10 Frozen Fours were held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, before moving to a new location every season. Of course, some locations have hosted multiple times. Minneapolis, Denver, Utica, N.Y, Chestnut Hill, Ma.; Providence, Syracuse, Duluth, Minn. are among the locations that have hosted the Frozen Four.
Boston University has hosted six times, including three years in a row from 1973 to 1973.
Coach Vic Heyliger’s Michigan teams won six of the first nine national championships, and was the runner-up in each of those three when they didn’t win. The Wolverines added another title in 1964, then had to wait 30 years for their next one.
Boston College is the leader in championships since 2000 with four. Denver and Minnesota Duluth have three. Minnesota has two.
After every Frozen Four, the NCAA names a Most Outstanding Player and an All-Tournament Team.Â
| YEAR | CHAMPION | COACH | SCORE | RUNNER-UP | HOST OR SITE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | N/A — The championship was canceled because of the pandemic. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2019 | Minnesota Duluth (29-11-2) | Scott Sandelin | 3-0 | UMass | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| 2018 | Minnesota Duluth (25-16-3) | Scott Sandelin | 2-1 | Notre Dame | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2017 | Denver (33-7-4) | Jim Montgomery | 3-2 | Minnesota Duluth | Chicago |
| 2016 | North Dakota (34-6-4) | Brad Berry | 5-1 | Quinnipiac | Tampa |
| 2015 | Providence (26-13-2) | Nate Leaman | 4-3 | Boston University | Boston |
| 2014 | Union (N.Y.) (32-6-4) | Rick Bennett | 7-4 | Minnesota | Philadelphia |
| 2013 | Yale (22-12-3) | Keith Allain | 4-0 | Quinnipiac | Pittsburgh |
| 2012 | Boston College (33-10-1) | Jerry York | 4-1 | Ferris State | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2011 | Minnesota Duluth (26-10-6) | Scott Sandelin | 3-2 (ot) | Michigan | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2010 | Boston College (29-10-3) | Jerry York | 5-0 | Wisconsin | Detroit |
| 2009 | Boston University (35-6-4) | Jack Parker | 4-3 (ot) | Miami (Ohio) | Washington D.C. |
| 2008 | Boston College (25-11-8) | Jerry York | 4-1 | Notre Dame | Denver |
| 2007 | Michigan State (26-13-3) | Rick Comley | 3-1 | Boston College | St. Louis |
| 2006 | Wisconsin (30-10-3) | Mike Eaves | 2-1 | Boston College | Milwaukee |
| 2005 | Denver (32-9-2) | George Gwozdecky | 4-1 | North Dakota | Columbus, Ohio |
| 2004 | Denver (27-12-5) | George Gwozdecky | 1-0 | Maine | Boston |
| 2003 | Minnesota (30-8-9) | Don Lucia | 5-1 | New Hampshire | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| 2002 | Minnesota (32-8-4) | Don Lucia | 4-3 (ot) | Maine | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2001 | Boston College (33-8-2) | Jerry York | 3-2 (ot) | North Dakota | Albany, N.Y. |
| 2000 | North Dakota (31-8-5) | Dean Blais | 4-2 | Boston College | Providence, R.I. |
| 1999 | Maine (31-6-4) | Shawn Walsh | 3-2 (ot) | New Hampshire | Anaheim, Calif. |
| 1998 | Michigan (32-11-1) | Gordon “Red” Berenson | 3-2 (ot) | Boston College | Boston |
| 1997 | North Dakota (31-10-2) | Dean Blais | 6-4 | Boston University | Milwaukee |
| 1996 | Michigan (33-7-2) | Gordon “Red” Berenson | 3-2 (ot) | Colorado College | Cincinnati |
| 1995 | Boston University (31-6-3) | Jack Parker | 6-2 | Maine | Providence, R.I. |
| 1994 | Lake Superior State (31-10-4) | Jeff Jackson | 9-1 | Boston University | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1993 | Maine (42-1-2) | Shawn Walsh | 5-4 | Lake Superior State | Milwaukee |
| 1992 | Lake Superior State (30-9-4) | Jeff Jackson | 5-3 | #Wisconsin | Albany, N.Y. |
| 1991 | Northern Michigan (38-5-4) | Rick Comley | 8-7 (3ot) | Boston University | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1990 | Wisconsin (36-9-1) | Jeff Sauer | 7-3 | Colgate | Detroit |
| 1989 | Harvard (31-3) | Bill Cleary | 4-3 (ot) | Minnesota | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1988 | Lake Superior State (33-7-6) | Frank Anzalone | 4-3 (ot) | St. Lawrence | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
| 1987 | North Dakota (40-8) | John “Gino” Gasparini | 5-3 | Michigan State | Detroit |
| 1986 | Michigan State (34-9-2) | Ron Mason | 6-5 | Harvard | Providence, R.I. |
| 1985 | Rensselaer (35-2-1) | Mike Addesa | 2-1 | Providence | Detroit |
| 1984 | Bowling Green (34-8-2) | Jerry York | 5-4 (4ot) | Minnesota Duluth | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
| 1983 | Wisconsin (33-10-4) | Jeff Sauer | 6-2 | Harvard | Grand Forks, N.D. |
| 1982 | North Dakota (35-12) | John “Gino” Gasparini | 5-2 | Wisconsin | Providence, R.I. |
| 1981 | Wisconsin (27-14-1) | Bob Johnson | 6-3 | Minnesota | Duluth, Minnesota |
| 1980 | North Dakota (31-8-1) | John “Gino” Gasparini | 5-2 | Northern Michigan | Providence, R.I. |
| 1979 | Minnesota (32-11-1) | Herb Brooks | 4-3 | North Dakota | Detroit |
| 1978 | Boston University (30-2) | Jack Parker | 5-3 | Boston College | Providence, R.I. |
| 1977 | Wisconsin (37-7-1) | Bob Johnson | 6-5 (ot) | Michigan | Detroit |
| 1976 | Minnesota (28-14-2) | Herb Brooks | 6-4 | Michigan Tech | Denver |
| 1975 | Michigan Tech (32-10) | John MacInnes | 6-1 | Minnesota | St. Louis |
| 1974 | Minnesota (22-12-6) | Herb Brooks | 4-2 | Michigan Tech | Boston |
| 1973 | Wisconsin (29-9-2) | Bob Johnson | 4-2 | #Denver | Boston |
| 1972 | Boston University (26-4-1) | Jack Kelley | 4-0 | Cornell | Boston |
| 1971 | Boston University (28-2-1) | Jack Kelley | 4-2 | Minnesota | Syracuse, N.Y. |
| 1970 | Cornell (29-0) | Ned Harkness | 6-4 | Clarkson | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
| 1969 | Denver (26-6) | Murray Armstrong | 4-3 | Cornell | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1968 | Denver (28-5-1) | Murray Armstrong | 4-0 | North Dakota | Duluth, Minnesota |
| 1967 | Cornell (27-1-1) | Ned Harkness | 4-1 | Boston University | Syracuse, N.Y. |
| 1966 | Michigan State (16-13) | Amo Bessone | 6-1 | Clarkson | Minneapolis |
| 1965 | Michigan Tech (24-5-2) | John MacInnes | 8-2 | Boston College | Providence, R.I. |
| 1964 | Michigan (24-4-1) | Allen Renfrew | 6-3 | Denver | Denver |
| 1963 | North Dakota (22-7-3) | Barry Thorndycraft | 6-5 | Denver | Boston |
| 1962 | Michigan Tech (29-3) | John MacInnes | 7-1 | Clarkson | Utica, N.Y. |
| 1961 | Denver (30-1-1) | Murray Armstrong | 12-2 | St. Lawrence | Denver |
| 1960 | Denver (27-4-3) | Murray Armstrong | 5-3 | Michigan Tech | Boston |
| 1959 | North Dakota (20-10-1) | Bob May | 4-3 (ot) | Michigan State | Troy, N.Y. |
| 1958 | Denver (24-10-2) | Murray Armstrong | 6-2 | North Dakota | Minneapolis |
| 1957 | Colorado College (25-5) | Thomas Bedecki | 13-6 | Michigan | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1956 | Michigan (20-2-1) | Vic Heyliger | 7-5 | Michigan Tech | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1955 | Michigan (18-5-1) | Vic Heyliger | 5-3 | Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1954 | Rensselaer (18-5) | Ned Harkness | 5-4 (ot) | Minnesota | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1953 | Michigan (17-7) | Vic Heyliger | 7-3 | Minnesota | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1952 | Michigan (22-4) | Vic Heyliger | 4-1 | Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1951 | Michigan (22-4-1) | Vic Heyliger | 7-1 | Brown | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1950 | Colorado College (18-5-1) | Cheddy Thompson | 13-4 | Boston University | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1949 | Boston College (21-1) | John “Snooks” Kelley | 4-3 | Dartmouth | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1948 | Michigan (20-2-1) | Vic Heyliger | 8-4 | Dartmouth | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
#Participation in the tournament vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
There have been 72Â Frozen Fours in NCAA history. Twelve teams have been to double-digit final fours, with Boston College and Michigan leading the way.
Here’s the full leaderboard:
| Team | Appearances |
|---|---|
| Boston College | 25 |
| Michigan | 25 |
| Boston University | 22 |
| North Dakota | 22 |
| Minnesota | 21 |
| Denver | 15 |
| Harvard | 13 |
| Michigan State | 11 |
| Maine | 11 |
| Michigan Tech | 10 |
| Colorado College | 10 |
| St. Lawrence | 9 |
Fourteen programs have won multiple Frozen Fours. These schools account for 61 of the 71 championships in NCAA history.
| Team | Championships |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 9 |
| North Dakota | 8 |
| Denver | 8 |
| Wisconsin | 6 |
| Boston College | 5 |
| Boston University | 5 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 4 |
| Minnesota | 5 |
| Lake Superior State | 3 |
| Michigan State | 3 |
| Michigan Tech | 3 |
| Colorado College | 2 |
| Cornell | 2 |
| Maine | 2 |
| Renssselaer | 2 |
| St. Cloud State | 2 |
| UMass | 2 |
