The culmination of the NCAA Hockey Tournament, the 2025 Men’s Frozen 4 features two teams and two newcomers with plenty of experience on this stage.
The semi-finals will be held at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Thursday at 5pm and 8:30pm, with the winners facing each other on the final Saturday at 7:30pm, with all three games streaming on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
In Thursday’s first match, real-life national champion Denver returned to defend the title. Pioneer will face off against fellow NCHC Team West Michigan states who will be appearing for the first time in Frozen Four. The team met three times this season. The Broncos defeated Denver in a double overtime in the NCHC Championship Game after the team split two meetings in the regular season.
The other semi-finals match Boston University, which will be competing in the national semi-finals for the third year in a row, and Penn State University, which will make its Frozen 4 debut. This is the first meeting of the Terrier and the Nittany Lions.
Western Michigan is only one of the top four seeds that make frozen 4, indicating that for the first time since 2011, only one of the top four species has made so far. Boston College, Michigan and Maine were all eliminated in local plays.
As for NHL talent, a total of 38 players were drafted from the Frozen Four team. Bu is 14, Denver has 13, West Michigan 8 and Pennsylvania 3.
Below is an insight from ESPN College Hockey Analysts Colby Cohen and Andrew Lakecroft, as well as players watching ESPN Research statistics and key statistics, which each of the four teams needs to go appropriately to win a national title.
Denver (31-11-1)
How the pioneers came here: As the third seed in the Manchester region, Denver dominated Providence 5-1, knocking out the entire Seeded Boston College 3-1 in last year’s National Championship Game rematch. PIOS took a 2-0 lead early in the second season before BC got on the board in less than a minute in the period. However, after Matt Davis made 15 of his 35 saves, Zeev Buium was able to win with an empty net goal.
James Leader celebrates with his Denver teammates after scoring in the Pioneer victory at Boston University. Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images
Numbers to Know: National titles are the 11th in Denver’s history, offering the program’s fourth back-to-back championship, three titles over four years. …Pioner has won at least 30 in four straight wins. …Jack Devine (13 goals, 44 assists) and Aidan Thompson (20, 34) are 1-2 in points nationwide, while Buium (13 goals, 35 assists) have the most points of all defenders.
How Denver wins a national title
Things in the Back Pressure Bottle: Denver’s forwards will return from the middle, just like any team in the country. This puts a lot of pressure on the other teams going through the neutral zone and trying to create a rush. This allows Denver’s defense to maintain a narrow gap and create turnovers. When DU is backpressed by the puck like in the region, it is almost impossible to defeat it.
The special team remains special. Denver’s Power Play is clicking at an incredible 30% rating. One form of low scores can make a difference in power play goals. Pio has a huge move, there are plenty of options for dangerous players, and Power Play can really make them stand out.
Watching Player: Zeev Buium. This future NHL star can control the game with or without a pack. His skating, puck skills and vision are elite and he can take over the game as he has always seen in Manchester. Another key to Buium is that the bigger the moment, the more he plays. Don’t be surprised to see him play about 30 minutes per game on Frozen Four. – Colby Cohen
Western Michigan (32-7-1)
How the Broncos got here: The top seed in the Fargo region of western Michigan defeated Minnesota 2-1, advanced Grant Slukinski’s goal, defeated Umas 2-1, accidentally lost a 1-0 deficit on a power-play goal by Liam Valente and Tim Wash, imposing the same five minuto main penalties. The Broncos then had to kill their own five minute major and dodge the Minute Man.
Numbers to Know: Having a Team Record 32 win, the Broncos are on an eight-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the country. …Western Michigan is one of the most balanced teams in the nation, averaging 3.95 goals per game (second in Denver’s 4.00), allowing only 2.05 goals per game. …Broncos goaltender Hampton Slukinski has only allowed two goals in 147 minutes, with an average of 0.82 goals, the highest of all tournament goalkeepers.
How Western Michigan can win national titles
Forward Depth Delivery: There aren’t many drop-offs from the first to fourth line of the Broncos. They need to start with the pioneer and roll over over four lines to try to wear their opponents.
Hampton Slukynsky stands above his head: the freshman goaltender stopped 28 of 29 shots in both games for Fargo. The Los Angeles Kings draft pick has a 17-5-1 record and West Michigan must have the highest record to wind up the trophy.
Watching Player: Liam Valente. The Swedish winger considered three of his team’s four goals for Fargo. He has an absolute rocket for shots, so he needs to find a way to play Denver and goaltender Matt Davis. – Andrew Lakeroft
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Frozen 4 Preview: Pennsylvania vs. Boston University
John Buccigross previews the four frozen semi-finals between Pennsylvania and Boston University.
Boston University (23-13-2)
How the Terrier got here: The Toledo area second seed, BU Blitz Ohio, smiled at Ohio State six at six unanswered goals towards an 8-3 victory, then worked overtime on a three-straight trip to the frozen 4 at 6:25 for Quinn Hutson’s goal, knitting a fourth-seeded Cornell 3-2. Freshman Mikhail Jegorov made 37 saves for the terrier in his 16th career game.
Numbers to Know: BU coach Jay Pandolfo is a 10-0 total as head coach and player in the NCAA Regional Games, bringing seven trips to Frozen Four. Pandolfo is the third division men’s hockey coach who reaches Frozen 4 in each of his first three seasons and joins Dougwog (Minnesota) and Dave Haxtall (North Dakota). … Despite recent success, Terrier has not reached the national title game since 2015. …The Quinn and Cole Hutson brothers are BU’s top two goals scorer this season (Quinn 50 points, Cole 46), and Cole added two goals and four assists in Toledo as points leaders in the NCAA Tournament Play.
How BU can win the national title
Create the Rush: BU is a dynamic offensive team that loves to play in rush. The terriers went fast and quickly during the transition, and they had many successes in the tournament and created a rush.
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Take care of the house: Bu is not known for its defense, but against Cornell, the terrier sits around the net, with limited chances for the second and third. Goalkeeper Mikhail Yegorov usually stops the first one. So, if BU cares for its own purpose, there is a great chance to play for the championship.
Watching Player: Cole Hutson. Cole is one of the most dynamic players in the sport of hockey, not just the NCAA. I’m not looking at players as Bu Alum -Bu Alum -Bu Alum -Bu Alum -Bu Alum -Bu Alum -Bu Alum -Bu Alum -Bu Alum -Bu Alum has the heart and offensive instinct that Cole has. Big moments seem to be where Hatson shines brightest and brightest – Beanpot, the World Junior Gold Medal Game, Toledo Region – is exciting to see what the Frozen 4 brings. – Cohen
Pennsylvania (22-13-4)
How the Nittany Lions got here: After giving up an early goal to Maine, the top seed of Allentown and fourth seeded Pennsylvania overwhelmed Black Bears with three first-term goals to win 5-1. The Nittany Lions went on to the first frozen four, beating No. 2 seed UConn 3-2 on a goal from Matt DiMarsico at 17:56 in overtime. Arseni Sergeev made 42 saves to the OT thriller.
Numbers to know: Pennsylvania has only three losses since January 11th, making it 14-3-3 on that stretch. …The Nittany Lions are the fourth seed in the region since Providence in 2019 to create a frozen four.
How Pennsylvania wins national titles
Keep up the momentum. Pennsylvania continues their Cinderella run after starting the Big Ten season 0-8-1. There is no doubt that the country’s hottest teams have gotten huge clashes from the home state crowd in the Allentown area. Can the Nittany Lions carry that energy to St. Louis like they’re trying to beat the third straight hockey East team?
Take advantage of team speed. Penn State ambushed both Maine and UCONN during the first period of regional games, riding rushes and sprinting through the neutral zone, causing chaos. The Nittany Lions will not sneak into BU. Also, whether you can play faster than a terrier is a big question.
Watching Player: Charlie Cerato. Freshman Center assisted five times in two regional games. Along with Serrato pivot winger Matt DiMarsico and fellow freshman JJ Weebush, the Lions’ second line carried them offensively, including a beautiful overtime winner who beats UConn. – Lake Roft
