Men’s Frozen Four
The NCAA crowns its national champion at the culmination of the college hockey season, the Frozen Four, each spring. Held before sellout crowds at NHL arenas, the Frozen Four consists of the two semifinal games and one championship game, played over three days.
In 2024, the University of Denver posted a 2-0 win over top-seeded Boston College in the NCAA Frozen Four title game at Xcel Energy Center. DU, which finished with a 32-9-3 record, became the first program in NCAA Division I men’s hockey to get to 10 national championships. Denver junior netminder Matt Davis stopped all 35 shots he faced and was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
The Frozen Four crowns the winner of the NCAA Tournament, which has been held since 1948. The tournament expanded to its current 16-team format in 2003. The tournament opens at four regional sites of four teams each, with the winners advancing to the Frozen Four.
Over time, the Frozen Four has become more than just the games – it’s a weekend long celebration of college hockey. Thousands of fans attend year after year, regardless of the teams involved, creating crowds filled with dozens of different jerseys. On the day between games college hockey celebrates some of its best, with the presentation of the Hobey Baker Award, the Hockey Humanitarian Award, the Mike Richter Award and the AHCA All-America Teams.
Future Frozen Fours have been awarded to St. Louis (2025) and Las Vegas (2026).
All-Time Men’s Frozen Four Tournament History
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Third | Fourth | Site |
| 1948 | Michigan | Dartmouth | Other semifinalists: BC and Colorado College | Col. Springs, Colo. | |
| 1949 | Boston College | Dartmouth | Michigan | Colorado College | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1950 | Colorado College | Boston University | Michigan | Boston College | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1951 | Michigan | Brown | Boston University | Colorado College | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1952 | Michigan | Colorado College | Yale | St. Lawrence | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1953 | Michigan | Minnesota | Rensselaer | Boston University | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1954 | Rensselaer | Minnesota | Michigan | Boston College | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1955 | Michigan | Colorado College | Harvard | St. Lawrence | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1956 | Michigan | Michigan Tech | St. Lawrence | Boston College | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1957 | Colorado College | Michigan | Clarkson | Harvard | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1958 | Denver | North Dakota | Clarkson | Harvard | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 1959 | North Dakota | Michigan State | Boston College | St. Lawrence | Troy, N.Y. |
| 1960 | Denver | Michigan Tech | Boston University | St. Lawrence | Boston, Mass. |
| 1961 | Denver | St. Lawrence | Minnesota | Rensselaer | Denver, Colo. |
| 1962 | Michigan Tech | Clarkson | Michigan | St. Lawrence | Utica, N.Y. |
| 1963 | North Dakota | Denver | Clarkson | Boston College | Chestnut Hill, Mass. |
| 1964 | Michigan | Denver | Rensselaer | Providence | Denver, Colo. |
| 1965 | Michigan Tech | Boston College | North Dakota | Brown | Providence, R.I. |
| 1966 | Michigan State | Clarkson | Denver | Boston University | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 1967 | Cornell | Boston University | Michigan State | North Dakota | Syracuse, N.Y. |
| 1968 | Denver | North Dakota | Cornell | Boston College | Duluth, Minn. |
| 1969 | Denver | Cornell | Harvard | Michigan Tech | Col. Springs, Colo. |
| 1970 | Cornell | Clarkson | Wisconsin | Michigan Tech | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
| 1971 | Boston University | Minnesota | Denver | Harvard | Syracuse, N.Y. |
| 1972 | Boston University | Cornell | Wisconsin | Denver | Boston, Mass. |
| 1973 | Wisconsin | Denver | Boston College | Cornell | Boston, Mass. |
| 1974 | Minnesota | Michigan Tech | Boston University | Harvard | Boston, Mass. |
| 1975 | Michigan Tech | Minnesota | Boston University | Harvard | St. Louis, Mo. |
| 1976 | Minnesota | Michigan Tech | Brown | Boston University | Denver, Colo. |
| 1977 | Wisconsin | Michigan | Boston University | New Hampshire | Detroit, Mich. |
| 1978 | Boston University | Boston College | Bowling Green | Wisconsin | Providence, R.I. |
| 1979 | Minnesota | North Dakota | Dartmouth | New Hampshire | Detroit, Mich. |
| 1980 | North Dakota | Northern Michigan | Dartmouth | Cornell | Providence, R.I. |
| 1981 | Wisconsin | Minnesota | Michigan Tech | Northern Michigan | Duluth, Minn. |
| 1982 | North Dakota | Wisconsin | Northeastern | New Hampshire | Providence, R.I. |
| 1983 | Wisconsin | Harvard | Providence | Minnesota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 1984 | Bowling Green | Minnesota Duluth | North Dakota | Michigan State | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
| 1985 | Rensselaer | Providence | Minnesota Duluth | Boston College | Detroit, Mich. |
| 1986 | Michigan State | Harvard | Minnesota | Denver | Providence, R.I. |
| 1987 | North Dakota | Michigan State | Minnesota | Harvard | Detroit, Mich. |
| 1988 | Lake Superior State | St. Lawrence | Maine | Minnesota | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
| 1989 | Harvard | Minnesota | Michigan State | Maine | St. Paul, Minn. |
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Other Semifinalists | Site | |
| 1990 | Wisconsin | Colgate | Boston College | Boston University | Detroit, Mich. |
| 1991 | Northern Michigan | Boston University | Maine | Clarkson | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1992 | Lake Superior State | Wisconsin | Michigan | Michigan State | Albany, N.Y. |
| 1993 | Maine | Lake Superior State | Boston University | Michigan | Milwaukee, Wis. |
| 1994 | Lake Superior State | Boston University | Harvard | Minnesota | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1995 | Boston University | Maine | Michigan | Minnesota | Providence, R.I. |
| 1996 | Michigan | Colorado College | Boston University | Vermont | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 1997 | North Dakota | Boston University | Colorado College | Michigan | Milwaukee, Wis. |
| 1998 | Michigan | Boston College | New Hampshire | Ohio State | Boston, Mass. |
| 1999 | Maine | New Hampshire | Boston College | Michigan State | Anaheim, Calif. |
| 2000 | North Dakota | Boston College | Maine | St. Lawrence | Providence, R.I. |
| 2001 | Boston College | North Dakota | Michigan | Michigan State | Albany, N.Y. |
| 2002 | Minnesota | Maine | New Hampshire | Michigan | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2003 | Minnesota | New Hampshire | Cornell | Michigan | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| 2004 | Denver | Maine | Boston College | Minnesota Duluth | Boston, Mass. |
| 2005 | Denver | North Dakota | Colorado College | Minnesota | Columbus, Ohio |
| 2006 | Wisconsin | Boston College | Maine | North Dakota | Milwaukee, Wis. |
| 2007 | Michigan State | Boston College | Maine | North Dakota | St. Louis, Mo. |
| 2008 | Boston College | Notre Dame | Michigan | North Dakota | Denver, Colo. |
| 2009 | Boston University | Miami | Bemidji State | Vermont | Washington, D.C. |
| 2010 | Boston College | Wisconsin | Miami | RIT | Detroit, Mich. |
| 2011 | Minnesota-Duluth | Michigan | Notre Dame | North Dakota | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2012 | Boston College | Ferris State | Minnesota | Union | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2013 | Yale | Quinnipiac | UMass Lowell | St. Cloud State | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| 2014 | Union | Minnesota | Boston College | North Dakota | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| 2015 | Providence | Boston University | Nebraska Omaha | North Dakota | Boston, Mass. |
| 2016 | North Dakota | Quinnipiac | Boston College | Denver | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2017 | Denver | Minnesota Duluth | Harvard | Notre Dame | Chicago, Ill. |
| 2018 | Minnesota Duluth | Notre Dame | Michigan | Ohio State | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2019 | Minnesota Duluth | Massachusetts | Denver | Providence | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| 2020 | Canceled: COVID-19 | ||||
| 2021 | Massachusetts | St. Cloud State | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota State | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| 2022 | Denver | Minnesota State | Michigan | Minnesota | Boston, Mass. |
| 2023 | Quinnipiac | Minnesota | Boston University | Michigan | Tampa, Fla.. |
| 2024 | Denver | Boston College | Boston University | Michigan | St. Paul, Minn. |