Time for hockey to get in on its piece of March Madness. The NCAA Tournament is here. Brackets were announced by ESPN on Sunday afternoon, as the networks of The Worldwide Leader broadcast the entire tournament.
Minnesota, Boston College, Union and Wisconsin were named the top four seeds in the tourney, as well as the number one seed in each regional. For those new to college hockey, the premise of the tourney is simple: The 16 teams invited to the dance play in single elimination regional tournaments until four are left. Those teams will play semifinals and a championship game at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia three weeks from now.
Hockey East led all conferences with five teams (champion UMass-Lowell, Boston College, Providence, Notre Dame and Vermont) in the tournament. The newly-formed NCHC and the ECAC each received three bid. Two teams from the Big Ten got into the tourney in its first season, while the revamped WCHA also got in two teams. Atlantic Hockey received an automatic bid for its champion, Robert Morris.
As I mentioned previously, ESPN covers the entire tournament with a surprising dedication to the sport. All but two games in this year’s tourney will be broadcast on a network from the ESPN family. Here’s your TV schedule.
2014 NCAA Hockey Tournament TV Schedule
March 28
2 p.m. ET – East Regional: Union vs. Vermont (ESPNU)
4:30 p.m. ET – Midwest Regional: Ferris State vs. Colgate (ESPN3)
5:30 p.m. ET – East Regional: Quinnipiac vs. Providence (ESPNU)
8 p.m. ET – Midwest Regional: Wisconsin vs. North Dakota (ESPNU)
March 29
3 p.m. ET – East Regional Championship (ESPN2)
4 p.m. ET – Northeast Regional: Boston College vs. Denver (ESPNU)
5:30 p.m. ET – West Regional: Minnesota vs. Robert Morris (ESPN2)
6:30 p.m. ET – Midwest Regional Championship (ESPNU)
7:30 p.m. ET – Northeast Regional: UMass-Lowell vs. Minnesota State (ESPN3)
9 p.m. ET – West Regional: Notre Dame vs. St. Cloud State (ESPNU)
March 30
5 p.m. ET – Northeast Regional Championship (ESPNU)
7:30 p.m. ET – West Regional Championship (ESPNU)
