In the NCAA winter sports realm, men's and women's basketball tend to get all the attention. However, tucked in oft-forgotten pockets of the country—Minnesota, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, non-Boston parts of New England—sits the best-kept secret in college sports.
No one who has seen men's and women's college hockey played at the highest level will ever forget it. Like baseball and softball at warm-weather schools, hockey summons a college's truest self. Division II schools like Ferris State and Lake Superior State hobnob with Michigan and Ohio State. Bowling Green and Maine and RPI and Union can win national titles.
Appropriately, this year's men's Frozen Four features an intriguing mix of programs. Here's a look at what to watch for as the 2025 men's college hockey season draws to a close.
Full Frozen Four Schedule & Game Times
The semifinals of the Frozen Four will take place on Thursday in St. Louis. Denver will play Western Michigan in the first game; it will begin at 5 p.m. ET. The second, between Boston University and Penn State, will take place at 8:30 p.m. ET. The winners of those two matchups will battle on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
For Pioneers fans in the Mountain Time Zone, the semifinals will begin at 3 p.m. MT and 6:30 p.m. MT, while the national championship will begin at 5:30 p.m. MT. For St. Louis locals, the games will begin at 4 p.m. CT and 7:30 p.m. CT, while the national championship will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT.
The schedule is roughly on par with last year's in St. Paul, Minn. The Frozen Four games then began at 4 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. CT, while the national championship began slightly earlier at 5 p.m. CT.
What Channel Is the Frozen Four On?
All three games will air nationally on ESPN2; check your local listings for availability. An interstitial program, NCAA Men's Frozen Four Studio, is tentatively scheduled to air in between the semifinals, while NCAA Men’s Frozen Four Championship Preview, a self-explanatory show, will air before the championship.
How to Stream the Frozen Four Online
ESPN+ will stream all three games, which currently costs $11.99 a month, $119.99 annually, or $16.99 a month bundled with Disney+ and Hulu. The platform can also be used to watch replays after the game.
Frozen Four Locations & Venue Information
This year's Frozen Four will be played at Enterprise Center, the home of the St. Louis Blues. It's St. Louis's third time hosting the Frozen Four and Enterprise Center's second time. Michigan Tech beat Minnesota 6–1 at the St. Louis Arena to win the national title in 1975, while Michigan State topped Boston College 3–1 at the then-Scottrade Center in 2007.
The Enterprise Center seats 18,096 for hockey. A number of Frozen Four-related events will orbit the arena, including "Frozen Fest" on Thursday and Saturday afternoon.
When & Where to Watch the Frozen Four Championship Game
As previously noted, the national championship will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+. Denver, which is attempting to defend its title, won last year's game 2–0 over Boston College.
Notable national championships include the 1984 edition (won by Bowling Green over Minnesota-Duluth in quadruple overtime), the 1991 game (won by Northern Michigan over the Terriers 8–7 in triple overtime), and the 2009 game (won by Boston University 4–3 over Miami-Ohio, despite the Terriers trailing 3–1 with a minute left).
Though the national championship may lack the home-ice advantage present at some of the sport's most iconic venues—such as the Wolverines' Yost Arena or Minnesota's 3M Arena, for instance—there's no bigger stage in the sport.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Frozen Four Schedule, Times & TV.
