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NCAA Women's Hockey Frozen Four Viewing Guide
The biggest weekend of the season for women’s college hockey is upon us, but with everything else going on the in the world of sports right now many people may not be aware.
Don’t worry. We’re here to help.
Both the NCAA Division I and Division III national semifinals, better known as the Frozen Four, are being held starting Friday.
The D1 games are being played at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minn., with Friday’s contests scheduled for 3:30 and 7 p.m. Eastern time, while Amherst College in Massachusetts is hosting the Division III contests Friday at 3 and 7 p.m. ET. The Division I championship game is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. ET in Duluth, while the D3 title clash will take place the same day at 3 p.m. ET at Amherst’s Orr Rink.
The bad news for women’s hockey enthusiasts, though, is that the semifinals and championship games are scheduled to overlap, so fans of the sport will be unable to watch all of the contests in their entirety. The good news is that the Division I championship game will be televised nationally and easy to find on ESPNU. As for the rest of the games, figuring out how to watch them may be a little more challenging.
Again, we’re here for you.
Friday’s D1 semifinals are available on ESPN+, a subscription-based service that is reasonably priced and also offers National Hockey League games, other professional sports and a ton of college and amateur sports programming. A subscription to ESPN+ is one of the better webstream bargains out there for sports fans.
And for folks who don’t want to commit financially to a full month of programming, usually there is a short free or reduced-price trial period available for those who want to check it out or know they only want to watch specific games. ESPN+ has improved its hockey content in recent years, not only with the addition of NHL games but also with extensive coverage of events such as the U18 Women’s World Championship and other international competitions.
Defending national-champion and top-seeded Ohio State takes on fifth-seeded Northeastern in the first D1 semifinal Friday, with unseeded but sixth-ranked Wisconsin facing No. 2 seed Minnesota in the nightcap. OSU beat Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, last year to claim its first national championship. Wisconsin won the 2021 title with a 2-1 overtime victory against Northeastern.
Broadcasts of the Women’s Hockey Division III Frozen Four games aren’t quite as easy to find, but the games can be viewed on NCAA.com. Separate links for each game can be found in the Frozen Four previews below.
Top-ranked Gustavus Adolphus from Minnesota takes on No. 2 Plattsburgh from New York in Friday’s D3 first semifinal. No. 1 seed and third-ranked Amherst faces sixth-ranked Hamilton from New York in the second game of the day.
Gustavus Adolphus comes to Massachusetts in seek of redemption after falling to Middlebury, 3-2 in overtime, in last year’s championship game. Plattsburgh knocked the defending champs out of this year’s tournament, 4-2, in last weekend’s quarterfinals.
NCAA Women’s Division I Frozen Four Information
Semifinal 1:
Friday, March 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minn.
Teams:
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Northeastern
Where to Watch:
ESPN+
The Matchup:
Ohio State is the defending national champion and brings a 31-5-2 record into the Frozen Four. The Buckeyes had a first-round bye then knocked off No. 8 Quinnipiac, 5-2, in the quarterfinals. Fifth-ranked Northeastern, which like OSU had a first-round bye, beat No. 4 Yale, 4-1, in the quarters and is 33-2-1. These two teams have not met previously, and it will be the Huskies’ first game against a team from outside the Northeast. Ohio State has played three games vs Eastern teams, beating and tying Colgate in addition to the quarterfinal win against Quinnipiac March 11. Northeastern advanced to the 2021 championship game before falling to Wisconsin in overtime. The Huskies fell to Minnesota-Duluth, 2-1 in overtime, in last year’s semifinals. The Buckeyes played several games against this year’s other two semifinalists, going 1-3-1 against Minnesota and 3-1 vs. Wisconsin.
Semifinal 2:
Friday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minn.
Teams:
No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Minnesota
Where to Watch:
ESPN+
The Matchup:
Unseeded and sixth-ranked Wisconsin was the last school not named Ohio State to win the national championship, beating another 2023 semifinalist, Northeastern, 2-1 in overtime, to claim the 2021 title. The Badgers enter the Frozen Four with a 25-10-2 record and having won four of their last five games dating to a 3-1 loss to Ohio State Feb. 19. Wisconsin beat the Buckeyes, 6-5, in overtime the day before that and went 1-3 vs. OSU this season. These teams have met five times this year, with two of the contests needing overtime before ending in ties and the Badgers winning twice. Minnesota won the big one, though, knocking off Wisconsin, 4-2, March 3 in the WCHA Tournament. The Gophers were seeded second in last year’s national tournament but dropped a 2-1 quarterfinal decision against eventual-finalist Minnesota-Duluth.
NCAA Women’s Division III Frozen Four Information
Semifinal 1:
Friday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Orr Arena in Amherst, Mass.
Teams:
No. 2 Plattsburgh vs. No. 1 Gustavus Adolphus
Where to Watch:
CLICK HERE for the digital game program
The Matchup:
Plattsburgh brings a 25-2-0 record to the Frozen Four and looks to stay a few days longer than last year when the Cardinals fell to this same Gustavus Adolphus team, 5-1 in the semifinals. Plattsburgh got a bye into the quarterfinals as the Northeast Women’s Hockey League champion and knocked out defending-national-champion Middlebury, 4-2. Gustavus is 24-3-0 coming into Frozen Four and in the midst of a nine-game winning streak dating to a 2-1 overtime loss against No. 4 Wisconsin-River Falls Jan. 31. These teams faced off again last weekend in the quarterfinals, with Gustavus recording a 2-1 victory.
Semifinal 2:
Friday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Orr Arena in Amherst, Mass
Teams:
No. 6 Hamilton vs. No. 3 Amherst
Where to Watch:
CLICK HERE for the digital game program
The Matchup:
Host Amherst and Hamilton, a pair of rivals from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), meet for the fourth time this season, with Amherst holding a 2-1 advantage in the 2022-23 series. They opened the year facing each other Nov. 18 and 19, with each team recording a shutout victory. Amherst won the opener, 4-0, and Hamilton rebounded the next day with a 2-0 whitewashing of its own. They faced off again March 4 for the conference championship, with Amherst recording another clean sheet, 5-0, to earn the NESCAC’s automatic NCAA Championship bid. That win guaranteed Amherst a bye into the NCAA quarterfinals in which the Mammoths skated to yet another shutout, 4-0, against NESCAC-rival and 10th-ranked Colby. Hamilton beat No. 12 Nazareth, 3-1, in the opening round before Eliminating No. 5 Adrian, 2-0, in the quarterfinals. Amherst is 24-3-0, while Hamilton brings a 20-5-2 record into the national semifinals.
CLICK HERE for the link to watch the Division III National Championship Game
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