Courtesy: ESPN
Every year around this time, the annual “March Madness” tournament takes center stage in the sports world. Whether fans bleed blue, red, yellow, black, or any other color it seems that everybody is a basketball fan. This includes even people who would normally otherwise not watch basketball, college or otherwise. What fewer people realize is that another college sport kicks off its championship tournament this weekend. This weekend, the road to the 2015 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four Kicks off.
The puck hits the ice for the road to the 2015 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four this weekend. And fans will be able to catch every game across the ESPN family of networks. It all begins with regional play this Friday, March 27th. Coverage of the regional round runs through this Sunday, March 29th. Yale and #3 Boston University will open the Northeast Regional in Manchester New Hampshire Friday, March 27th. That game will be broadcast live at 2pm ET on ESPNU. Fans won’t have to change the channel after that game ends as Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth follow at 5:30 pm ET. The winners of those two games will meet in the Northeast Regional Final Saturday, March 28th at 5:30pm ET on ESPN2. Dan Parkhurst and Billy Jaffe will have the call for both games.
The Western Regional Semi-final round opens Friday at 4:30pm ET on ESPN3. It features a matchup of Saint Cloud State and Michigan Tech. Over on ESPNU, Quinnipiac will take on North Dakota in the day’s other Western Regional semi-final matchup. The puck is expected to drop for that game at 8pm ET. The winners of that pair of games will face off in the Western Regional Final on March 28th at 9pm ET on ESPNU. Calling the games in the West will be Clay Matvick and Sean Ritchlin.
Over in the Midwest Rochester Institute of Technology will face #1 seed Minnesota State Mankato at 4pm on ESPNU on March 28th. That game will be followed up by a 7:30p matchup of Harvard and Omaha on ESPN3. The winners in those rounds will face off in the Midwest Regional Final on Mach 29th at 7:30pm. Ben Holden and Blake Geoffrion will have the call for both Midwest Regional games.
The East Regional semi-final opens with Boston College taking on Denver March 28th at 3pm ET on ESPN2. Providence and #4 seed Miami (Ohio) will take to the ice in the second East Regional Semi-Final at 6:30pm ET on ESPNU. The winners of this regional will face off in the East Regional Final on March 29th at 5pm ET on ESPNU. ESPN’s lead hockey play-by-play commentator John Buccigross will be joined by lead hockey analyst Barry Melrose for coverage of the East Regional. And for the third year in a row, the pair will have the call for the Frozen Four. They will be joined by reporter Quint Kessinich for all of the latest news from the games.
The Frozen Four itself will take place at the TD Garden in Boston, MA with two of the semi-final matchups on April 9th on ESPN2. The first of the games will be at 5pm ET and the other at 8:30pm ET. The championship title game will be held Saturday, April 11th on ESPN at 7:30pm ET. Those with access to ESPN3 will be able to watch the game in ESPN3 Surround for both of the Frozen Four semis and for the championship game. ESPN3 Surround features alternate camera angles from those offered on ESPN’s other networks and natural sound. Every game in the 2015 Division I Men’s Hockey Championship is available online via WatchESPN as well as on television. Fans can check out the entire NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey tournament bracket online at http://www.ncaa.com/championships/icehockey-men/d1/. The full broadcast schedule for the 2015 Frozen Four Tournament is listed below:
2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship Programming Schedule
NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship — Regional Coverage
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Location | Network |
| Fri, March 27 | 2 p.m. | Northeast Regional – Semifinal
Yale vs. No. 3 Boston University
Dan Parkhurst and Billy Jaffe |
Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, N.H. | ESPNU |
| 4:30 p.m. | West Regional – Semifinal St. Cloud State vs. Michigan Tech
Clay Matvick and Sean Ritchlin |
Scheels Arena, Fargo, N.D. | ESPN3 | |
| 5:30 p.m. | Northeast Regional – Semifinal Minnesota vs. Minnesota Duluth
Dan Parkhurst and Billy Jaffe |
Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, N.H. | ESPNU | |
| 8 p.m. | West Regional – Semifinal Quinnipiac vs. No. 2 North Dakota
Clay Matvick and Sean Ritchlin |
Scheels Arena, Fargo, N.D. | ESPNU | |
| Sat, March 28 | 3 p.m. | East Regional – Semifinal Boston College vs. Denver
John Buccigross, Barry Melrose and Quint Kessenich |
Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, R.I. | ESPN2 |
| 4 p.m. | Midwest Regional – Semifinal Rochester Institute of Technology vs. No. 1 Minnesota State-Mankato
Ben Holden and Blake Geoffrion |
Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Ind. | ESPNU | |
| 5:30 p.m. | Northeast Regional – Final
Dan Parkhurst and Billy Jaffe |
Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, N.H. | ESPN2 | |
| 6:30 p.m. | East Regional – Semifinal Providence vs. No. 4 Miami (Ohio)
John Buccigross, Barry Melrose and Quint Kessenich |
Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, R.I. | ESPNU | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Midwest Regional – Semifinal Harvard vs. Omaha
Ben Holden and Blake Geoffrion |
Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Ind. | ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | West Regional – Final
Clay Matvick and Sean Ritchlin |
Scheels Arena, Fargo, N.D. | ESPNU | |
| Sun, March 29 | 5 p.m. | East Regional – Final
John Buccigross, Barry Melrose and Quint Kessenich |
Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, R.I. | ESPNU |
| 7:30 p.m. | Midwest Regional – Final
Ben Holden and Blake Geoffrion |
Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Ind. | ESPNU |
NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Frozen Four Coverage
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Location | Network |
| Thurs, April 9 | 5 p.m. | Frozen Four – Semifinal No. 1
John Buccigross, Barry Melrose & Quint Kessenich |
TD Garden, Boston, Mass. | ESPN2 and ESPN3 |
| Thurs, April 9 | 8:30 p.m. | Frozen Four – Semifinal No. 2
John Buccigross, Barry Melrose & Quint Kessenich |
TD Garden, Boston, Mass. | ESPN2 and ESPN3 |
| Sat, April 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Frozen Four – Championship Game
John Buccigross, Barry Melrose & Quint Kessenich |
TD Garden, Boston, Mass. | ESPN and ESPN3 |
All of the latest updates on the Frozen Four Tournament is available online at:
Website: http://espn.go.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPN
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