The NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament is the top-tier college hockey championship in the United States, organized by the NCAA. It represents the highest level of competition in NCAA men's ice hockey.
The tournament was first held at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which hosted the event's first ten editions. That venue has hosted the tournament a record eleven times. The University of Denver holds the most championship wins with ten. Vic Heyliger coached Michigan to six titles between 1948 and 1956, the most by any coach. Jerry York leads in championship game appearances, reaching the final nine times and winning five.
List of Frozen Four Winners
The Frozen Four is college hockey’s national championship. Denver Pioneers won the 2024 title, shutting out Boston College 2-0 under coach David Carle in St. Paul. Quinnipiac captured its first title the year before with a 3-2 overtime win over Minnesota in Tampa. Denver also won in 2022, beating Minnesota State 5-1.
From 2011 to 2021, champions included Massachusetts (2021), Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019), and North Dakota (2016). The 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. Boston College, Boston University, and Wisconsin have also been frequent winners in earlier decades. Here is a table summarizing Frozen Four Winners year by year:
| Year | Champion | Coach | Score | Runner-Up | Host or Site |
| 2024 | Denver (32-9-3) | David Carle | 2-0 | Boston College | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2023 | Quinnipiac (34-4-3) | Rand Pecknold | 3-2 (OT) | Minnesota | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2022 | Denver (31-9-1) | David Carle | 5-1 | Minnesota State | Boston |
| 2021 | Massachusetts (20-5-4) | Greg Carvel | 5-0 | St. Cloud State | Pittsburgh |
| 2020 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Minnesota Duluth (29-11-2) | Scott Sandelin | 3-0 | Massachusetts | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| 2018 | Minnesota Duluth (25-16-3) | Scott Sandelin | 2-1 | Notre Dame | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2017 | Denver (33-7-4) | Jim Montgomery | 3-2 | Minnesota Duluth | Chicago |
| 2016 | North Dakota (34-6-4) | Brad Berry | 5-1 | Quinnipiac | Tampa |
| 2015 | Providence (26-13-2) | Nate Leaman | 4-3 | Boston University | Boston |
| 2014 | Union (N.Y.) (32-6-4) | Rick Bennett | 7-4 | Minnesota | Philadelphia |
| 2013 | Yale (22-12-3) | Keith Allain | 4-0 | Quinnipiac | Pittsburgh |
| 2012 | Boston College (33-10-1) | Jerry York | 4-1 | Ferris State | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2011 | Minnesota Duluth (26-10-6) | Scott Sandelin | 3-2 (ot) | Michigan | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2010 | Boston College (29-10-3) | Jerry York | 5-0 | Wisconsin | Detroit |
| 2009 | Boston University (35-6-4) | Jack Parker | 4-3 (ot) | Miami (Ohio) | Washington, D.C. |
| 2008 | Boston College (25-11-8) | Jerry York | 4-1 | Notre Dame | Denver |
| 2007 | Michigan State (26-13-3) | Rick Comley | 3-1 | Boston College | St. Louis |
| 2006 | Wisconsin (30-10-3) | Mike Eaves | 2-1 | Boston College | Milwaukee |
| 2005 | Denver (32-9-2) | George Gwozdecky | 4-1 | North Dakota | Columbus, Ohio |
| 2004 | Denver (27-12-5) | George Gwozdecky | 1-0 | Maine | Boston |
| 2003 | Minnesota (30-8-9) | Don Lucia | 5-1 | New Hampshire | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| 2002 | Minnesota (32-8-4) | Don Lucia | 4-3 (ot) | Maine | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 2001 | Boston College (33-8-2) | Jerry York | 3-2 (ot) | North Dakota | Albany, N.Y. |
| 2000 | North Dakota (31-8-5) | Dean Blais | 4-2 | Boston College | Providence, R.I. |
| 1999 | Maine (31-6-4) | Shawn Walsh | 3-2 (ot) | New Hampshire | Anaheim, Calif. |
| 1998 | Michigan (32-11-1) | Gordon "Red" Berenson | 3-2 (ot) | Boston College | Boston |
| 1997 | North Dakota (31-10-2) | Dean Blais | 6-4 | Boston University | Milwaukee |
| 1996 | Michigan (33-7-2) | Gordon "Red" Berenson | 3-2 (ot) | Colorado College | Cincinnati |
| 1995 | Boston University (31-6-3) | Jack Parker | 6-2 | Maine | Providence, R.I. |
| 1994 | Lake Superior State (31-10-4) | Jeff Jackson | 9-1 | Boston University | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1993 | Maine (42-1-2) | Shawn Walsh | 5-4 | Lake Superior State | Milwaukee |
| 1992 | Lake Superior State (30-9-4) | Jeff Jackson | 5-3 | #Wisconsin | Albany, N.Y. |
| 1991 | Northern Michigan (38-5-4) | Rick Comley | 8-7 (3ot) | Boston University | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1990 | Wisconsin (36-9-1) | Jeff Sauer | 7-3 | Colgate | Detroit |
| 1989 | Harvard (31-3) | Bill Cleary | 4-3 (ot) | Minnesota | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1988 | Lake Superior State (33-7-6) | Frank Anzalone | 4-3 (ot) | St. Lawrence | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
| 1987 | North Dakota (40-8) | John "Gino" Gasparini | 5-3 | Michigan State | Detroit |
| 1986 | Michigan State (34-9-2) | Ron Mason | 6-5 | Harvard | Providence, R.I. |
| 1985 | Rensselaer (35-2-1) | Mike Addesa | 2-1 | Providence | Detroit |
| 1984 | Bowling Green (34-8-2) | Jerry York | 5-4 (4ot) | Minnesota Duluth | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
| 1983 | Wisconsin (33-10-4) | Jeff Sauer | 6-2 | Harvard | Grand Forks, N.D. |
| 1982 | North Dakota (35-12) | John "Gino" Gasparini | 5-2 | Wisconsin | Providence, R.I. |
| 1981 | Wisconsin (27-14-1) | Bob Johnson | 6-3 | Minnesota | Duluth, Minnesota |
| 1980 | North Dakota (31-8-1) | John "Gino" Gasparini | 5-2 | Northern Michigan | Providence, R.I. |
| 1979 | Minnesota (32-11-1) | Herb Brooks | 4-3 | North Dakota | Detroit |
| 1978 | Boston University (30-2) | Jack Parker | 5-3 | Boston College | Providence, R.I. |
| 1977 | Wisconsin (37-7-1) | Bob Johnson | 6-5 (ot) | Michigan | Detroit |
| 1976 | Minnesota (28-14-2) | Herb Brooks | 6-4 | Michigan Tech | Denver |
| 1975 | Michigan Tech (32-10) | John MacInnes | 6-1 | Minnesota | St. Louis |
| 1974 | Minnesota (22-12-6) | Herb Brooks | 4-2 | Michigan Tech | Boston |
| 1973 | Wisconsin (29-9-2) | Bob Johnson | 4-2 | #Denver | Boston |
| 1972 | Boston University (26-4-1) | Jack Kelley | 4-0 | Cornell | Boston |
| 1971 | Boston University (28-2-1) | Jack Kelley | 4-2 | Minnesota | Syracuse, N.Y. |
| 1970 | Cornell (29-0) | Ned Harkness | 6-4 | Clarkson | Lake Placid, N.Y. |
| 1969 | Denver (26-6) | Murray Armstrong | 4-3 | Cornell | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1968 | Denver (28-5-1) | Murray Armstrong | 4-0 | North Dakota | Duluth, Minnesota |
| 1967 | Cornell (27-1-1) | Ned Harkness | 4-1 | Boston University | Syracuse, N.Y. |
| 1966 | Michigan State (16-13) | Amo Bessone | 6-1 | Clarkson | Minneapolis |
| 1965 | Michigan Tech (24-5-2) | John MacInnes | 8-2 | Boston College | Providence, R.I. |
| 1964 | Michigan (24-4-1) | Allan Renfrew | 6-3 | Denver | Denver |
| 1963 | North Dakota (22-7-3) | Barry Thorndycraft | 6-5 | Denver | Boston |
| 1962 | Michigan Tech (29-3) | John MacInnes | 7-1 | Clarkson | Utica, N.Y. |
| 1961 | Denver (30-1-1) | Murray Armstrong | 12-2 | St. Lawrence | Denver |
| 1960 | Denver (27-4-3) | Murray Armstrong | 5-3 | Michigan Tech | Boston |
| 1959 | North Dakota (20-10-1) | Bob May | 4-3 (ot) | Michigan State | Troy, N.Y. |
| 1958 | Denver (24-10-2) | Murray Armstrong | 6-2 | North Dakota | Minneapolis |
| 1957 | Colorado College (25-5) | Thomas Bedecki | 13-6 | Michigan | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1956 | Michigan (20-2-1) | Vic Heyliger | 7-5 | Michigan Tech | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1955 | Michigan (18-5-1) | Vic Heyliger | 5-3 | Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1954 | Rensselaer (18-5) | Ned Harkness | 5-4 (ot) | Minnesota | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1953 | Michigan (17-7) | Vic Heyliger | 7-3 | Minnesota | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1952 | Michigan (22-4) | Vic Heyliger | 4-1 | Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1951 | Michigan (22-4-1) | Vic Heyliger | 7-1 | Brown | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1950 | Colorado College (18-5-1) | Cheddy Thompson | 13-4 | Boston University | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1949 | Boston College (21-1) | John "Snooks" Kelley | 4-3 | Dartmouth | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1948 | Michigan (20-2-1) | Vic Heyliger | 8-4 | Dartmouth | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
FAQs on Frozen Four winners
A. Denver has won 10 national titles, the most ever in Frozen Four history.
A. Since 1999, the NCAA named it "Frozen Four" to echo basketball's "Final Four."
A. The 2025 Frozen Four will be held at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
A. The Frozen Four includes two semifinals and one championship game over three days.
A. Denver, BU, Western Michigan, and Penn State are in the 2025 Frozen Four.
