Worcester Regional, March 26-28 | DCU Center
No. 1 Michigan State (25-8-2) vs. No. 4 Connecticut (20-12-5) | March 26, 1:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
No. 2 Dartmouth (23-7-4) vs. No. 3 Wisconsin (21-12-2) | March 26, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Worcester Regional Championship | March 28, TBD
MICHIGAN STATE
How they got here: At-large, 3rd in final NPI
Overall season record: 25-8-2
Top players: G Trey Augustine (23-8-1, 2.09, .929), D Matt Basgall (3-15-18), F Daniel Russell (11-28-39), F Charlie Stramel (19-25-44), F Porter Malone (24-23-47), D Maxim Štrbák (3-15-18)
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: No one underestimates Michigan State, but it’s easy to overlook why the Spartans are as good as they are this season. A gifted team offensively, Michigan State has the sixth-best offense nationally, the third-best power play, and the Spartans are outscoring opponents 131-74 overall. Goalie Trey Augustine is a not-so-secret weapon, a potentially game-stealing goaltender, exactly what teams need in NCAA tourney play. The Spartans missed the NCAA tourney from 2013-2024, and they’d love the chance to prove that they’re no longer rebuilding with their first trip to the Frozen Four since 2007, when they won it all.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: To emerge from this regional, the Spartans would first have to get past UConn, which lost by a goal to Merrimack in the Hockey East tourney title game and then face one of the two best offensive teams in the nation in either Dartmouth or Wisconsin. Dartmouth just earned its first-ever ECAC playoff title. Wisconsin and Michigan State split the regular season 2-2-0 with the Spartans edging the Badgers 13-10 in those games. Michigan State is talented and steady, but it will take more than that combo to win this regional.
DARTMOUTH
How they got here: Won ECAC Tournament, 6th in final NPI
Overall season record: 23-7-2
Top players: F Hayden Stavroff (29-19-48), D Colin Grable (6-13-19), D CJ Foley (3-21-24), D Tim Busconi (2-10-12), D Eric Charpentier (4-9-13), F Hank Cleaves (17-22-39), F Nikita Nikora (7-18-25), F Cam MacDonald (6-15-21)
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: Dartmouth’s ascent over the past four years reached an apex when the Big Green opened the year with an unblemished run through their first dozen games. Even with a midseason regression to the mean, they remained atop ECAC’s regular season hunt by routinely beating back the league’s elite teams, and the conference championship postseason run cemented a finish that’s hotter and slightly better than a highly touted Quinnipiac team. Dartmouth has a Hobey Baker-type player in Stavroff and high-end supporting cast members in Cleaves, MacDonald and Nikora, while the defensive backing surged towards individual plus-30 ratings. Throw in a dash of home-ice cooking in Worcester, and the Big Green have a case for favored status over even Michigan State and Wisconsin in a regional featuring another New England-based school, UConn.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: Dartmouth’s fourth-best defense in the nation is in a regional with the fifth-best team in Michigan State, the No. 11 team in Connecticut and Wisconsin, led by a coach known for his attention to back-end details. The Badgers are a stronger team in a potential track meet, and both Daniel Hauser and Eli Pulver are capable netminders who did enough to win games against elite competition. Beyond the first round, a looming matchup against Michigan State or UConn presents a host of other issues for a team that lost to Brown and required shootouts to beat Union and Yale in the
season’s last month.
WISCONSIN
How they got here: At-large, 12th in final NPI
Overall season record: 21-12-2
Top players: F Gavin Morrissey (8-25-33), F Christian Fitzgerald (15-14-29), G Daniel Hauser (18-7-2, 2.60, .898), D Luke Osburn (5-15-20), F Quinn Finley (15-13-28), D Ben Dexheimer (6-18-24).
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: Outscoring opponents 130-108 overall, Wisconsin is often overlooked because of their inconsistent season — and the underdog status is something that will serve the Badgers well. Wisconsin is seventh nationally in offense with the nation’s seventh-best power play. The Badgers have played their best hockey in the second half of the season, going 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. Wisconsin is undefeated in overtime games this season (3-0). They didn’t make the national tournament last year after finishing sixth in B1G, but in 2024, they lost in overtime to Quinnipiac in the Providence regional semifinal game, and that experience may carry them far.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: Wisconsin’s defense can be problematic in ways that will end seasons in one-and-done situations. While the Badgers score 3.71 goals per game on average, they give up 3.09 (39th) and Wisconsin’s penalty kill is 59th nationally (.714) — something that can be fatal for a team that is sixth national for penalty minutes (14.23). The Badgers outscore opponents in every period on average, but that margin shrinks from the first to third until it’s nearly even in the final twenty minutes. They were outscored 7-1 by Ohio State in their B1G semifinal game, something that may be motivating, or an indication of how this team will play in big games. They may have all they can handle with Dartmouth, their first opponent.
CONNECTICUT
How they got here: At-large, 14th in final NPI
Overall season record: 20-12-5
Top players: F Jake Richard (10-17-27), D Anthony Allain-Samake (1-8-9), F Joey Muldowney (17-11-28), D Viking Gustafsson Nyberg (0-11-11), F Ryan Tattle (13-19-32), G Tyler Muszelik (19-10-5, 2.21, .927).
Why they will advance to the Frozen Four: UConn got awfully close to the Frozen Four last year, losing to Penn State in the regional final in overtime on what was essentially the Nittany Lions’ home ice. This year they’re the home team, or at least playing relatively close to home (though a regional final vs. Dartmouth would be a true neutral-ice battle). If a strong UConn fan base is present, it can only help the Huskies.
Why they won’t advance to the Frozen Four: After a strong start, the Huskies weren’t all that impressive in the second half of the season, which included a 2-3-2 February, a stretch that featured zero tournament teams. If it can’t get hot at the right time, it’ll be a short tournament run for UConn.