The NCAA women's hockey tournament drops the puck on March 12. The participants have been unveiled, including Ohio State who will enter as the #1 seed in the nation.
The 2026 NCAA women's hockey national championship tournament is set to dop the puck on March 12, with the Frozen Four scheduled for March 20 and 22 at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Ohio State, after upsetting Wisconsin to win the 2026 WCHA championship, enters as the #1 seed in the nation. Other programs earning an automatic bid after winning their conference championships include #3 Penn State as the Atlantic Hockey America champions, Quinnipiac (ECAC), UConn (Hockey East), and Franklin Pierce (NEWHA).
The at large berths to the 2026 NCAA national championships include Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, Northeastern, Princeton, Wisconsin and Yale.
Franklin Pierce is making their NCAA national championship debut.
In the opening round, #2 seed Wisconsin will play the winner of a regional semifinal between Quinnipiac and Franklin Pierce, while Penn State will wait for the winner of UConn and Princeton. #4 Minnesota will host #5 Northeastern in a regional final.
Wisconsin are the reigning NCAA champions defeating Ohio State 4-3 in overtime.