The WCHA First Round opens Friday, with eight teams vying for a WCHA title and automatic bid to the NCAA national championship tournament including back-to-back WCHA champions, the Wisconsin Badgers.
The WCHA regular season is in the books, and playoffs are set to open with the 2026 WCHA First Round slated to begin February 27.
WCHA teams have won the last six consecutive NCAA national championships, and 21 of 24 all-time with only the ECAC's Clarkson University winning the title three times.
Wisconsin is the reigning NCAA champions, and have won back-to-back WCHA Final Four titles. They'll host Bemidji State in a best 2-of-3 series. Wisconsin is set to welcome back four members of USA's Olympic gold medal winning roster including Olympic co-leading scorer, All-Star, Best Defender, and MVP Caroline Harvey, Olympic All-Star Laila Edwards, along with forward Kirsten Simms, who scored the NCAA championship tying and winning goals last year, and netminder Ava McNaughton, who is the reigning NCAA Goaltender of the Year.
Second seeded Ohio State will host St. Thomas. Ohio State won all four match ups against St. Thomas this season outscoring their opponent 18-3, but in those games St. Thomas twice took the Buckeyes to overtime. Ohio State is led by Olympic gold medalist Joy Dunne, and Swedish Olympian Hilda Svensson, who both finished their season with 44 points.
Third ranked Minnesota will take on St. Cloud State, who they outscored 22-6 going 4-0-0 in their regular season series. Minnesota is also welcoming back an Olympic gold medalist in Abbey Murphy who still leads all NCAA scorers in goals and sits second nationally in points despite playing eight fewer games due to her national team absences than leader Lacey Eden of Wisconsin.
Finally, Minnesota-Duluth, who was on a downward spiral in the second half of the season before sweeping Minnesota in their final weekend, will host Minnesota State for their opening round series.
The winners of each best-of-three series, which each begin February 27, will advance to the 2026 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff, held March 5-7 at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena on the campus of the University of St. Thomas.
The WCHA title will be handed out March 7.