Before a lot of hockey fans turn their attention to either the final NHL games before the looming 19-day shutdown, the start of the Olympics on Thursday, or the No. 1 vs. No. 2 meetings in both men’s and women’s college hockey this weekend, we’re squeezing in a quick bracketology.
It’s needed considering all the movement following last weekend’s games, plus we’re officially into February and the home stretch of the regular season. Mostly, though, because it’s fun.
Before we get started, though, a couple things will be different about this week’s projections:
1) We’re including Monday’s Beanpot games. That’s not necessarily unusual, we just want make it clear beforehand.
2) For our automatic bids we usually use the team in first place in each conference’s standings, and not which team is ranked first National Collegiate Percentage (NPI) Index — partly because we think those teams should get the benefit of doubt. However for this week there’s an interesting situation in the ECAC, with Dartmouth in first with 33 points in 15 games (10-4-1), and both Quinnipiac (11-2-1)
and Cornell (11-3) at 32 points in 14 games, which means that they have a better winning percentage in conference play (.762 to .733).
So we’re sticking with Dartmouth, which is No. 10 in NPI, even though the other two teams are ahead of it in the rankings.
3) We’re going to start with a reminder of what we finished with last week on the assumption that after the top seeds this week’s bracket will be very different.
Worcester: 1 Michigan vs. 16 Bentley; 8 Quinnipiac vs. 10 Wisconsin
Loveland: 4 Penn State vs. 13 Denver; 5 Western Michigan vs. 12 Dartmouth
Albany: 2 Michigan State vs. 15 Connecticut; 7 Providence vs. 9 Cornell
Sioux Falls: 3 North Dakota vs. 14 Boston College; No. 6 Minnesota Duluth vs. 11 St. Thomas
SEE ALSO: Last Week’s Bracketology
With that all out of the way, let’s begin.
For our automatic bids, the six conference leaders: Bentley (AHA), Michigan (Big Ten), St. Thomas (CCHA), Dartmouth (ECAC), Providence (Hockey East), and North Dakota (NCHC). They’re ranked in the NPI 26, 1, 13, 10, 6 and 3, respectively.
The top 10 teams in NPI remaining land the at-large bids: Michigan State, Western Michigan, Penn State, Cornell, Minnesota Duluth, Quinnipac, Denver, Boston College, Wisconsin and Connecticut.
The first four out: Augustana, Minnesota State, Massachusetts and Miami.
Time to put them in order, 1-16, in four tiers. Reminder, teams can’t be moved out of their tiers.
1-4: Michigan, Michigan State, North Dakota, Western Michigan
5-8: Penn State, Providence, Cornell, Minnesota Duluth
9-12: Quinnipac, Dartmouth, Denver, Boston College
13-16: St. Thomas, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Bentley
The top tier remains all West, but the East has made major gains in the second and third tiers. Reminder, Penn State is geographically in the East, but plays in the Western-based Big Ten.
Based on their seedings the teams are placed in four brackets:
1 Michigan; 8 Minnesota Duluth; 9 Quinnipiac; 16 Bentley
2 Michigan State; 7 Cornell; 10 Dartmouth; 15 Connecticut
3 North Dakota; 6 Providence; 11 Denver; 14 Wisconsin
4 Western Michigan; 5 Penn State; 12 Boston College; 13 St. Thomas
We look for first-round conference matchups as the teams listed first and last would play, along with the two teams in the middle, and there’s one, Cornell vs. Dartmouth, both from the ECAC. Quinnipiac is also in that league so switching with Dartmouth doesn’t work. The change is Dartmouth and Denver.
1 Michigan; 8 Minnesota Duluth; 9 Quinnipiac; 16 Bentley
2 Michigan State; 7 Cornell; 10 Denver; 15 Connecticut
3 North Dakota; 6 Providence; 11 Dartmouth; 14 Wisconsin
4 Western Michigan; 5 Penn State; 12 Boston College; 13 St. Thomas
Next up, we set the sites for each regional, and the host schools: Worcester, Mass. (Holy Cross); Albany, N.Y. (Union); Sioux Falls, S.D. (Omaha); and Loveland, Colo. (Denver). Any host school in the tournament has to do exactly that, host its bracket. There’s one in this projection, Denver.
The next priority is location of the top seeds, so Michigan’s group goes to Albany, and North Dakota gets Sioux Falls. Western Michigan gets Worcester by default.
Albany: 1 Michigan; 8 Minnesota Duluth; 9 Quinnipiac; 16 Bentley
Loveland: 2 Michigan State; 7 Cornell; 11 Denver; 15 Connecticut
Sioux Falls: 3 North Dakota; 6 Providence; 10 Dartmouth; 14 Wisconsin
Worcester: 4 Western Michigan; 5 Penn State; 12 Boston College; 13 St. Thomas
Finally, attendance. If a small change could lead to a regional boost, and still preserve bracket integrity, it needs to be considered. However, in this case there’s what we’re going to call the Cornell conundrum. Ideally, the Big Red would be in Albany to bolster the gate, but it can’t be switched with No. 8 UMD and play Quinnipiac, and it can’t be switched with Providence and play Dartmouth.
Go back to our initial switch of Denver and Dartmouth. If we didn’t do that, North Dakota would end up playing at Denver, which would basically kill attendance in Sioux Falls. So scratch that. Conceivably the sites could be switched between Albany and Worcester, and Cornell and Penn State swapped at 5 and 7, but then you’re really losing bracket integrity.
Plus we’re going to mention something that’s not supposed to be considered by the selection committee, but might be the back of everyone’s brain, name recognition. Would it really send the potential top pick in the upcoming draft, Gavin McKenna, to Colorado, to play in an uneven bracket where it could run into Michigan State again? Especially when Nittany Lions fans could drive to either Albany or Worcester?
Regardless, this is a scenario that the selection committee will absolutely want to avoid, but at least Quinnipiac is only a couple of hours away from Albany, Boston College plays in Worcester, and UND should attract fans to Sioux Falls. We don’t necessarily like it, however under the circumstances this is our bracket:
Feb. 4 NCAA Tournament Projection
Albany: 1 Michigan vs. 16 Bentley; 8 Minnesota Duluth vs. 9 Quinnipiac
Worcester: 4 Western Michigan vs. 13 St. Thomas; 5 Penn State vs. 12 Boston College
Loveland: 2 Michigan State vs. 15 Connecticut; 7 Cornell vs. 11 Denver
Sioux Falls: 3 North Dakota vs. 14 Wisconsin; 6 Providence vs. 10 Dartmouth
The regional winners will advance to the Frozen Four in Las Vegas on April 9-11.
Puck Drop: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
• Merrimack only needed 73 seconds to get on the scoreboard en route to a 9-5 victory over Stonehill at the Warrior Ice Arena in Boston. Sophomore Trevor Hoskin led the assault with two goals and two assists.
• Former Omaha left winger Jake Guentzel scored on a breakaway with 15 seconds remaining in overtime as Tampa Bay rallied for a 4-3 win against visiting Buffalo. The Lightning, which scored with 26 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game, has won 18 of its last 20 games (18-1-1).
• Seven Games in, Oscar Hemming is Already Changing Boston College Men’s Hockey
• Highlights From Boston College Men’s Hockey’s Beanpot Win Over Harvard: Photo Gallery
• Czech forward Max Curran, one of the Colorado Avalanche’s top prospects, has committed to UMass per College Puck NXT. He has 41 points in 31 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL this season.
• We’ll let this one speak for itself. Brandon Bussi played at Western Michigan:
WHAT A SAVE FROM BRANDON BUSSI 😮 pic.twitter.com/jrWa1R001N
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 4, 2026
Men’s College Hockey Tuesday Scores
Non-Conference
Merrimack 9, Stonehill 5
Women’s College Hockey Tuesday Scores
No Games Scheduled
Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times are local to where the game is being played.
College Hockey Wednesday Schedule
No Games Scheduled
Hockey Quote of the Day
“In the Hobey code, for example, a star player must be modest in victory, generous in defeat. He credits his triumphs to teamwork, accepts only faint praise for himself. He is clean-cut in dress and manner. He plays by the rules. He never boasts, for boasting is the worst form of muckery. And above all, he is cool and implacable, incapable of conspicuous public demonstration. No room there for the Ickey Shuffle.”
SI’s Ron Fimrite on Hobey Baker
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We’ll Leave You With This …
Snoop Dogg is riding into the #WinterOlympics in style. 💨 pic.twitter.com/Xj0tm0n8Pf
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 3, 2026
