Which College Hockey Teams Are Sweating Out the 10 Days Until Selection Sunday: Puck Drop

Conference Awards Part II
Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Finalists
Puck Drop: Thursday, March 12, 2026
AHA Tournament
Big Ten Tournament
CCHA Tournament
ECAC Tournament
Hockey East Tournament
NCHC Tournament
Women's NCAA Tournament
Hockey Quote of the Day
We'll Leave You With This ...

It's going to be a long 10 days for Wisconsin and a a few other college hockey teams that can only sit, wait and watch the rest of of the conference tournaments.

Wednesday evening, the single-elimination Big Ten and Hockey East tournaments got under way, and for the most part went as expected. Boston University, Northeastern and Merrimack all won at home, while Michigan and Penn State ended Notre Dame's and Minnesota's seasons, respectively.

But there's often an upset in the opening round of tournament like these and it happened at Wisconsin. Ohio State's Nathan Lewis notched the only goal of the first period, and Felix Caron and Jake Karabela followed in the second period. Although the Badgers outshot the Buckeyes 34-20, Ohio State went to to post an eye-popping 7-1 victory as Broten Sabo, Max Montes and Riley Thompson all scored power-play goal in the third period and Adam Eisele netted an even-strength goal.

Kristoffer Eberly had 33 saves to notch the win, giving up just a shorthanded goal by Finn Brink to miss out the shutout. However, Ohio State moves on to face Michigan State on Saturday night, with the winner advancing to next week's tournament championship game.

So how nervous should Wisconsin be? A little, but probably not a lot.

Heres why: With the loss, the Badgers (21-12-2, 14-11-0 Big Ten) dropped From No. 10 in the National Collegiate Percentage (NPI) Index — which is being used to determine at-large bids and seedings — to 12, which should be enough to still get them into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team, but it's not guaranteed.

On the plus side, Wisconsin has a significant NPI lead on the four teams immediately behind it, Augustana, Massachusetts, Connecticut and St. Thomas. Granted, they're all still playing, but when the Vikings visit the Tommies in the CCHA semifinals on Saturday, it's not a best-of-three series, just one game. The same goes for UConn and UMass entering the Hockey East quarterfinals, and if they advance will likely square off in the one-game semifinals.

Even if the one team in each of those conferences was able get the necessary wins to move ahead of Wisconsin, the Badgers probably wouldn't drop below No. 14, which could still get UW into the 16-team field.

So what Wisconsin really needs to watch out for are teams below No. 16 in NPI winning their conference tournament and securing the automatic bid, as each one will take a slot from the bottom of the at-large bids. The ACA champion will do that, so we're already down to the top 15, however the NCHC is no longer a possibility as all four remaining teams are in the top 10.

Consequently, it's the teams right behind Wisconsin that will be sweating things out the most as games are completed, plus they still have to worry about winning their games.

A final note: Should the Badgers finish at No. 12 in NPI, or lower, they'll be a bottom-tier team in the NCAA bracket. They can't be paired against Michigan or or Michigan State in the first round as conference matchups are to be avoided whenever possible, so Wisconsin's looking at opening the tournament, if it makes it, against North Dakota (possibly in Sioux Falls, S.D.) or against Western Michigan (maybe in Worcester, Mass.).

Conference Awards Part II

Wednesday's Puck Drop include numerous annual honors announced by men's and women's conferences, which we called Part I. Here's Part II:

CCHA: Jack Anderson (Michigan Tech) was named Defensive Defenseman of the Year, while Lucas Wahlin (St. Thomas) earned Defensive Forward of the Year honors. Lucas Van Vliet (St. Thomas) was voted Rookie of the Year.

Hockey East: Maine senior Brandon Holt was named Best Defensive Defenseman, UConn’s Tabor Heaslip and Maine’s Owen Fowler shared Best Defensive Forward honors. Hockey East Three Stars Award: James Hagens, Boston College. Team Sportsmanship Award: Massachusetts.

Hockey East All-Rookie Team: Providence goaltender Jack Parsons, defensemen Quinn Mantei (Providence) and Luka Radivojevic (Boston College) and forwards Justin Gill (Merrimack), Parker Lalonde (Merrimack), Giacomo Martino (Northeastern), Jacob Mathieu (Northeastern), and Roger McQueen (Providence).

All-AHA First Team: F Felix Trudeau, Sr., Sacred Heart; F Jack Stockfish, Sr., Holy Cross; F Jake Black, Sr., Bentley; D Chris Hedden, Sr., Air Force; D Mikey Adamson, Sr., Sacred Heart; G JJ Cataldo, So., Army West Point

AHA All-Rookie Team F Zach Wigle, RIT; F Evan Konyen, RIT; F Maxim Muranov, Niagara; D FJ Buteau, Canisius; D John Babcock, Robert Morris; G Lukas Swedin, Bentley

NCHC: Miami’s Blake Mesenburg won the 2025-26 NCHC Sportsmanship Award

Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Finalists

The list of contenders was reduced from 10, to three finalists. The winner will be named March 21, at 12:30 p.m. ET as part of a live show in NHL Network.

Caroline Harvey, D, Sr., Wisconsin: Ranks first nationally in assists per game (1.43) among all skaters … Ranks second nationally in points per game (2.03) … Ranks 12th nationally and fifth in the WCHA in goals per game (.60) … Ranks fifth nationally in game-winning goals (6) … WCHA Player and Defender of the Year … WCHA Final Faceoff All-Tournament Team … Preseason WCHA Player of the Year … Six-time WCHA Defender of the Week (Oct. 13, Nov. 3, Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Jan. 26) … Four-time WCHA Defender of the Month (Oct., Nov., Dec., Jan.) … Three-time HCA Defender of the Month (Oct., Nov., Dec.) … Volunteers in the Madison, Wis., community with the Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, Ronald McDonald House and local elementary schools.

Tessa Janecke, F, Sr., Penn State: Ranks first in AHA and sixth nationally in points per game (1.55) … Ranks first in conference and fourth nationally in goals per game (.79) … Ranks first in conference and 11th nationally in assists per game (.76) … Ranks first in conference and third in nation in power-play goals (8) … Led Penn State to AHA Tournament Championship … Named AHA All-Tournament Most Outstanding Player … AHA All-Tournament Team selection … Named AHA Player and Forward of the Year ... All-AHA First Team … Two-time AHA Forward of the Month (Sept./Oct., Nov.) … Four-time AHA Forward of the Week (Oct. 22, Nov. 25, Jan. 13, March 3) … Volunteers in Penn State THON.

Abbey Murphy, F, Gr., Minnesota: Leads nation in points per game (2.13) and goals per game (1.27) … Ranks eighth in nation and sixth in WCHA in assists per game (.87) … Ranks fourth in the conference in game-winning goals (5) … WCHA Forward of the Year … Five-time WCHA Forward of the Week (Sept. 29, Oct. 6, Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19) … Two-time WCHA Forward of the Month (Sept., Jan.) … HCA Forward of the Month (Sept./Oct., Jan.) … All-WCHA Preseason Team … Volunteers at Masonic Children’s Hospital, delivers teddy bears to patients with teammates … Volunteers to provide food for the homeless … Helped raise funds for Christmas Without Cancer … Skates with young athletes through “Rink Roots."

— Player bios courtesy of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

Puck Drop: Thursday, March 12, 2026

• The Montreal Canadiens have recalled former Boston College goaltender Jacob Fowler from the AHL’s Laval Rocket again. With the Canadiens, he's 4-4-2 with a 2.62 GAA and .902 save percentage. For Laval he's 19-7-1 with a 2.23 GAA and .916 save percentage with three shutouts.

• Mike McShane, who won 742 games and four national titles at Norwich, has been named the 2026 Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey.

• Colorado College signed men’s hockey coach Kris Mayotte to a five-year contract extension., through the 2030-31 season.

• Minnesota landed a verbal commitment from Ontario Hockey League (OHL) forward Christian Humphreys for the 2026-27 season. The seventh-round selection selection in the 2024 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche had previously been committed to Michigan and Michigan State, and played two seasons in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.

• Former North Dakota center Nick Schmaltz signed an eight-year, $64 million contract with the Utah Mammoth He's in the He is in the final year of a seven-year, $40.95 million contract. This season he has 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) in 65 games.

• Arizona State's Noah Powell signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. He'll spend the rest of the season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL).

• Something to keep an eye on, a report out of Toronto claimed that the Montreal Canadiens were interested in former Minnesota forward Matthew Knies but couldn't complete the deal before the trading deadline. Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes he said he might revisit trade talks during the offseason, while another report indicated that there's heavy interest in the 23-year-old.

All times are local to where the game is being played.

AHA Tournament

Semifinals
Best of 3
Friday, March 13 (Through Sunday)
Robert Morris at Bentley, 7 p.m. ET
Holy Cross at Sacred Heart, 7 p.m. ET

Big Ten Tournament

Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 11
Ohio State 7, Wisconsin 1
Michigan 6, Notre Dame 1
Penn State 6, Minnesota 2

Semifinals
Saturday, March 14
Penn State at Michigan, 5 p.m. ET
Ohio State at Michigan State, 7:30 p.m.ET

CCHA Tournament

Semifinals
Saturday, March 14
Augustana at St. Thomas, 4 p.m. CT
Michigan Tech at Minnesota State, 7 p.m. CT

ECAC Tournament

Quarterfinals
Best of 3
Friday, March 13 (through Sunday)
Clarkson at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. ET
Colgate at Dartmouth, 7 p.m. ET
Harvard at Cornell, 7 p.m. ET
Union at Princeton, 7 p.m.

Hockey East Tournament

Opening Round
Wednesday, March 11
Boston University 4, Vermont 1
Northeastern 7, New Hampshire 3
Merrimack 5, UMass Lowell 3

Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 14
Boston University at Connecticut, 1 p.m. ET
Northeastern at Massachusetts, 4 p.m. ET
Maine at Boston College, NESN, 7 p.m. ET
Merrimack at Providence, 7 p.m.

NCHC Tournament

Semifinals
Saturday, March 14
Minnesota Duluth at North Dakota, 6 p.m. CT
Western Michigan at Denver, 7 p.m. MT

Women's NCAA Tournament

Regional Semifinals
Thursday, March 12
Minnesota Duluth vs. Yale, 5 p.m. CT
Princeton vs. Connecticut, 6 p.m. CT
Franklin Pierce vs. Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. CT

Regional Championships
Saturday, March 14
No. 2 Wisconsin vs. winner of Quinnipiac-Franklin Pierce, 2 p.m. ET
No. 3 Penn State vs. winner Princeton-Connecticut, 2 p.m. ET
No. 5 Northeastern at No. 4 Minnesota, 2 p.m. CT
No. 1 Ohio State vs. winner of Yale-UMD, 6 p.m. ET

Frozen Four
Friday, March 20
Winner of Ohio State Regional vs. winner of Minnesota Regional, 4/7:30 p.m. ET
Winner of Wisconsin Regional vs. winner of Penn State Regional, 4/7:30 p.m. ET

Championship Game
At Pegula Ice Aren, Penn State
4 p.m.

Hockey Quote of the Day

"I eventually figured out the collegiate routine. Meanwhile, the hockey part became unbelievably good for me. We had a great rink and our team was ranked all three years. We filled our building and everywhere we played, we sold out. It was awesome and it helped that I had some teammates who also eventually would make it to the NHL. One was the goalie Daren Puppa, as well as Ken Hammond and John Carter.”
Adam Oates (RPI)

We'll Leave You With This ...

We witnessed one of the most amazing moments you'll ever see at a high school event tonight at Schneider Arena.

Colin Dorgan, who lost his mother, brother & grandfather in the Lynch Arena shooting last month, scores a 2OT game-winner to send his team to the @RIIL_sports D-II… pic.twitter.com/wU8rBe9F2d
— Nick Coit (@NickCoit) March 12, 2026