Big Ten Hockey Bracket Finalized After Gophers' Shootout Win Over Michigan State

One day after losing 7-1 at home, Gophers men's hockey turned around with a shootout win over No. 2 Michigan State to cap off their regular season on Friday night. They officially ended the regular season with an 11-21-3 record, which earns them the sixth seed in the Big Ten tournament. Let's break it down.

The bracket for this year's Big Ten hockey tournament is officially set! New single-elimination format in the first round.

The Gophers will play at Penn State on Wednesday night at 6 pm CT. The game will be broadcast on BTN+

Let's hear some early predictions. 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/LRk0XxgNLz
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 7, 2026

Bracket

This year's Big Ten tournament has a new format with all three first-round games being single elimination, rather than the three-game series they had in previous years. The field will be reseeded in the semifinals, and every game will be played at the home of the higher seed.

First round (Wednesday, March 11)

No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Ohio State, 7 p.m. CT, TV: BTN+
No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 6 Minnesota, 6 p.m., BTN+
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, 6 p.m., BTN+

The Gophers went 1-3 against Penn State in the regular season. Their lone win came on Nov. 21 by a score of 3-2 at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Nittany Lions won by a combined score of 10-3 in their two matchups at Pegula Ice Arena in January.

Minnesota is 4-10-1 on the road this season. Those wins came against No. 8 North Dakota, No. 4 Denver, No. 2 Michigan and Ohio State. They've struggled with consistency all season, picking up their most losses with their most losses since the 1997-98 season, but they've also shown they can compete with just about anyone when they're at their best.

If the Gophers pull off the upset against Penn State, they would likely play No. 1 seed Michigan State in the semifinal round, unless Notre Dame knocks off Michigan. They lost by a combined score of 6-3 in their two losses in East Lansing in the regular season, so a run to the championship game would take a lot of magic.

This season has been one of the most dissappointing campaigns for Gophers men's hockey in quite sometime. A run in the conference tournament could help soften the blow for longtime head coach Bob Motzko, but there will be plenty of questions asked this offseason.