NCAA hockey overtime rules: How extra time works in Frozen Four
Here's how overtime works in the NCAA Hockey Tournament ahead of Wisconsin and Denver playing for the 2026 national championship.
Denver needed two overtimes to take down No. 1 Michigan in the Frozen Four on Thursday, April 9, advancing to the national championship game against Wisconsin in Las Vegas (5:30 p. m.
ET, ESPN). Meanwhile, the Badgers also needed two overtimes to defeat No. 3 Michigan State earlier in the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament.
What if the national championship game goes to overtime? With how both teams are playing entering the final game of the season, it's entirely impossible. REQUIRED READING: Michigan vs Denver hockey highlights: Pioneers knock off Wolverines in double OT The Pioneers upset the Wolverines 4-3 when captain Kent Anderson scored the winning goal with seven minutes left in the second overtime.
Wisconsin defeated No. 2 North Dakota in the Frozen Four, scoring its two goals in quick succession in the second period before the Fighting Hawks scored their only goal of the game with a minute left in regulation. Denver has won two of the last four national championships, while Wisconsin last won in 2006.