Michigan Tech Hockey is headed to the big dance, earns at-large bid in NCAA Tournament

(WLUC) - Michigan Tech Hockey is headed to the big dance, after receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season on Sunday.

Michigan Tech received an at-large bid from the Allentown region slating them at the number three seed. The Huskies are the overall No. 10 seed, and the Nittany Lions are the No. 8. The Huskies will face off against Penn State. Puck drop is set for Friday, March 24 at 5:00 p.m. ET. The game will be shown on ESPNU.

Tech is 24-10-4 overall and will make its 15th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the third under CCHA Coach of the Year Joe Shawhan. Shawhan joins John MacInnes as the only coaches in program history to have taken the Huskies to three NCAA Tournaments. Tech received an automatic bid in 2018 after winning the WCHA Tournament Championship. Tech won the NCAA Championship three times (1962, 1965, and 1975) and last earned a win in 1981, finishing third. The 2023 CCHA playoff run for Michigan Tech ended after a semi-final loss to the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the Mason Cup Semi-final.

Penn State is 21-15-1 overall and went 10-0 in its non-conference schedule. The Nittany Lions are the host of the regional and are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in only their 11th season.

The region’s top seed Michigan will play Colgate in the second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. The winners will play in the regional championship on Sunday for a chance to move to the Frozen Four at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on April 6 and 8.

The Minnesota State Mavericks also found themselves in the tournament after defeating Northern Michigan 3-2 in the Mason Cup Finals. They will matchup against St. Cloud State. Puck drop is set for Thursday, March 23 at 5:00 p.m. ET. This game also will be shown on ESPNU.

ESPNU will televise Friday’s regional semifinals and Sunday’s regional championship will be on ESPN2. Mix 93 WKMJ broadcasts all Tech games with an online stream available at Pasty.net.

Fans looking for tickets can email the SDC Ticket Office at tickets@mtu.edu or call 906-487-2073 to get into the Michigan Tech block.

The Frozen Four is set for April 6-8 in Tampa Bay. The D1 men’s hockey champions from 2022 was the University of Denver Pioneers.

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