Big Ten Hockey Tournament Down to Four Teams

The 2026 Big Ten Hockey Tournament is heating up, and the stage is set for an electrifying semifinal showdown. After a thrilling quarterfinal round, only four teams remain in the hunt for the conference crown. Here's a look at how the field narrowed and what lies ahead in this year's quest for hockey glory.

And Then There Were Four

Wednesday night’s quarterfinals reduced the Big Ten Hockey Tournament field to a quartet of semifinalists. 

Buckeyes best Badgers, back-to-back-to-back

No. 5 seed Ohio State eliminated No. 4 seed Wisconsin for the third straight year,  dominating the Badgers on the road, 7-1 . Each Buckeye goal was scored by a different player, goalie Kristoffer Eberly made 33 saves, and Head Coach Steve Rohlik added another Big Ten Tournament win to his collection (19) – the most of any coach in history. 

Make it 13 of 14 for Michigan

Jayden Parron knocked home two goals and Michael Hage added four assists as No. 2 seed Michigan  took care of business in Ann Arbor  against No. 7 seed Notre Dame, 6-1. In a game that featured seven Notre Dame penalties and a few heated moments, Michigan’s freshman goalie Jack Ivankovic stood tall, stopping 23 of 24 shots as the Wolverines won for the 13th time in their last 14 meetings with the Fighting Irish.

Buckeyes best Badgers back-to-back-to-back

Big Ten scoring leader Gavin McKenna was kept out of the net but assisted on a pair of early goals in No. 3 seed Penn State's  win over No. 6 seed Minnesota, 6- 2. The Nittany Lions’ first regulation win in more than two weeks featured junior Matt DiMarsico’s 100th career point and the first of the season for Mac Gadowsky, the son of Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky.

Semifinal Showdowns on Saturday

Tomorrow, two teams will punch their tickets to the 2026 conference championship game.

Wolverines seek semifinal redemption over Penn State

In the opener, No. 2 seed Michigan welcomes No. 3 seed Penn State to Yost Ice Arena at 5 p.m. ET.  The Wolverines took the season series, 2-1-1 – with one win coming via shootout – but lost a pair at home to the Nittany Lions in last year’s Big Ten Tournament to end their season. Penn State is seeking its first appearance in the conference championship game since 2019, while Michigan has won two of the last four tournament titles. Worth noting: the Wolverines have never lost a game (11-0) as the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

Championship rematch: Can the Spartans do it again?

Coming off a bye as the conference regular season champion, No. 1 seed Michigan State is seeking an unprecedented third straight Big Ten Tournament crown and will host No. 5 seed Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. ET. The two teams went to double overtime in last season's title bout before the Spartans broke through to end the longest game in conference tournament history. The Buckeyes – the only one of this year's semifinalists still looking for their first conference tournament championship – have had some recent success in East Lansing, winning once and taking the Spartans to a shootout earlier this season.

Semifinal Showdowns on Saturday

Tomorrow’s doubleheader will air live on Big Ten Network with the championship game set for next Saturday, March 21. Get the viewing info, game recaps, and tournament tickets here .

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