Complete Release in PDF Format with NCAA Bracket

March 23, 2008

Farmington Hills, Mich. - The CCHA has placed four teams in the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship for a third straight year and the conference will be represented at three of the four regional sites.

Michigan (31-5-4), coming off its eighth CCHA playoff championhip, is the No. 1 seed at the East Regional in Albany, N.Y., and will face Niagara (22-10-4) of College Hockey America on Friday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. It's the 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the Wolverines who are bidding to capture their 10th national crown.

The Miami RedHawks (32-7-1) will make their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth in the past five years by traveling to Worcester., Mass., where they will be the No. 1 seed at the Northeast Regional. The RedHawks will face off against Air Force (21-11-6) of Atlantic Hockey on Saturday, March 29th at 4 p.m.

The defending national champion Michigan State Spartans (24-11-5) are slotted into the West Regional at Colorado Springs, Colo., where they will face Colorado College (28-11-1) in the second game on Friday, March 28 at 10:00 p.m. The Spartans, appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd time, defeated Boston University, Notre Dame, Maine and Boston College last year en route to their third national crown.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (24-15-4), making their third NCAA Tournament appearance overall, are also headed to Colorado Springs where they will meet New Hampshire (25-9-3) of Hockey East in the 6:30 p.m. game on Friday, March 28th. The Irish beat Alabama-Huntsville in a double-overtime, first-round game last season before losing to Michigan State for the right to advance to the Frozen Four.

This marks the fifth time that there have been four CCHA entries in the national tournament. The same four teams that are participating this season were also involved last season while Miami, Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska-Omaha represented the conference in 2006. Michigan, Michigan State, Northern Michigan and Ohio State all qualified in 1999 while Lake Superior, Michigan, Michigan State and Western Michigan were all entered in 1996. The conference record was set in 2004 when five teams (Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Ohio State) all advanced.

The championship playoff format involves four predetermined regional sites with four teams assigned to each site. The four regional winners advance to the Men's Frozen Four. The entire championship uses a single-elimination format.

Automatic qualification privileges are granted to the postseason champions of six conferences. The remainder of the field is selected at large.

The University of Michigan was the No. 1 overall seed. The other No. 1 seeds, in order, included Miami University, the University of North Dakota and the University of New Hamphshire.

The dates, sites, times and pairings of this year's championship are as follows:

East Regional, March 28-29 Times Union Center, Albany New York

March 28, 4 p.m. Eastern time No. 2 St. Cloud State (19-15-5) vs. No. 3 Clarkson (21-12-24)

March 28, 7:30 p.m. Eastern time No. 1 Michigan (31-5-4) vs. No. 4 Niagara (22-10-4)

March 29, 7 p.m. Eastern time East Regional Championship

West Regional, March 28-29 World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado

March 28, 6:30 p.m. Eastern time No. 1 New Hampshire (25-9-3) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (24-15-4)

March 28, 10 p.m. Eastern time No. 2 Colorado College (28-11-1) vs. No. 3 Michigan State (24-11-5)

March 29, 10 p.m. Eastern time West Regional Championship

Midwest Regional, March 29-30 Kohl Center, Madison, Wisconsin

March 29, 3 p.m. Eastern time No. 1 North Dakota (26-10-4) vs. No. 4 Princeton (21-13-0)

March 29, 6:30 p.m. Eastern time No. 2 Denver (26-13-1) vs. No. 3 Wisconsin (15-16-7)

March 30, 7 p.m. Eastern time Midwest Regional Championship

Northeast Regional, March 29-30 DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts

March 29, 4 p.m. Eastern time No. 1 Miami (32-7-1) vs. No. 4 Air Force (21-11-6)

March 29, 7:30 p.m. Eastern time No. 2 Boston College (21-11-8) vs. No. 3 Minnesota (19-16-9)

March 30, 4:30 p.m. Eastern time Northeast Regional Championship

Men's Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado

April 10, 6 and 9 p.m. Eastern time (order of games TBD)

East Regional Champion vs. West Regional Champion

Midwest Regional Champion vs. Northeast Regional Champion

April 12, 7 p.m. Eastern time National Championship

The following conferences and teams received automatic qualification:

Atlantic Hockey Association - Air Force

Central Collegiate Hockey Association - Michigan

College Hockey America - Niagara

Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League - Princeton

Hockey East Association - Boston College

Western Collegiate Hockey Association - Denver

ESPNU and ESPN Syndication will combine to produce the 12 regional games. ESPN Syndication does not mean that the games will air on "ESPN" or "ESPN2". ESPN Regional Television (Charlotte, NC) will handle the production of all 12 regional games. ESPN Syndication (Bristol, CT) will clear local cable affiliates and selected regional sports networks throughout the country for the four (4) regional games that are not airing LIVE on ESPNU.

ESPN will televise the national championship game live April 12 and ESPN2 will air both semifinal games live April 10. Please check www.NCAA.com under the Broadcast line for updated TV listings, game times and the complete NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship TV schedule.

For more information about the championship, log on to www.NCAA.com.

-CCHA-