Notre Dame highlights four Big Ten teams in NCAA hockey tournament

Four Big Ten teams were selected to participate in the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship, with Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State earning bids.

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Big Ten regular season and tournament champion Notre Dame returns to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season and the 10th time in program history. The Fighting Irish will be the No. 1 seed in the East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn., and will face No. 4 seed Michigan Tech on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, March 23 at Webster Bank Arena. Notre Dame reached the Frozen Four last year in Chicago, marking the third Frozen Four appearance in program history.

Ohio State is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional in Allentown, Pa., and will face No. 4 seed Princeton on ESPNU at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 24 at PPL Center. Ohio State is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and its second in as many years. The Buckeyes have reached the Frozen Four once, doing so in 1998.

Michigan earned the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass., and will face No. 3 seed Northeastern on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 24 at DCU Center. Michigan is making its 37th NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since 2016. The Wolverines have won a Division-I record nine national championships.

Penn State is the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Regional, scheduled for March 24-25 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. The Nittany Lions, who are serving as the host for the Midwest Regional, will take on No. 2 seed Denver on ESPNEWS at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 24. Penn State will be making its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and second in as many years.