NCAA men’s hockey tournament bracket pits Harvard against Providence

Despite being the lower seed, Providence may have a home-ice edge.

Harvard hockey players celebrate with the Beanpot trophy after defeating Boston University 6-3 on February 13. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

By Hayden Bird

March 19, 2017

1 minute to read

The Frozen Four could once again include several New England teams in 2017. But Harvard and Providence won’t be there together.

The two regional hockey powers will instead play in the tournament’s opening round, set to get underway on March 24 at 4 p.m.

See you soon, @DunkinDonutsCtr 👀 pic.twitter.com/YI8J9tfPUj

— PC Men’s Hockey (@FriarsHockey) March 19, 2017

The East Regional, played in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, will feature the No. 1 Harvard and No. 4 Providence matchup. The Crimson–who won the Beanpot in February for the first time in 24 years–are the top seed in the region, but Providence may gain an edge from the venue. The Friars don’t normally play in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, but its location makes it far from a neutral site.

Elsewhere, No. 2 Boston University will travel to Fargo to play No. 3 University of North Dakota in the West Regional. And No. 2 UMass-Lowell faces No. 3 Cornell in the Northeast Regional (hosted in Manchester, New Hampshire).