COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Beginning with the 2026 conference tournament, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) will be moving its playoffs entirely to campus sites, the NCHC announced Tuesday. The decision was approved unanimously by the NCHC's Board of Directors on Monday, Dec. 18.
The 2026 NCHC Tournament and beyond will be played over three weeks. The biggest change sees the semifinals move to single elimination at two campus sites on the Saturday after the quarterfinals, with the championship game held at the highest remaining seed a week after the semifinals.
The new playoff format begins with a play-in game between the No.