News
Sioux Falls, SD – After broadcasting 38 college hockey games in 21 days in December’s NCHC Pod in Omaha, Midco Sports Network will once again be the television home for a unique National Collegiate Hockey Conference event. MidcoSN has reached an agreement with the league to televise the quarterfinals of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, which will take place on March 12-13 at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The quarterfinal games produced by MidcoSN will also be available on NCHC.tv, the league’s streaming service.
“In partnership with the NCHC, we keep evolving to provide fans with thrilling moments and lasting memories from their favorite teams,” said Midco VP of Sports & Advertising Mark Powell.
“We are excited about our continued partnership with MidcoSN to produce the 2021 NCHC Frozen Faceoff quarterfinal match-ups in a high-quality manner that will make the experience excellent for our fans on both NCHC.tv and linear TV,” said NCHC Commissioner Josh Fenton.
This new 2021 NCHC Tournament format replaces the traditional playoff format the league used its first seven seasons, which consisted of best-of-three quarterfinal series on campus sites and the Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The NCHC plans to return to Xcel Energy Center and its traditional playoff format in 2022.
MidcoSN’s Frozen Faceoff quarterfinal coverage will feature celebrated college hockey analyst Dave Starman along with the network’s lead hockey announcing team of Emmy-award nominee Alex Heinert and former University of North Dakota goaltender Jake Brandt.
Starman has been the lead color analyst on CBS’s broadcasts of the NCHC since the league’s inaugural season in 2013 and has headlined ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Men’s National Tournament since 2012. Heinert and Brandt have served as MidcoSN’s top announcing pair for the network’s live coverage of University of North Dakota hockey since 2016. All three were featured prominently during MidcoSN’s NCHC Pod broadcasts in 2020.
The 2021 Frozen Faceoff semifinals and championship game will air on CBS Sports Network on March 15-16. The winner receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament.
Since beginning play in 2013, the NCHC has established itself as the nation’s premier men’s college hockey conference. The league’s teams have made ten appearances in the Frozen Four in the last seven years – the most of any conference in that span – while three different league members have won the last four national championships (North Dakota 2016, Denver 2017, Minnesota Duluth 2018-2019).