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North Dakota (25-8-1, 17-6-1 NCHC) captured
its seventh Penrose Cup last Friday with a
5-3 win at No. 4 Western Michigan, finishing
the season with 55 points, three better than
second-place Denver. In doing so, UND
secured the top seed and assured the Frozen
Faceoff will go through Grand Forks if the
Fighting Hawks continue to win. North Dakota's
only Frozen Faceoff title came in 2021, when
Ralph Engelstad Arena hosted the entire
tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Omaha (12-22-0, 8-16-0 NCHC) heads into
the postseason coming off back-to-back
splits against Arizona State and Miami, which
secured the final NCHC playoff spot. The
Mavericks have made the Frozen Faceoff
semifinals just once in NCHC history, which
came in 2024, when Omaha was the No. 5
seed, won a series at Colorado College and
then defeated North Dakota in that semifinal
in St. Paul, Minn.
