KALAMAZOO, Mich. – With a 5-3 victory over No. 4 Western Michigan Friday night at Lawson Ice Arena, third-ranked North Dakota clinched the Penrose Cup outright as 2025-26 National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) regular-season champions. It is the Fighting Hawks seventh Penrose Cup in the 13-year history of the NCHC and first since the 2023-24 campaign.
 
North Dakota (25-7-1, 17-5-1 NCHC) sits on 54 points after the penultimate night of the regular season, five clear of second-place Denver (49) and eight ahead of third-place Western Michigan (46). NCHC Commissioner Heather Weems presented the Penrose Cup to North Dakota senior captain Bennett Zmolek in the locker room following Friday’s win. Along with securing the Penrose Cup, UND also locked up the top seed in the upcoming 2026 NCHC Frozen Faceoff tournament.
 
Under the NCHC’s new postseason format, the higher seed(s) hosts each round of the Frozen Faceoff, which will be held entirely on campus sites, starting with best-of-three quarterfinal series from March 6-8. The two highest remaining seeds will then host the single-game semifinals on Saturday, March 14, with the highest remaining seed hosting the championship on March 21.
 
North Dakota previously won outright Penrose Cups in 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021 and 2024, while sharing the Penrose Cup with Denver in 2022. Only three other NCHC teams have won the Penrose Cup in conference history, with St. Cloud State and Denver each earning three Cups and Western Michigan one (last year). The conference title also marks North Dakota’s 22nd all-time regular-season crown, the most of any NCAA team.
 
Heading into the final night of the regular season, Denver, Western Michigan and Minnesota Duluth have also clinched home ice for the Frozen Faceoff Quarterfinals, with UMD locked into the No. 4 seed. Denver secures the No. 2 seed with a single point against Arizona State on Saturday or Western Michigan failing to win in regulation against North Dakota. If DU and WMU end up even at 49 points, the Broncos win the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed based on aggregate goals in the teams’ head-to-head series.
 
St. Cloud State and Colorado College are assured of a Frozen Faceoff playoff spot, while Miami, Omaha and Arizona State are battling for the final two quarterfinal berths on Saturday as the regular season concludes. The RedHawks and Mavericks, who face each other, can clinch a playoff spot with a single point or have Arizona State fail to win in regulation. The Sun Devils must beat Denver in regulation and have the Miami at Omaha game decided in regulation by either team to secure the final Frozen Faceoff berth.
 
For all the latest NCHC Frozen Faceoff and postseason information and tickets, click here.