For the first time since 2010, the Bemidji State men’s hockey team will be headed to the NCAA Tournament. The Beavers will meet the #1 seed from the Bridgeport Regional, Wisconsin, in a rematch of the 2006 NCAA Tournament Regional in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin gets the overall #4 seed. North Dakota gets the #1 seed. Boston College gets the #2 seed. Minnesota is the #3 overall seed. Regionals are held in Loveland Colorado, Fargo North Dakota, Bridgeport Connecticut, and Albany New York.

The regional tournaments run Friday through Sunday.

Bemidji State is making its fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2005 on its second at-large bid in program history. The Beavers have been ranked among the nation’s top 20 teams for 10 weeks and enter the tournament after earning wins in six of their last seven games and making a run to the WCHA postseason championship game before bowing out to No. 2 Lake Superior State University.

Joining Bemidji State and Wisconsin in the East Regional are No. 2 seed University of Massachusetts (16-5-4; 3-5-4 Hockey East) and the No. 3 seed and WCHA Postseason Champion Lake Superior State University (19-6-3; 9-5-0 WCHA).

The winner of the BSU/Wisconsin match up will meet the Lake Superior State/UMass semifinal winner in the East Regional Final at 3 p.m. Central March 28. The regional champion advances to the 2021 Frozen Four at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. April 8 and 10.

The 2021 NCAA Tournament appearance is BSU’s fifth as a Division I program, but is the first since the 2010 season. The bid also marks BSU’s 18th NCAA Tournament appearance all-time. The Beavers made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances at the Division II and Division III levels in a 16-year period from 1983-98 which included six national championships.

General admission tickets for the Bridgeport Regional ARE NOT AVAILABLE, as no fans will be allowed in either Bridgeport or in Albany, due to their local Covid guidelines.

The Beaver Radio Network will have the games for you this weekend on WMIS-FM, 92.1 The River, and online at http://beaverradionetwork.com.