So much for the end of the Big Ten hockey season we all expected.
No. 1/1 Michigan will host unranked Ohio State in the final of the 2026 Big Ten Hockey Tournament on Saturday, March 21, at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. ET.
No. 3/3 Michigan State, which entered the tourney with a bye as the top seed, will have to wait till March 22 to find out its NCAA Tournament plans after losing to the Buckeyes, 3-2 in overtime, on March 14. Michigan is looking for its fourth overall tournament title and first since winning back-to-back in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
The Wolverines are ranked No. 1 in both major polls, but were the No. 2 seed, due to finishing behind MSU, thanks in part to Michigan State taking seven points off of Michigan in their four regular-season meetups with the Wolverines taking only five from the Spartans.
Ohio State entered as the No. 5 seed with just 11 regulation wins in 33 regular-season games. But the Buckeyes stunned the 4-seed, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, and then knocked off MSU on a goal from Felix Caron, 2:36 into overtime.
Meanwhile, Michigan needed wins in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, which they accomplished over 7-seed Notre Dame and 3-seed Penn State, respectively.
Watch Big Ten Hockey Tournament on Fubo
The good news for the Wolverines: They swept the season series with the Buckeyes, with only one win coming in overtime, by a combined score of 22-9. The bad, albeit unlikely, news: If they fall prey to the underdog Buckeyes, they could slip out of the top spot in the NPI, the ranking system the NCAA uses to determine seeds in the 16-team field. U-M will still be a 1-seed, but they could cede the No. 1 overall spot to North Dakota.
Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 Big Ten Hockey Tournament final.
Michigan hockey vs Ohio State, Big Ten Tournament time
Michigan hockey vs Ohio State, Big Ten Tournament channel
Saturday’s Big Ten Hockey Tournament final between Michigan and Ohio State can be watched on the Big Ten Network and streamed on Fubo.
Watch Michigan-Ohio State on Fubo
Big Ten hockey tournament bracket
The Big Ten hockey conference tournament uses a three-round, single-elimination bracket that involves all seven conference teams, with the top seed earning a first-round bye. The remaining six teams play a knockout round with the winners advancing to the semifinals.
Big Ten hockey 2026 standings
Big Ten Tournament hockey quarterfinals scores
Big Ten Tournament hockey semifinals scores
Big Ten Tournament hockey championship game
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan hockey vs Ohio State time, channel in Big Ten final
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
