Big Ten, NCHC hockey tournament single-game tickets on sale

Big Ten hockey tournament single-game tickets went on sale Monday.

The inaugural tournament will be held on March 20-22 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and feature all six conference members.

It will feature a single-elimination format over five games. The top two seeds will receive a bye and play in Friday's semifinal games.

The Gophers are atop the standings with three weeks remaining the regular season. Wisconsin is one point out of first place, but has played two more games than the Gophers. The rivals split their season series (2-2).

The winner of the tournament earns an automatic spot in the NCAA Regionals.

Price breakdown:

DATE

GAME

Thursday, March 20 (2 p.m.)

$25 / $20 / $20

Quarterfinal 1

Thursday, March 20 (7 p.m.)

Quarterfinal 2

Friday, March 21 (2 p.m.)

$40 / $35 / $20

Semifinal 1

Friday, March 21 (7 p.m.)

Semifinal 2

Saturday, March 22 (7 p.m.)

$45 / $40 / $20

Championship

A limited number of all-session ticket packages are still available. Tickets can be purchased at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone using Ticketmaster TDD/TTY, call 1-800-359-2525. Groups (12-plus) call 651-312-3486. An arena seating chart is located at www.xcelenergycenter.com/seating/hockey.jsp.

The Frozen Faceoff will be held March 21-22 at Target Center and feature the eight-team conference's top four teams.

Friday's single-session ticket gets fans into both semfinals game. Saturday's single-session ticket is good for the championship and third-place games. Re-entry is allowed.

Single-session ticket prices are $70 for a lower bowl seat and $35 for an upper bowl seat. Aall-session ticket packages are $130 for lower bowl seats ($65 per day) and $60 for upper bowl seats ($30 per day).

Single-session ticket prices will increase by $5 for both lower bowl and upper bowl seats on March 20. Fans can purchase any of the ticket package options here. Fans can also reserve hotel rooms in Minneapolis at a special Frozen Faceoff rate here.

In addition to the hockey games, the NCHC Frozen Faceoff will feature other weekend activities. On March 20, from 7-8:30 p.m., a fan skate will be offered at Target Center free of admission. Skate rental will be available. On game days, the NCHC Fan Fest will held at Target Field Plaza from 3-7:30 p.m., featuring food, drinks, live music, interactive games.

• The Gophers return to action ranked No. 2 in the USCHO poll. No. 1 Boston College tied UMass-Lowell on Saturday, but held onto 49 of the first-place votes.

Wisconsin climbed two spots to No. 6 and Michigan fell to No. 13. St. Cloud State is No. 5 and Minnesota State (No. 19) returned to the Top 20, while Minnesota-Duluth dropped out.