The short version: there is no single subscription that covers college hockey. Six conferences sit on five platforms that don’t overlap, and watching essentially all of it costs around $845 a year. What you actually need depends entirely on which team you follow — so find your school in the table below and buy only that.
The 2026-27 NCAA Division I men’s season opens Friday, October 2. Sixty-two programs are playing, down from sixty-four two years ago after American International reclassified to Division II and Mercyhurst discontinued its men’s program in March 2026. Here is where every one of them will be.
The fast answer: what you need for your team
| If your team plays in… | You need… | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hockey East or ECAC Hockey | ESPN Select | $13.99/mo |
| The Big Ten (except Notre Dame) | B1G+, plus FOX One for the BTN games | $89.99/yr + $19.99/mo |
| Notre Dame home games | Peacock Premium — not B1G+ | $12.99/mo |
| The NCHC | NCHC.tv | ~$115.95/yr school pass |
| The CCHA | Midco Sports Plus, tier 2 | $129.99/yr |
| Atlantic Hockey America | FloHockey | $127.44/yr |
| The NCAA tournament | ESPN Unlimited | $31.99/mo |
Three things trip people up every year, so get them straight before you spend anything.
Notre Dame is carved out of B1G+ entirely. Every home game at Compton Family Ice Arena streams exclusively on Peacock under NBC’s Notre Dame deal. If you subscribe to B1G+ expecting to watch your team play in South Bend, you will not be able to. Notre Dame’s road games follow normal Big Ten rules.
The CCHA is not on FloHockey any more. It left after the 2023-24 season and has streamed on Midco Sports Plus since 2024-25.
The NCHC has no national TV. Its CBS Sports Network deal was not renewed after 2024-25, when the network wanted schools to absorb production costs and the schools declined. Everything now runs through NCHC.tv.
Every conference and where its games live
Hockey East — ESPN Select
All eleven schools stream every home game on ESPN Select under a six-year ESPN deal running through 2027-28, covering 300-plus games a season plus the entire conference tournament. NESN carries at least fifty men’s and women’s games a year as a regional overlay — a simulcast, not an exclusive, so ESPN Select still gets you the game. Three games a season air on ESPNU.
The specific NESN game list is announced in late October each year.
ECAC Hockey — ESPN Select
All twelve schools, every home game, no blackouts, under an eight-year extension running through 2028-29. That includes the six Ivy League members — there is no separate carve-out, because the Ivy League’s own ESPN agreement points to the same place. SNY adds roughly thirty combined men’s and women’s games on regional television in the New York metro area.
Big Ten — BTN, FS1, B1G+, and Peacock for Notre Dame
Around thirty-one games appear on Big Ten Network, FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Everything else goes to B1G+ at $12.99 a month or $89.99 a year — except Notre Dame home games, which are Peacock-exclusive.
The cheapest way to get Big Ten Network is not a cable-replacement service. FOX One includes BTN in its base $19.99 subscription, which undercuts Sling’s $30.99 route and is a fraction of YouTube TV at $82.99. There is also a FOX One and ESPN Unlimited bundle at $39.99 a month that covers BTN and every ESPN channel together.
The 2026-27 television designations had not been released as of late August. They landed on October 9 last season.
NCHC — NCHC.tv
NCHC.tv carries roughly 200 games in 2026-27, including every home non-conference game, all 120 conference games and the entire Frozen Faceoff, with no blackouts. That total is up from about 175 last season because St. Thomas joined the conference on July 1, 2026, taking the NCHC to ten teams for the first time.
The 2026-27 rate card had not been published as of late August. Last season ran $126.95 for a full-conference annual pass, $115.95 for a single-school pass, or $32.95 monthly. An early-bird discount usually posts in late August.
CCHA — Midco Sports Plus
All eight schools stream on CCHA TV, which sits in the Midco Sports Plus tier-2 package at $24.99 a month or $129.99 a year. There is no linear television anywhere in the conference. Midco ran a preseason discount last year that dropped the annual equivalent to $8.99 a month, so it is worth waiting for early September before subscribing.
Atlantic Hockey America — FloHockey
All nine men’s programs stream on FloHockey through the Atlantic Hockey TV portal, at $29.99 a month or $127.44 a year. No linear television, including for the conference tournament. The early-bird annual rate expired July 31.
A FloHockey subscription also covers the AHL, ECHL, OHL, QMJHL, USHL and SHL, which makes it better value than the college hockey alone suggests.
The independents — all five are different
Alaska, Lindenwood and Long Island stream on FloHockey. Alaska Anchorage puts every home game on YouTube for free. Stonehill is on NEC Front Row, also free.
All 62 teams
Hockey East (11)
| Team | Home arena | Stream | Regional TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | Conte Forum | ESPN Select | NESN |
| Boston University | Agganis Arena | ESPN Select | NESN / NESN+ |
| UConn | Toscano Family Ice Forum; select games at PeoplesBank Arena, Hartford | ESPN Select | NESN and SNY |
| Maine | Harold Alfond Sports Arena | ESPN Select | NESN; TSN+ in Canada |
| UMass | Mullins Center | ESPN Select | NESN |
| UMass Lowell | Tsongas Center | ESPN Select | NESN |
| Merrimack | Lawler Arena | ESPN Select | NESN / NESN+ |
| New Hampshire | Whittemore Center | ESPN Select | NESN |
| Northeastern | No announced home rink — see below | ESPN Select | NESN |
| Providence | Schneider Arena | ESPN Select | NESN |
| Vermont | Gutterson Fieldhouse | ESPN Select | NESN |
Northeastern is the one to watch. Matthews Arena hosted its final game in December 2025 and has since been demolished, with a replacement targeted for 2028. The Huskies split last season’s home dates between Walter Brown Arena, Bentley Arena, the Tsongas Center and Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine. Their 2026-27 home venues had still not been announced as of late August, so check the schedule before buying tickets to anything.
ECAC Hockey (12)
| Team | Home arena | Stream | Regional TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | Meehan Auditorium | ESPN Select | SNY (select) |
| Clarkson | Cheel Arena | ESPN Select | SNY (select) |
| Colgate | Class of 1965 Arena | ESPN Select | SNY (select) |
| Cornell | Lynah Rink | ESPN Select | SNY |
| Dartmouth | Thompson Arena | ESPN Select | SNY (select) |
| Harvard | Bright-Landry Hockey Center | ESPN Select | NESN for the Beanpot |
| Princeton | Hobey Baker Memorial Rink | ESPN Select | SNY (select) |
| Quinnipiac | M&T Bank Arena, Hamden | ESPN Select | SNY |
| RPI | Houston Field House | ESPN Select | SNY |
| St. Lawrence | Appleton Arena | ESPN Select | SNY (select) |
| Union | M&T Bank Center at Mohawk Harbor | ESPN Select | SNY (select) |
| Yale | Ingalls Rink | ESPN Select | SNY |
Union moved into the new $55 million M&T Bank Center at Mohawk Harbor in October 2025, replacing Messa Rink. Older guides still list the old building.
Big Ten (7)
| Team | Home arena | Stream | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | Yost Ice Arena | B1G+ | BTN / FS1 |
| Michigan State | Munn Ice Arena | B1G+ | BTN / FS1 |
| Minnesota | 3M Arena at Mariucci | B1G+ | BTN / FS1, plus FOX9+ free over the air |
| Notre Dame | Compton Family Ice Arena | Peacock only | None |
| Ohio State | Value City Arena | B1G+ | BTN / FS1 |
| Penn State | Pegula Ice Arena | B1G+ | BTN / FS1 |
| Wisconsin | Kohl Center | B1G+ | BTN |
NCHC (10)
| Team | Home arena | Stream | Regional TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | Mullett Arena | NCHC.tv | None |
| Colorado College | Ed Robson Arena | NCHC.tv | SOCO CW, KRDO 13, Altitude |
| Denver | Magness Arena | NCHC.tv | Altitude |
| Miami | Goggin Ice Center | NCHC.tv | RESN |
| Minnesota Duluth | AMSOIL Arena | NCHC.tv | MY9 Sports |
| Nebraska Omaha | Baxter Arena | NCHC.tv | None |
| North Dakota | Ralph Engelstad Arena | NCHC.tv | Midco Sports |
| St. Cloud State | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center | NCHC.tv | The CW Twin Cities — free |
| St. Thomas | Lee & Penny Anderson Arena | NCHC.tv | None |
| Western Michigan | Lawson Arena | NCHC.tv | None |
CCHA (8)
| Team | Home arena | Stream |
|---|---|---|
| Augustana | Midco Arena, Sioux Falls | Midco Sports Plus |
| Bemidji State | Sanford Center | Midco Sports Plus |
| Bowling Green | Slater Family Ice Arena | Midco Sports Plus |
| Ferris State | Ewigleben Ice Arena | Midco Sports Plus |
| Lake Superior State | Taffy Abel Arena | Midco Sports Plus |
| Michigan Tech | John MacInnes Student Ice Arena | Midco Sports Plus |
| Minnesota State | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center | Midco Sports Plus |
| Northern Michigan | Berry Events Center | Midco Sports Plus |
Atlantic Hockey America (9)
| Team | Home arena | Stream |
|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Cadet Ice Arena | FloHockey |
| Army West Point | Tate Rink | FloHockey |
| Bentley | Bentley Arena | FloHockey |
| Canisius | LECOM Harborcenter | FloHockey |
| Holy Cross | Hart Center Rink | FloHockey |
| Niagara | Dwyer Arena | FloHockey |
| RIT | Gene Polisseni Center | FloHockey |
| Robert Morris | Clearview Arena | FloHockey |
| Sacred Heart | Martire Family Arena | FloHockey |
Army fans get one perk nobody else has: the Army Sports Network’s radio broadcasts are free on The Varsity Network app.
Independents (5)
| Team | Home arena | Stream |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Carlson Center, Fairbanks | FloHockey |
| Alaska Anchorage | Avis Alaska Sports Complex | YouTube — free |
| Lindenwood | Centene Community Ice Center | FloHockey |
| Long Island | Northwell Health Ice Center | FloHockey |
| Stonehill | Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton | NEC Front Row — free |
What everything costs
| Platform | Monthly | Annual | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESPN Select | $12.99, rising to $13.99 | $129.99, rising to $139.99 | Hockey East and ECAC in full; national Beanpot feed |
| ESPN Unlimited | $29.99, rising to $31.99 | $299.99, rising to $319.99 | The above plus ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU — the whole NCAA tournament |
| FOX One | $19.99 | $199.99 | Includes Big Ten Network |
| FOX One + ESPN Unlimited | $39.99 | — | The best-value bundle in college hockey |
| B1G+ | $12.99 | $89.99 | Big Ten games not on BTN, except Notre Dame home games |
| NCHC.tv | $32.95 (2025-26 rate) | $126.95 (2025-26 rate) | All NCHC games; single-school pass $115.95 |
| Midco Sports Plus 2 | $24.99 | $129.99 | CCHA TV |
| FloHockey | $29.99 | $127.44 | Atlantic Hockey, three independents, plus AHL, ECHL, OHL, QMJHL, USHL, SHL |
| Peacock Premium | $12.99 | $129.99 | Notre Dame home games |
| NESN 360 | $29.99 | $239.99 | Hockey East regional slate and the local Beanpot feed |
The ESPN increases take effect September 17, 2026. Peacock’s prices rose on August 18. NCHC.tv had not published its 2026-27 rates as of late August, so the figures above are last season’s and should be treated as a guide rather than a quote.
If you wanted to watch essentially everything, you are looking at roughly $845 a year billed monthly across a seven-month season, or about $1,085 if you buy annual passes for everything. Adding NESN 360 takes it to around $1,325.
For most people the sensible answer is ESPN Unlimited on its own. At $31.99 a month it covers two full conferences — twenty-three of the sixty-two teams — the Beanpot, and every round of the NCAA tournament. Nothing else comes close per dollar.
How to watch college hockey for free
More of it than you would expect, though almost all of it is local.
- St. Cloud State on The CW Twin Cities — all eighteen home games, free over the air, locked in by a three-year deal running through 2027-28. The most reliable free option in the country.
- Minnesota on FOX9 and FOX9+ — free over the air in the Twin Cities, with no subscription of any kind required.
- Minnesota Duluth on MY9 Sports, Colorado College on SOCO CW, and Miami on RESN — all free over the air locally.
- Alaska Anchorage streams every home game free on YouTube.
- Stonehill is on NEC Front Row, which is free.
- NCHC Game of the Week puts at least thirteen games a season on free Gray Media stations — but in Las Vegas, Nashville, St. Louis and the Carolinas. It is national exposure in non-hockey markets, not a free option for the conference’s own fans.
What is not free: ESPN, B1G+, NCHC.tv, FloHockey, Midco and Peacock have no free tiers at all. Unlike Division III, D1 schools almost never stream their own games for nothing, because conference rights deals take the inventory. Free trials on YouTube TV, FOX One and Fubo will get you through a Beanpot night or a regional weekend if that is all you need.
The NCAA tournament and the Frozen Four
The 2027 Frozen Four is at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 8 and Saturday, April 10 — the first men’s Frozen Four in the capital. Regionals run March 25-28 in Fargo, Springfield, Bridgeport and Loveland.
ESPN holds exclusive rights under an eight-year NCAA agreement running through 2032. Round-by-round network assignments are announced in March, but last season is a reliable guide: regional semifinals on ESPN2 and ESPNU with a couple of ESPN+ exclusives, regional finals on ESPN2 and ESPN, the national semifinals on ESPN2, and the championship game on ESPN.
That split is why ESPN Unlimited rather than ESPN Select is the tournament subscription. If you only care about March and April, subscribing month to month for two months costs about $64.
Denver won the 2026 title, beating Wisconsin 2-1 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for a record eleventh national championship. The game drew 901,000 viewers, up 52 percent year over year and the most-watched title game since 2009. The semifinals averaged 476,000, up 77 percent. College hockey’s audience is growing quickly.
Key dates for 2026-27
| Date | Event | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|
| October 2-3, 2026 | Season opens | Conference platforms |
| February 1 and 8, 2027 | 74th Beanpot, TD Garden | NESN locally, ESPN Select nationally |
| March 5-19, 2027 | NCHC Frozen Faceoff — new ten-team, all-campus format | NCHC.tv |
| March 19-20, 2027 | ECAC Championship Weekend, Lake Placid | ESPN Select |
| March 20-21, 2027 | Big Ten Tournament final | BTN |
| March 25-28, 2027 | NCAA Regionals | ESPN networks |
| April 8 and 10, 2027 | Frozen Four, Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. | ESPN networks |
The Beanpot dates follow the usual pattern of the first two Mondays in February but had not been formally confirmed at the time of writing.
Frequently asked questions
No. Six conferences hold rights with five different platforms that do not overlap. The closest you can get with a single purchase is ESPN Unlimited, which covers Hockey East, ECAC Hockey and the entire NCAA tournament.
ESPN Select at $13.99 a month, if your team plays in Hockey East or ECAC Hockey. If you live in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Colorado Springs or southwest Ohio, several games are free over the air.
B1G+ at $89.99 a year covers everything not shown on Big Ten Network. For the BTN games, FOX One at $19.99 a month is the cheapest option — it includes BTN in the base subscription, well below any cable-replacement service.
Notre Dame’s home games are streamed exclusively on Peacock under NBC’s long-running agreement with the university, and they are explicitly excluded from B1G+. Notre Dame’s road games follow standard Big Ten distribution.
Sixty-two in 2026-27. American International moved to Division II after 2024-25 and Mercyhurst discontinued its men’s program in March 2026. Maryville University plays a transitional schedule including eighteen games against D1 opponents but is not yet a full member; Tennessee State’s planned launch was cancelled for a second time in July 2026.
On ESPN networks. Based on recent seasons, expect the semifinals on ESPN2 and the championship game on ESPN, with regional games split across ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN+. ESPN Unlimited covers all of it.
Prices and broadcast arrangements change frequently. Several 2026-27 announcements — NCHC.tv pricing, Big Ten television designations, the NESN and SNY game lists, and Northeastern’s home venues — were still pending at the time of writing and will be added here when they are released.
