The NCAA released that "Seven conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining four teams were selected at-large by the committee. The championship playoff format involves three first-round games and four quarterfinal games that are played on the campuses of the participating institutions. All games in the championship are single elimination. The four quarterfinal winners advance to Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Ridder Arena for the semifinals and championship game, which will be conducted March 25-26. The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association will host the championship".
| Conference | School |
|---|---|
| ECAC DIII Men’s East Hockey League | Norwich University (20-5-3) |
| ECAC DIII Northeast Hockey League | Curry (16-8-3) |
| Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association | Adrian (23-3-1) |
| Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | |
| New England Small College Athletic Conference | |
| Northern Collegiate Hockey Association | St. Norbert (22-4-1) |
| State University of New York Athletic Conference | Plattsburgh State (20-7-1) |
Elmira College, Neumann College, State University of New York at Oswego and University Wisconsin, Superior, enter the field as the four at-large selections.
Oswego will await the winner of the Bowdoin/Neumann matchup. Plattsburgh will play either Norwich/Curry on Saturday as well. The other play in game on Wednesday night will feature Wis-Superior/Hamline.