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How to Watch NCAA Hockey Tournament 2023 Online for Free

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Sixteen schools begin the road to the Frozen Four when the 2023 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament kicks off on Thursday, March 23.

Every game of the tournament will be televised on either ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPNews, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which include all the ESPN channels and come with a free trial.

Those are the two best live stream options if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways to watch the 2023 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament streaming live online:

Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page

FuboTV

You can watch a live stream of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV. You’ll need both the main channel package and the “Sports Plus” add-on, both of which can be included with your free seven-day trial:

FuboTV Free Trial

Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the 2023 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.

Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.

You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.


DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN and ESPN2 are included in every one, while ESPNU and ESPNews are in “Choice” and above, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:

DirecTV Stream Free Trial

Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the 2023 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.

Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.

You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.


Sling TV

You can watch a live stream of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange + Sports Extra” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can your first month for half off:

Get Sling TV

Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the 2023 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.

Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.

You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.


Hulu With Live TV

You can watch a live stream of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:

Get Hulu With Live TV

Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the 2023 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.

Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.

You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.


Vidgo

You can watch a live stream of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo, which does not come with a free trial:

Get Vidgo

Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the 2023 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament live on the Vidgo app or Vidgo website.

Compatible devices for the Vidgo app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet.

You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Vidgo credentials to do that.


NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament 2023 Preview

Can Denver repeat as NCAA national hockey champions? They’re going to try, but they are the fourth team in the bracket heading into the tournament. The field was set on March 19, and the regional match-ups for the 2023 NCAA men’s hockey tournament are as follows:

Manchester Regional, March 23-25 at SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire

Thursday, March 23 at 2 p.m. ET, Boston University vs Western Michigan on ESPN 2
Thursday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m. ET, No. 4 Denver vs Cornell on ESPNews

Saturday, March 25 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU: The winners of the first two games

Fargo Regional, March 23-25, Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota

Thursday, March 23 at 5 p.m. ET, St. Cloud State vs Minnesota State on ESPNU
Thursday, March 23 at 9 p.m. ET, No. 1 Minnesota vs Canisius on ESPN 2

Saturday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU: The winners of the first two games

Bridgeport Regional, March 24-26, Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut

Friday, March 24 at 2 p.m. ET: Harvard vs Ohio State on ESPNU
Friday, March 24 at 5:30 p.m. ET: No. 2 Quinnipiac vs Merrimack on ESPNews

Sunday, March 26 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN 2: The winners of the first two games

Allentown Regional, March 24-26 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Friday, March 24 at 5 p.m. ET: Penn State vs Michigan Tech on ESPNU
Friday, March 24 at 8:30 p.m ET: No. 3 Michigan vs Colgate on ESPNU

Sunday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN 2: The winners of the first two games

After the regionals, the Frozen Four will be set. Those contests take place the weekend of April 6-8 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The winner of the Fargo Regional will face the winner of the Manchester Regional and the winner of the Bridgeport Regional will take on the winner of the Allentown Regional.

If the seedings hold, that means No. 1 Minnesota will face No. 4 Denver, and No. 2 Quinnipiac will face No. 3 Michigan, but of course, there may be some upsets in the regionals.

The schedule for the Frozen Four is as follows:

Thursday, April 6 at 5 p.m. ET: Semifinal 1 on ESPN 2
Thursday, April 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET: Semifinal 2 on ESPN 2

Saturday, April 8 at 8 p.m. ET: The championship game on ESPN 2

Denver is the defending champs, having won nine titles over the tournament’s history, the most recent ones being in 2022 and 2017. No. 1 seed Minnesota has five titles to its name, but they haven’t won since 2003. Like Denver, Michigan has also won nine titles, but they haven’t won since 1998. The 2-seed Quinnipiac Bobcats are looking for their first-ever men’s national hockey championship; they have lost twice in the finals in the past 10 years.