With some familiar names to Frozen Four audiences, the 2021 NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament ended up bouncing back from a disastrous 2019.
Saturday's national championship game between Massachusetts and St. Cloud State, which saw the Minutemen shut out the Huskies 5-0 for the school's first men's hockey national championship, drew 435K viewers (and a .23 household rating and .13 18-49 demo rating) on ESPN. That total is up from the 321,000 viewers who watched the 2019 national championship game between Massachusetts and Minnesota Duluth.
The number is higher than the 402K number in 2013 when Yale hoisted the trophy over Quinnipiac, the last time the Frozen Four was hosted in Pittsburgh. However, that is the only other championship besides 2019 in that time period that drew a lower viewership than 2021's total.
This follows a Frozen Four semifinal round that saw a mixed bag ratings-wise. The early contest between in-state rivals Minnesota State and St. Cloud State drew an average of 117K viewers and a .03 18-49 demo rating. It's down from the 195K and .07 for UMD-Providence in 2019 and the lowest-rated Frozen Four semifinal on ESPN2 since 2004.
On the other side, the late game between Massachusetts and Minnesota Duluth, which did not end until Garrett Wait's OT winner at 12:15 AM ET, drew an average of 266K viewers and a .07 in the demo. Besides being Thursday's highest-rated program on ESPN2, the rematch outdrew the 213K/.06 for UMass-Denver two years ago. That game also went to overtime.
Despite featuring three BCS programs (Boston College, Minnesota, Wisconsin) and a proven college hockey TV draw in North Dakota as the top four overall seeds, none of the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament's No. 1 seeds made it to Pittsburgh. It also did not help that national brands Michigan and Notre Dame, meanwhile, both withdrew from the tournament prior to playing due to Covid protocols.
However, 2021 did get some help compared to 2019's lows. Thursday night's game was ongoing during a time when all NHL games ended. In 2019, the Frozen Four needed to compete both nights with the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 5 pm/9 pm local time (8:30 before 2018) semifinal time slot has been in place since 2014. In addition, Saturday's pregame show drew 252K viewers.
Frozen Four Championship Game Ratings (Since 2009):
2021: 435,000 (Massachusetts vs. St. Cloud State)
2020: No Tournament
2019: 321,000 (Minnesota Duluth vs. Massachusets)
2018: 653,000 (Minnesota Duluth vs. Notre Dame)
2017: 467,000 (Denver vs. Minnesota Duluth)
2016: 541,000 (North Dakota vs. Quinnipiac)**
2015: 635,000 (Providence vs. Boston University)
2014: 717,000 (Union vs. Minnesota)
2013: 402,000 (Yale vs. Quinnipiac)*
2012: 353,000 (Boston College vs. Ferris State)**
2011: 624,000 (Minnesota Duluth vs. Michigan)
2010: 526,000 (Boston College vs. Wisconsin)
2009: 656,000 (Boston University vs. Miami)
*This table uses total households from 2009-2013 and viewers from 2014-onward.
**Game aired on ESPN2 rather than ESPN
Regional Rounds:
In the regional rounds, five of the eight games on TV charted among the top-150 cable shows, which is four more than 2019.
Sunday regional final games Minnesota-Minnesota State (216K on ESPN2) and Boston College-St. Cloud State (214K on ESPN2) each averaged above the 200K mark.
Meanwhile, the 5 OT Saturday night classic between North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth drew an average of 167K viewers on ESPNU. To put it in context, that is the second-highest rated game on ESPNU since 2015. Only a 2017 NCAA Tournament game between Minnesota and Notre Dame drew more viewers and that game was on a Saturday afternoon rather than ending at 1:40 AM ET.
The other two games that charted were Wisconsin-Bemidji State (137K on ESPN2 in the 1 pm ET Friday slot) and UMass-Bemidji State (82K on ESPNU in the Saturday 5 pm ET slot).
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