It's come down to the Boston University Terriers or the Western Michigan University Broncos for the NCAA National Championship. Both have -115 odds to win the National Championship game on Saturday, April 12, in St. Louis, Missouri.
So, who do you trust more, the Terriers who've won five titles, or Western Michigan, which has never been to the title game in the history of their program?
NCAA College Hockey National Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Western Michigan | -115 |
| Boston University | -115 |
Odds as of April 11th at Sportsbook
NCAA College Hockey National Championship
Western Michigan
The Broncos were underdogs against defending champions Denver, but prevailed in double overtime with a heroic goal from Owen Michaels.
WESTERN MICHIGAN WINS IT IN DOUBLE OT‼️
— ESPN (@espn) April 11, 2025
The Broncos punch their ticket to the National Championship game in their first-ever Frozen Four appearance 🥶 pic.twitter.com/phGNsoHSlL
Western Michigan was in control of their semi-final game in of the shot count, leading Denver 36-17 through regulation and 47-22 after extra time. With the win, the Broncos are now unbeaten in nine straight games, scoring 40 goals but allowing less than half at 18.
Alex Bump is the Broncos' offensive leader, but has been quiet going into the Championship game with 0 points in his last three games. While that might sound like a problem, I'm highlighting it to show the depth of Western Michigan's squad, which gets offense from a variety of sources, like semi-finals hero Owen Michaels who has points in his last four games, or Liam Valente, who has points in nine of his last 10 games.
Scoring depth can be deadly in a championship game.
Boston University
BU dealt with Penn State's speed easily, disrupting their transition game and hitting them on the counter when they couldn't. It was a masterclass from head coach and former NHLer Jay Pandolfo.
Helping Pandolfo execute his plan was a crop of highly talented players. Second-round pick by LA, Jack Hughes, picked up a goal and a secondary assist to lock up the win. Defensemen Cole Hutson (2nd round pick by Washington) and Tom Willander (11th overall pick by Vancouver) logged an incredible 25 minutes of ice time as they controlled the pace of play. And then there was freshman and 20th overall pick by the Islanders, Cole Eiserman, who scored the game winner.
WELCOME TO THE COLE SHOW
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) April 11, 2025
📺 ESPN2pic.twitter.com/fr9TEg45j8
The Terriers have an embarrassment of riches on their team. They've got enough game breakers to steal a game from anyone. , they've been in title-deciding games already this year and prevailed. Sure, the Beanpot is not a national championship, but the title of "Best-In-Boston" matters a lot, and BU stepped up and took out a much better Boston College side in a decisive 4-1 victory.
2025 Frozen Four Bracket
Last 10 NCAA Champions
| Year | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Denver (10) | NCHC |
| 2023 | Quinnipiac | ECAC |
| 2022 | Denver (9) | NCHC |
| 2021 | Massachusetts | Hockey East |
| 2019 | Minnesota-Duluth (3) | NCHC |
| 2018 | Minnesota-Duluth (2) | NCHC |
| 2017 | Denver (8) | NCHC |
| 2016 | North Dakota (8) | NCHC |
| 2015 | Providence | Hockey East |
| 2014 | Union | Hockey East |
*The numbers in parentheses represent the number of total championships.
As you can tell, the NCAA Division 1 hockey national championship has been dominated by the NCHC and Hockey East conferences. They’ve traded the last nine championships.
But, how about Denver?! Ten championships are incredible, and three of the last 10 is dominant.
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