INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee has selected the 16 teams that will be participating in the 2004 Men's Ice Hockey Championship.

The championship playoff format involves four predetermined regional sites with four teams assigned to each site. The four regional winners advance to the Men's Frozen Four. The entire championship uses a single-elimination format. The 2004 bracket is only the second with 16 teams after having only 12 teams in the field since 1988.

Automatic qualification privileges are granted to the postseason champions of six conferences. The remainder of the field is selected at large

The University of North Dakota was the No 1 overall seed, its first No. 1 seed since 1999. The other No. 1 seeds, in order, included Boston College, the University of Maine, Orono, and two-time defending champion University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

The dates, sites, times and pairings of this year's championship are as follows:

East Regional, March 26-27

Pepsi Arena, Albany, New York

March 26, 5 p.m. Eastern time
No. 1 Maine (30-7-3) vs. No. 4 Harvard (18-14-3)

March 26, 8:30 p.m. Eastern time

No. 2 Ohio State (26-15) vs. No. 3 Wisconsin (21-12-8)

March 27, 6 p.m. Eastern time
East Regional Championship

West Regional, March 26-27

World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado

March 26, 7:30 p.m. Eastern time
No. 1 North Dakota (29-7-3) vs. No. 4 Holy Cross (22-9-4)

March 26, 11 p.m. Eastern time
No. 2 Denver (23-12-5) vs. No. 3 Miami (Ohio) (23-13-4)

March 27, 9 p.m. Eastern time
West Regional Championship

Northeast Regional, March 27-28

Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire

March 27, Noon Eastern time
No. 1 Boston College (27-8-4) vs. No. 4 Niagara (21-14-3)

March 27, 3:30 p.m. Eastern time
No. 2 Michigan (26-13-2) vs. No. 3 New Hampshire (20-14-6)

March 28, 4 p.m. Eastern time
Northeast Regional Championship

Midwest Regional, March 27-28

Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan

March 27, Noon Eastern time
No. 1 Minnesota (26-13-3) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (20-14-4)

March 27, 3:30 p.m. Eastern time
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth (26-12-4) vs. No. 3 Michigan State (23-16-2)

March 28, 1 p.m. Eastern time
Midwest Regional Championship

Men's Frozen Four, April 8 and 10

FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts

April 8, Noon and 6 p.m. Eastern time (order of games TBA)
Northeast Regional Champion vs. East Regional Champion
West Regional Champion vs. Midwest Regional Champion

April 10, 7 p.m. Eastern time
National Championship

The following conferences and teams received automatic qualification:

Atlantic Hockey, Holy Cross
Central Collegiate Hockey Association, Ohio State
College Hockey America, Niagara
Eastern College Athletic Conference, Harvard
Hockey East Association, Maine
Western Collegiate Hockey Association, Minnesota

ESPN, Inc. will air all 15 tournament games live. ESPN will produce the 12 regional games and syndicate each game for interested local cable systems, regional sports networks and selected over-the-air stations. The 12 regional games will not air on ESPN or ESPN2 but rather an "ESPN Syndication" television platform.

ESPN2 will broadcast the semifinal games. ESPN will televise the national championship game. For a complete clearance list, long onto www.ncaasports.com, click broadcast info, then click TV schedule.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities defeated the University of New Hampshire 5-1 to win the 2003 championship.

CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES:

• Michigan's consecutive tournament appearance streak has reached 14, topping Minnesota's 13-year streak of NCAA appearances from 1985-97.

• Holy Cross and Notre Dame become the 43rd and 44th different teams to participate in the Division I championship.

• Head coaches, Mike Eaves of Wisconsin, Paul Pearl of Holy Cross, Enrico Blasi of Miami (Ohio), Scott Sandelin of Minnesota Duluth, Dave Burkholder of Niagara and Dave Poulin of Notre Dame, are making their first coaching appearances in the tournament; the last coach to win the NCAA title in his first appearance was Dean Blais of North Dakota in 1997.

• Minnesota is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA tournament, the most of any school.

• Five of the last eight national championship games have gone to overtime.

• For the ninth time in the last ten years, every Division I men's hockey game will be televised live.

For more information about the championship, log on to www.ncaasports.com.