what time are the frozen four games on thursday: schedule

The Thursday Frozen Four semifinals are usually two games scheduled for the evening, but the exact start times change each year. For a concrete reference, the 2025 men’s semifinals were scheduled for 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 10.

If you mean a different year, there is no single time that applies to every Frozen Four. This guide explains how to read the schedule, convert the listed times to your time zone, and plan around the second game’s start. It also clears up a common point of confusion: a TV broadcast window and the moment the puck drops are not always the same.

what time are the frozen four games on thursday?

The answer depends on the tournament year. The NCAA men’s Frozen Four usually has two semifinal games on Thursday, with the first scheduled earlier in the evening and the second later that evening. For the 2025 tournament in St. Louis, the listed start times were 5 p.m. ET and 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 10.

Those are times for that particular edition, not a permanent annual schedule. The city, date, broadcast plan, and start times can change from one tournament to the next. If you are looking for another year, use that year’s official NCAA bracket or event schedule rather than assuming the 2025 times still apply.

Also check whether a schedule lists Eastern Time, the venue’s local time, or your own time zone. St. Louis was on Central Time for the 2025 event, so those two listed starts corresponded to 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. local time.

Thursday Frozen Four schedule at a glance

For the 2025 men’s tournament, the Thursday schedule had two semifinal slots. The table gives the listed Eastern and St. Louis local times so you can see how a time-zone label affects the answer.

Game slot	Scheduled time, Eastern	St. Louis local time	What to expect
First semifinal	5 p.m. ET	4 p.m. CT	Earlier Thursday game
Second semifinal	8:30 p.m. ET	7:30 p.m. CT	Later game, after the first semifinal

These times are a dated example, not a forecast for a future tournament. The schedule for the year you plan to watch should identify the teams, broadcast, date, and time zone. If an article or listing leaves out the year, confirm it before making plans.

Why Thursday has two semifinal games

The Frozen Four is the final stage of the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey championship. Four teams reach this round. They play in two semifinals, and the winners advance to the national championship game, which is held on a later day.

That format explains why Thursday has two separate start times. The games cannot begin at the same time in the same arena, and the second one is placed later so the first can be played before it. The exact gap between the scheduled slots is set for that event and can vary by year.

Do not confuse the semifinal schedule with the entire Frozen Four weekend. Thursday is the semifinal day for the men’s event; the championship game is a separate game on a separate date. A schedule page may show both rounds together, so check the date beside each matchup.

How to convert the game time to your time zone

First, identify the time zone used in the listing. A schedule may use Eastern Time for national viewers, while a ticket page or venue notice may use local time. The difference matters: the 2025 event was in St. Louis, where local time was Central Time, one hour behind Eastern Time.

1. Check the date and time zone. Look for labels such as ET, CT, MT, or PT. Do not assume that a time without a label is local to you.
2. Use the venue’s city as a cross-check. Confirm the city’s local time zone, especially if you are comparing a TV listing with travel or ticket information.
3. Convert the scheduled start. Eastern Time is one hour ahead of Central Time, two hours ahead of Mountain Time, and three hours ahead of Pacific Time during the same daylight-saving period.
4. Set a reminder in your own time zone. A phone calendar usually converts a properly labeled event time automatically. Include the game date and time zone when entering it manually.

For example, the 2025 5 p.m. Eastern start was 4 p.m. in St. Louis, 3 p.m. in Denver, and 2 p.m. in Los Angeles. The 8:30 p.m. Eastern slot was 7:30 p.m. in St. Louis, 6:30 p.m. in Denver, and 5:30 p.m. in Los Angeles.

Daylight-saving changes can complicate comparisons if you use an old schedule or a date from another season. The safest approach is to use the listed time zone for the event date and let a current calendar convert it. Avoid applying a time difference from memory to a schedule with no year attached.

When does the puck actually drop?

A posted start time is the scheduled beginning of the game, but a TV broadcast may begin earlier. Networks often use the minutes before a game for coverage, introductions, analysis, or other programming. If a listing says coverage starts at 4:30 p.m., that does not automatically mean the game is scheduled to start at 4:30.

Look for wording such as “coverage begins,” “broadcast starts,” or “puck drop.” A schedule that gives an official game time is the better guide to the scheduled start, while the network listing tells you when to tune in. If you do not want to miss the opening faceoff, start watching before the listed game time.

The second semifinal can also be affected by how long the first one lasts. Hockey games include three periods, intermissions, and possible overtime. As a result, the second game’s broadcast or actual opening may not line up exactly with an assumed interval after the first game’s start.

Practical tip: Treat the second game’s posted time as its scheduled slot, not a guarantee that the first game will end on a predictable minute. If you have a ticket for the later game, arrive early enough to get through entry and find your seat without relying on the first game ending promptly.

How to find the correct schedule for another year

Because the year was not included in the question, the 2025 times above are a reference rather than a universal answer. To get the right time for a different edition, look for a schedule that clearly names the tournament year and the men’s semifinal round.

• Confirm the year. Search results and saved pages can show an old tournament schedule beside current information.
• Check the matchup and round. Make sure the listing is for a Thursday semifinal, not a regional game, the women’s championship, or the Saturday final.
• Read the time-zone label. A correct start time can look wrong if a page displays a different zone from your own.
• Compare event and broadcast listings. One may show the scheduled game time, while another shows when coverage begins.

An official NCAA event schedule or the tournament’s current host-event information is the most useful place to verify the date and game slots. A broadcaster’s schedule can help you confirm the channel and coverage window. If the pages disagree, check whether they refer to different time zones or whether one is an older listing.

Men’s and women’s Frozen Four schedules are different

“Frozen Four” is also used for the NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey championship. The men’s and women’s tournaments are separate events, and their dates, formats, venues, and broadcast schedules are not interchangeable.

The Thursday evening schedule described above refers to the men’s semifinals in 2025. If you mean the women’s tournament, do not use those times. Find the women’s schedule for the specific year and check the date and round shown beside each game.

This distinction matters because a search result may use “Frozen Four” without making the men’s or women’s event obvious in its headline. Check the team names or tournament page before relying on a time. A game featuring women’s teams is not part of the men’s Thursday semifinal schedule.

Watching at home or attending in person

If you are watching on TV or streaming

Check the game’s broadcast listing as well as its scheduled start. The broadcast may begin before puck drop, and the channel or streaming availability can differ by year. If you are using a streaming service, confirm that the service carries the listed network in your area and that you can access it before the game begins.

For a doubleheader, plan to keep the broadcast on through the transition between games. The later semifinal may follow the earlier game, and switching away at the final buzzer could mean missing pregame coverage or the opening minutes of the next matchup.

If you are going to the arena

Use the venue’s local time for travel and entry plans. Ticket details, building notices, and local transit information are generally easiest to use when you know the arena’s city and local time zone. The time shown on a ticket may already be local, so compare it with the official event schedule before converting it.

Leave room for parking, security screening, and walking to your seat. The first semifinal may be underway when you arrive for the second, and arena access rules can affect whether you can enter during play. Check the venue’s instructions for entry, prohibited items, and any re-entry limits before leaving for the game.

Common mistakes when checking Thursday game times

• Using a schedule without a year. Frozen Four times are event-specific. A saved result can remain visible long after its season ends.
• Mixing up broadcast time and game time. The channel may go live well before the scheduled faceoff.
• Forgetting the venue’s time zone. A time listed in Eastern Time is not necessarily the local arena time.
• Assuming the second game starts exactly after the first ends. The second slot is scheduled separately, and a long game can affect the transition.
• Confusing the men’s and women’s tournaments. They are separate championships with separate schedules.

The most useful check is simple: verify the year, the tournament, the semifinal date, and the time-zone abbreviation together. Those details prevent nearly every scheduling mix-up.

What to remember about Thursday’s Frozen Four games

There is no single Thursday start time that applies to every Frozen Four. The men’s tournament generally schedules two semifinal games, but the official times depend on the year and event location. In 2025, the two listed starts were 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, equivalent to 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in St. Louis.

If you are checking a different season, do not reuse those times without confirming them. Verify the current year’s schedule, note whether it lists Eastern or local time, and distinguish the television coverage start from the scheduled puck drop. That small check can save you from tuning in late or arriving at the arena at the wrong hour.

The answer to “what time are the frozen four games on thursday” depends on the tournament year. In 2025, the men’s semifinals were scheduled for 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, but those times do not automatically carry over to another season.

Before you watch or travel, check the current schedule’s year, time-zone label, and broadcast details. If you mean the women’s Frozen Four, use that event’s separate schedule.