Purdue University Northwest has been selected as a host site for the 2026 ACHA Division 2 Men's Hockey Regionals, welcoming top teams from the Central Region on February 20–21, 2026. The announcement marks a significant milestone for the Pride, as it will be the first time Purdue Northwest has hosted ACHA Men's Hockey Regional competition.
"The ACHA M2 is excited to partner with Purdue Northwest as the host of the Central Regional Tournament, and we are grateful for their commitment to supporting this premier postseason event," said Sean Levin, ACHA Men's Division II Commissioner. "We look forward to this high level of competition and the opportunity to showcase the depth, talent, and strength of the Central Region throughout the tournament."
The Central Region side of the national tournament bracket will converge in Northwest Indiana, with teams competing for a berth in the ACHA Division 2 Men's Hockey National Championship. Hosting regionals places Purdue Northwest at the center of one of the most competitive stretches of the collegiate club hockey season and highlights the continued growth of the university's hockey program and athletic department.
"We are extremely excited and honored to host the ACHA Division 2 Men's Hockey Central Regionals for the first time in Purdue Northwest history," said Rick Costello, Director of Athletics. "This is a tremendous opportunity for Purdue University Northwest, the D2 hockey program, and the Northwest Indiana community to showcase our facilities and our commitment to providing a first-class experience for student-athletes, coaches, and fans. We look forward to welcoming the best teams in the Central Region to campus for what promises to be an outstanding weekend of hockey."
"The ACHA is thrilled to have Purdue Northwest hosting the Men's Division 2 Central Regional Tournament this February," said Craig Barnett, ACHA Executive Director. "Under the leadership of Rick Costello, the Purdue Northwest athletic program has experienced significant growth, including the continued development of both men's and women's college hockey. We look forward to welcoming the top 16 teams from the Central Region to Northwest Indiana as they compete for qualification in the ACHA Men's Division 2 National Tournament."
Tickets for the 2026 ACHA Division 2 Men's Hockey Central Regionals will be available for purchase in January. Additional information regarding game schedules, ticketing, and event details will be announced closer to the tournament dates.
Games will be played at The Kube Purdue University Northwest Hockey - Kube Sports and at the Homewood Flossmoor Ice Arena H-F Ice Arena – Homewood-Flossmoor Park District while streamed live on FloHockey.
"We are very excited to be able to bring the ACHA post-season to Northwest Indiana," said Purdue Northwest Director of Hockey Operations and ACHA D1 Head Coach, Carl Trosien. "The top 16 teams in the region will head to the region looking to punch their ticket to the nationals and can't wait to see how it all unfolds."
The format for Men's Division II Regionals has changed from previous seasons. Following the Final Ranking of the regular season, the top 16 teams in each region will receive a berth to their respective Regional. Teams that receive a conference auto-bid to Regionals but are not ranked in top 16 for their region shall be afforded a berth to Regionals and displace the lowest seeded team(s) in the top 16 for their region.
All games played at Men's Division II Regionals will be single elimination. The games on the first day of each Regional will see the top-seeded team playing the #16 seeded team, the #2 seed playing the #15 seed, etc. For the second day of each Regional, the brackets will be reseeded to ensure the highest remaining seeds compete against the lowest remaining seeds.
Four teams will emerge undefeated at the conclusion of the second day at each Regional. Those sixteen teams, four from each region, will comprise the field that will compete for the Radakovich Cup at the 2026 ACHA National Championships presented by FloHockey, which will be played from March 12-17, 2026 at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
For more information, please contact ACHA Men's Division II Commissioner Sean Levin at slevin@achahockey.org or ACHA Executive Director Craig Barnett at cbarnett@achahockey.org.
