NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship
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The annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament determines the top ice hockey team in the NCAA Division I and Division III. [1] The semi-finals and finals are branded as the Frozen Four, as a parallel to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - known as the Final Four in later rounds - which was also previously used by the hockey championship.
This tournament is a single elimination competition that has determined the collegiate national champion since the inaugural 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament. The tournament was first referred to as the Frozen Four in 1999. The term is derived from the term "final four." The tournament structure begins with four regional sites culminating to a single site, where the national semifinals and final game are played.[1] The NCAA started a Women's Frozen Four beginning in the 2000-01 season.
The NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Championship is a single-elimination tournament featuring 16 teams representing all six Division I conferences in the nation. The Championship Committee seeds the entire field from 1 to 16 within four regionals of 4 teams. The winners of the six Division I conference championships receive automatic bids to participate in the NCAA Championship.
In setting up the tournament, the Championship Committee seeks to ensure "competitive equity, financial success and likelihood of playoff-type atmosphere at each regional site." A team serving as the host of a regional is placed within that regional. The top four teams are assigned overall seeds and placed within the bracket such that the national semifinals will feature the No. 1 seed versus the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed versus the No. 3 seed should the top four teams win their respective regional finals. Number 1 seeds are also placed as close to their home site as possible, with the No. 1 seed receiving first preference. Conference matchups are avoided in the first round; should five or more teams from one conference make the tournament, this guideline may be disregarded in favor of preserving the bracket's integrity.
The Hobey Baker Award ceremony, Hockey Humanitarian Award ceremony, and USCHO.com Town Hall Meeting take place annually during Frozen Four weekend.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Division I
[edit] Championship game results
[edit] Rankings by most championships
If teams have equal amount of championships, most recently won is listed first.
| Rank | School | # |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 9 |
| 2 | Denver | 7 |
| North Dakota | 7 | |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 6 |
| 5 | Boston University | 5 |
| Minnesota | 5 | |
| 7 | Boston College | 3 |
| Michigan State | 3 | |
| Lake Superior State | 3 | |
| Michigan Tech | 3 | |
| 11 | Maine | 2 |
| Rensselaer | 2 | |
| Cornell | 2 | |
| Colorado College | 2 | |
| 15 | Northern Michigan | 1 |
| Harvard | 1 | |
| Bowling Green | 1 |
[edit] Rankings by state
The following list is of championships won ranked by state.
| Rank | State | School | # |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Michigan (9) Lake Superior State (3) Michigan State (3) Michigan Tech (3) Northern Michigan (1) |
19 |
| 2 | Colorado | Denver (7) Colorado College (2) |
9 |
| Massachusetts | Boston University (5) Boston College (3) Harvard (1) |
9 | |
| 4 | North Dakota | North Dakota (7) | 7 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin (6) | 6 |
| 6 | Minnesota | Minnesota (5) | 5 |
| 7 | New York | Cornell (2) Rensselaer (2) |
4 |
| 8 | Maine | Maine (2) | 2 |
| 9 | Ohio | Bowling Green (1) | 1 |
[edit] Tournament format history
- 1948–1976
- 4 teams (1 game series)
- 1977–1980
- 5-6 teams (1 game series)
- 1981–1987
- 8 teams (2 game, total goals first round at higher seed)
- 1988–1991
- 12 teams (best of 3 games first round series at higher seed)
- 1992–2002
- 12 teams (divided up into 2 regionals, East Regional and West Regional; 6 Teams each)
- 2003–present
- 16 teams (divided up into 4 regionals: Northeast, East, Midwest and West Regionals: 4 Teams each)
[edit] Division II
The Division II Championship was suspended following 1999, due to a lack of sponsoring schools. Most of the schools in Division II hockey became members of newly formed hockey conferences such as College Hockey America. The Northeast Ten Conference is the last remaining Division II conference that sponsors ice hockey.
[edit] Championship game results
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Merrimack | 12–2 | Lake Forest | |
| 1979 | Lowell | 6–4 | Mankato State | |
| 1980 | Mankato State | 5–2 | Elmira | |
| 1981 | Lowell | 5–4 | Plattsburgh State | |
| 1982 | Lowell | 6–1 | Plattsburgh State | |
| 1983 | RIT | 4–2 | Bemidji State | |
| 1984 | Bemidji State | 6–3, 8–1 | Merrimack | Two-game, total-goal series |
| 1985-1992 | Not held | |||
| 1993 | Bemidji State | 10–6, 5–0 | Mercyhurst | Best-of-three series |
| 1994 | Bemidji State | 3–5, 2–1, 2–1 (OT) | Ala.-Huntsville | |
| 1995 | Bemidji State | 6–2, 5–4 | Mercyhurst | |
| 1996 | Ala.-Huntsville | 7–1, 3–0 | Bemidji State | |
| 1997 | Bemidji State | 3–2, 4–2 | Ala.-Huntsville | |
| 1998 | Ala.-Huntsville | 6–2, 5–2 | Bemidji State | |
| 1999 | St. Michael's | 4–4, 8–5 | New Hampshire College | |
[edit] Division III
[edit] Championship game results
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Babson | 8–0 | Union (N.Y.) |
| 1985 | RIT | 5–1 | Bemidji State |
| 1986 | Bemidji State | 8–5 | #Plattsburgh State |
| 1987 | #Plattsburgh State | 8–3 | Oswego State |
| 1988 | Wis.-River Falls | 7–1, 3–5, 3–0 | Elmira |
| 1989 | Wis.-Stevens Point | 3–3, 3–2 | RIT |
| 1990 | Wis.-Stevens Point | 10–1, 3–6, 1–0 | Plattsburgh State |
| 1991 | Wis.-Stevens Point | 6–2 | Mankato State |
| 1992 | Plattsburgh State | 7–3 | Wis.-Stevens Point |
| 1993 | Wis.-Stevens Point | 4–3 (OT) | Wis.-River Falls |
| 1994 | Wis.-River Falls | 6–4 | Wis.-Superior |
| 1995 | Middlebury | 1–0 | Fredonia State |
| 1996 | Middlebury | 3–2 | RIT |
| 1997 | Middlebury | 3–2 | Wis.-Superior |
| 1998 | Middlebury | 2–1 | Wis.-Stevens Point |
| 1999 | Middlebury | 5–0 | Wis.-Superior |
| 2000 | Norwich | 2–1 | St.Thomas (Minn.) |
| 2001 | Plattsburgh State | 6–2 | RIT |
| 2002 | Wis.-Superior | 3–2 (OT) | Norwich |
| 2003 | Norwich | 2–1 | Oswego State |
| 2004 | Middlebury | 1–0 (OT) | St. Norbert |
| 2005 | Middlebury | 5–0 | St. Thomas (Minn) |
| 2006 | Middlebury | 3–0 | St. Norbert |
| 2007 | Oswego State | 4–3 (OT) | Middlebury |
| 2008 | St. Norbert | 2-0 | Plattsburgh State |
| 2009 | Neumann College | 4-1 | Gustavus Adolphus |
# - Participation in the tournament vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "NCAA page for men's ice hockey". NCAA.com. http://www.ncaa.com/icehockey-mens/default.aspx?id=284. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ "Hobey Baker Award". HobeyBaker.com. http://www.hobeybaker.com/. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
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