2021 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament

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2021 NCAA Division I men's
ice hockey tournament
Teams16
Finals site
ChampionsMassachusetts Minutemen (1st title)
Runner-upSt. Cloud State Huskies (1st title game)
Semifinalists
Winning coachGreg Carvel (1st title)
MOPBobby Trivigno (Massachusetts)
Attendance3,963 (Championship)
11,283 (Frozen Four)
16,985 (Tournament)

The 2021 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament was the national championship tournament for men's college ice hockey in the United States. It took place between March 26 and April 10, 2021. The tournament involved 16 teams in single-elimination play to determine the national champion at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the highest level of competition in college hockey. The tournament's Frozen Four – the semifinals and finals – was hosted by Robert Morris University at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh from April 8 to 10.[1]

The SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, was selected to host the Northeast Region, but pulled out on January 26, 2021, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The Times Union Center in Albany, New York, was selected as a replacement site.[3]

This year's tournament featured, as of 2024, the longest game in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament history, when the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs defeated the North Dakota Fighting Hawks by a score of 3–2 in five overtimes, totaling 142:13 minutes of play, in the West Regional Final.

This tournament's Frozen Four teams were also notable for a number of reasons. First, it was just the second time in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament history in which three of the final four teams came from one state. This first occurred in 1992, when the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, and Lake Superior State Lakers, all from Michigan, made the Frozen Four. In this year’s tournament, three teams came from Minnesota, these teams being the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, St. Cloud State Huskies, and Minnesota State Mavericks. Also, this year's tournament was only the third time since 1992, when Regional Tournaments were first conducted, that no teams ranked no. 1 in their respective Regional Tournament advanced to the Frozen Four. This also occurred in the 1998 and 2007 tournaments.

Tournament procedure

[edit]
2021 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament is located in the United States
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Bridgeport
Bridgeport
Albany
Albany
Fargo
Fargo
Loveland
Loveland
class=notpageimage|
2021 Regionals (blue) and Frozen Four (red)

The tournament is composed of four groups of four teams in regional brackets. The four regionals are officially named after their geographic areas.[4]

Regional semifinals and finals

  • March 26–27
East Regional, Webster Bank Arena – Bridgeport, Connecticut (Hosts: Sacred Heart and Yale)
Midwest Regional, Scheels Arena – Fargo, North Dakota (Host: North Dakota)
  • March 27–28
Northeast Regional, Times Union Center – Albany, New York (Hosts: ECAC)
West Regional, Budweiser Events Center – Loveland, Colorado (Host: Denver)

National semifinals and championship (Frozen Four and championship)

  • April 8 and April 10
PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Host: Robert Morris University)

Qualifying teams

[edit]
Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season

The at-large bids and seeding for each team in the tournament were announced on March 21, 2021.[5]

Typically, teams are seeded according to their PairWise rankings (PWR); however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing a severe lack of inter-conference games among the league, using the PWR would not be a reliable representation of overall NCAA standings. As a result, the NCAA Selection Committee awarded seeds manually based on varying factors, including perceived strength of conference and performance against the best teams in conference. Once seeds were determined, matchups were adjusted to prevent teams from the same conference meeting in the first round, as well as minimize the amount of traveling required due to the pandemic.

The NCHC and Big Ten each had four teams receive a berth in the tournament, Hockey East and WCHA each had three teams receive a berth, and one team from Atlantic Hockey and the ECAC each received a berth.

ECAC Tournament champions St. Lawrence earned an autobid but were forced to withdraw from the tournament as a result of a positive COVID-19 test among the team's coaching staff.[6] Quinnipiac was selected to replace St. Lawrence as ECAC's autobid.[7]

On March 25, it was announced that Notre Dame would be forced to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID protocols.[8] As a result, their matchup with Boston College was ruled a no-contest and the Eagles automatically advanced to the Northeast Regional Final. Similarly, on March 26, the NCAA announced Michigan was forced to withdraw as well due to COVID protocols.[9] As a result, Minnesota–Duluth automatically advanced to the Midwest Regional Final.

Midwest Regional – Fargo East Regional – Bridgeport
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Appearance Last bid Seed School Conference Record Berth type Appearance Last bid
1 North Dakota (1) NCHC 21–5–1 Tournament champion 33rd 2017 1 Wisconsin (4) Big Ten 20–9–1 At-Large bid 26th 2014
2 Michigan Big Ten 15–10–1 At-Large bid 38th 2018 2 Massachusetts Hockey East 16–5–4 Tournament champion 3rd 2019
3 Minnesota Duluth NCHC 14–10–2 At-Large bid 14th 2019 3 Lake Superior State WCHA 19–6–3 Tournament champion 11th 1996
4 American International Atlantic Hockey 15–3–0 Tournament champion 2nd 2019 4 Bemidji State WCHA 15–9–3 At-Large bid 5th 2010
West Regional – Loveland Northeast Regional – Albany
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Appearance Last bid Seed School Conference Record Berth type Appearance Last bid
1 Minnesota (3) Big Ten 23–6–0 Tournament champion 38th 2017 1 Boston College (2) Hockey East 17–5–1 At-Large bid 36th 2016
2 Minnesota State WCHA 20–4–1 At-Large bid 7th 2019 2 St. Cloud State NCHC 17–10–0 At-Large bid 15th 2019
3 Quinnipiac ECAC 17–7–4 Replacement Autobid 7th 2019 3 Boston University Hockey East 10–4–1 At-Large bid 37th 2018
4 Omaha NCHC 14–10–1 At-Large bid 4th 2015 4 Notre Dame Big Ten 14–13–2 At-Large bid 12th 2019

Number in parentheses denotes overall seed in the tournament.

Tournament bracket

[edit]
Regional semifinals
March 26–27 		Regional Finals
March 27–28 		Semifinals
April 8 		Championship
April 10
            
1 North Dakota (1) 5
4 American International 1
1 North Dakota (1) 2
Midwest – Fargo – Fri/Sat
3 Minnesota–Duluth 3*****
2 Michigan† –
3 Minnesota–Duluth –
MW3 Minnesota–Duluth 2
E2 Massachusetts 3*
1 Wisconsin (4) 3
4 Bemidji State 6
4 Bemidji State 0
East – Bridgeport – Fri/Sat
2 Massachusetts 4
2 Massachusetts 5
3 Lake Superior State 1
E2 Massachusetts 5
NE2 St. Cloud State 0
1 Minnesota (3) 7
4 Omaha 2
1 Minnesota (3) 0
West – Loveland – Sat/Sun
2 Minnesota State 4
2 Minnesota State 4*
3 Quinnipiac 3
W2 Minnesota State 4
NE2 St. Cloud State 5
1 Boston College (2) –
4 Notre Dame† –
1 Boston College (2) 1
Northeast – Albany – Sat/Sun
2 St. Cloud State 4
2 St. Cloud State 6
3 Boston University 2

* denotes overtime period
† Michigan and Notre Dame were removed from the tournament due to positive COVID-19 test results.[10][11]

Results

[edit]

Midwest Region – Fargo, North Dakota

[edit]

Regional semifinals

[edit]
March 26, 2021
7:30 PM		(1) North Dakota5 – 1
(4–0, 0–0, 1–1)		(4) American InternationalScheels Arena, Fargo, North Dakota
Attendance: 1,435
Game reference
Adam ScheelGoaliesStefano Durante (20 min)
Jake Kucharski (40 min)		Referees:
Bobby Lukkason
Brady Johnson
Linesmen:
Tyler Landman
Nathan Voll
(Bernard-Docker, Sanderson) Jasper Weatherby (13) – 08:581–0
(unassisted) Jasper Weatherby (14) – GW – 11:542–0
(Kleven, Caulfield) Grant Mismash (10) – 14:163–0
(Gaber, Bast) Collin Adams (12) – 16:224–0
4–157:46 – Tobias Fladeby (10) (Theodore, Callahan)
(Kawaguchi) Collin Adams (13) – 58:085–1
12 minPenalties12 min
33Shots25
March 26, 2021(2) MichiganNo contest(3) Minnesota–Duluth

Regional Final

[edit]
March 27, 2021
6:30 PM		(1) North Dakota2 – 3 (5OT)
(0–0, 0–0, 2–2, 0–0, 0–0, 0–0, 0–0, 0–1)		(3) Minnesota–DuluthScheels Arena, Fargo, North Dakota
Attendance: 1,494
Game reference
Adam ScheelGoaliesZach Stejskal (124:37)
Ryan Fanti (17:36)		Referees:
Joe Carusoe
C. J. Hanafin
Linesmen:
Ryan Knapp
Brian Oliver
0–143:21 – Jackson Cates (11) (Lellig, Bender)
0–244:41 – Cole Koepke (14) (unassisted)
(Weatherby, Pinto) Collin Adams (14) – EA – 58:191–2
(Pinto, Kiersted) Jordan Kawaguchi (10) – EA – 59:032–2
2–3142:13 – GW – Luke Mylymok (2) (unassisted)
6 minPenalties6 min
65Shots54

Northeast Region – Albany, New York

[edit]

Regional semifinals

[edit]
March 27, 2021(1) Boston CollegeNo contest(4) Notre Dame
March 27, 2021
1:00 PM		(2) St. Cloud State6 – 2
(0–0, 3–2, 3–0)		(3) Boston UniversityTimes Union Center, Albany, New York
Attendance: 1,136
Game reference
Dávid HrenákGoaliesDrew CommessoReferees:
Colin Kronfrost
Brett DesRosiers
Linesmen:
Sam Shikowsky
Nick Bradshaw
0–120:08 – Wilmer Skoog (4) (Cockerill)
(Walker, Trejbal) Micah Miller (2) – 32:141–1
(Hammer, Kupka) Nick Perbix (7) – 33:292–1
2–235:28 – PP – Jake Wise (9) (Tuch)
(Walker) Easton Brodzinski (12) – GW – 36:003–2
(unassisted) Jami Krannila (11) – SH PS – 44:174–2
(Walker) Easton Brodzinski (13) – 50:045–2
(Bushy, Krannila) Veeti Miettinen (11) – 55:026–2
23 minPenalties21 min
38Shots36

Regional Final

[edit]
March 28, 2021
5:30		(1) Boston College1 – 4
(1–0, 0–3, 0–1)		(2) St. Cloud StateTimes Union Center, Albany, New York
Attendance: 1,136
Game reference
Spencer KnightGoaliesDávid HrenákReferees:
Ryan Sweeney
Mike Schubert
Linesmen:
Joe Sherman
Anthony Valley
(Newhook, Hardman) Matt Boldy (11) – 14:231–0
1–129:21 – Luke Jaycox (1) (Okabe, Krannila)
1–235:15 – GW – Will Hammer (2) (Perbix, Cockrell)
1–339:15 – Nolan Walker (9) (Perbix)
1–459:15 – EN – Micah Miller (3) (Bushy)
2 minPenalties4 min
27Shots36

West Region – Loveland, Colorado

[edit]

Regional semifinals

[edit]
March 27, 2021
8:00 PM		(1) Minnesota7 – 2
(3–1, 3–0, 1–1)		(4) OmahaBudweiser Events Center, Loveland, Colorado
Attendance: 125
Game reference
Jack LaFontaineGoaliesIsaiah Saville (27:13)
Austin Roden (32:47)		Referees:
Scott Hansen
Holton Walker
Linesmen:
Kevin Briganti
Kyle Richetelle
(Munson, Faber) Mason Nevers (1) – 05:481–0
(Faber, Johnson) Jack Perbix (4) – 15:352–0
(McLaughlin, Walker) Scott Reedy (11) – GW – 17:363–0
3–118:04 – Taylor Ward (12) (Weiss, Scanlin)
(Faber, Meyers) Ryan Johnson (2) – 20:414–1
(LaCombe, Brodzinski) Ben Meyers (12) – 27:135–1
(Ranta, Faber) Mason Nevers (2) – 36:136–1
6–243:05 – Taylor Ward (13) (Weiss, Proctor)
(Nelson, Faber) Sampo Ranta (19) – 44:177–2
2 minPenalties4 min
30Shots28
March 27, 2021
2:00 PM		(2) Minnesota State4 – 3 (OT)
(0–2, 1–0, 2–1, 1–0)		(3) QuinnipiacBudweiser Events Center, Loveland, Colorado
Attendance: 101
Game reference
Dryden McKayGoaliesKeith PetruzzelliReferees:
Toni Czech
Brett Sheva
Linesmen:
Justin Cornell
Pat Richardson
0–103:00 – Odeen Tufto (8) (Räsänen)
0–215:35 – Peter DiLiberatore (5) (van Nes, Fillion)
(Napravnik) Jake Jaremko (4) – PP – 38:091–2
1–348:54 – C. J. McGee (1) (Miller, Harris)
(Gerads, Aamodt) Nathan Smith (6) – 54:542–3
(Livingstone) Cade Borchardt (9) – EA – 58:583–3
(Furry, Lutz) Ryan Sandelin (6) – GW – 71:134–3
6 minPenalties4 min
38Shots30

Regional Final

[edit]
March 28, 2021
6:00		(1) Minnesota0 – 4
(0–2, 0–0, 0–2)		(2) Minnesota StateBudweiser Events Center, Loveland, Colorado
Attendance: 175
Game reference
Jack LaFontaineGoaliesDryden McKayReferees:
Peter Schlittenhardt
Jermey Tufts
Linesmen:
William Kingdom
Nicholas Briganti
0–110:23 – GW – Sam Morton (5) (Sandelin, Zmolek)
0–212:30 – Ryan Sandelin (7) (McNeely, Furry)
0–349:50 – Nathan Smith (7) (Borchardt, Napravnik)
0–457:41 – EN – Dallas Gerads (8) (Aamodt)
6 minPenalties8 min
22Shots27

East Region – Bridgeport, Connecticut

[edit]

Regional semifinals

[edit]
March 26, 2021
1:00 PM		(1) Wisconsin3 – 6
(0–2, 1–2, 2–2)		(4) Bemidji StateWebster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Attendance: 0
Game reference
Robbie Beydoun (40 min)
Cameron Rowe (20 min)		GoaliesZach DriscollReferees:
Brendan Blanchard
Chris Leavitt
Linesmen:
Bob Griffin
Brendan Lewis
0–106:33 – Ross Armour (5) (Rosén)
0–219:44 – Elias Rosén (5) (unassisted)
(C. Caufield, Pelton-Byce) Linus Weissbach (12) – PP – 22:381–2
1–334:42 – Ethan Somoza (3) (Miller, Harris)
1–438:39 – SH GW – Owen Sillinger (10) (unassisted)
1–546:08 – Ethan Somoza (3) (Harris)
(Holloway, Pelton-Byce) Cole Caufield (29) – PP – 48:192–5
(Ahcan, Vorlicky) Cole Caufield (30) – 54:563–5
3–659:58 – EN – Brendan Harris (9) (Somoza)
6 minPenalties12 min
33Shots40
March 26, 2021
6:30 PM		(2) Massachusetts5 – 1
(1–1, 2–0, 2–0)		(3) Lake Superior StateWebster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Attendance: 100
Game reference
Filip LindbergGoaliesMareks MitensReferees:
Dan Dreger
Joseph Sullivan
Linesmen:
Tony Anderson
Dana Penkivech
(Harding, Jones) Jake Gaudet (4) – 10:071–0
1–117:14 – Ashton Calder (16) (Veillette, Nordqvist)
(Trivigno) Josh Lopina (9) – GW – 31:032–1
(Farmer, Chau) Carson Gicewicz (14) – 33:003–1
(Chau, Jones) Jake Gaudet (5) – 50:494–1
(Jones) Anthony Del Gaizo (1) – 55:475–1
12 minPenalties8 min
37Shots31

Regional Final

[edit]
March 27, 2021
4:00 PM		(2) Massachusetts4 – 0
(2–0, 1–0, 1–0)		(4) Bemidji StateWebster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Attendance: 0
Game reference
Filip LindbergGoaliesZach DriscollReferees:
Nick Krebsbach
Ryan Hersey
Linesmen:
Tyler Liffrig
Justin Hills
(Chau, Bohlinger) Carson Gicewicz (15) – SH GW – 14:241–0
(Kessel) Carson Gicewicz (16) – 19:082–0
(Gaudet, M. Del Gaizo) Carson Gicewicz (17) – 26:343–0
(M. Del Gaizo) Oliver Chau (5) – EN – 56:564–0
23 minPenalties6 min
28Shots18

Frozen Four – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

[edit]

National semifinal

[edit]
April 8, 2021
5:00 PM		(W2) Minnesota State4 – 5
(1–2, 2–1, 1–2)		(NE2) St. Cloud StatePPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 3,660
Game reference
Dryden McKayGoaliesDávid HrenákReferees:
Peter Schlittenhardt
Jeremy Tufts
Linesmen:
Nicholas Briganti
William Kingdon
0–103:18 – PP – Spencer Meier (4) (Okabe, Fitzgerald)
(Hirose, Napravnik) Nathan Smith (8) – PP – 16:091–1
1–216:19 – Kyler Kupka (3) (Walker, Hentges)
1–322:40 – Will Hammer (3) (unassisted)
(Gerads, Carroll) Walker Duehr (10) – 32:072–3
(Morton, Hirose) Nathan Smith (9) – PP – 34:243–3
(Duehr) Dallas Gerads (9) – 44:184–3
4–450:14 – Joe Molenaar (1) (Hammer, Meier)
4–559:06 – GW – Nolan Walker (4) (Donohue, Kupka)
2 minPenalties4 min
29Shots22
April 8, 2021
9:00 PM		(E2) Massachusetts3 – 2 (OT)
(1–1, 0–1, 1–0, 1–0)		(MW3) Minnesota DuluthPPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 3,660
Game reference
Matt MurrayGoaliesZach StejskalReferees:
Brett DesRosiers
Brett Sheva
Linesmen:
Justin Cornell
Pat Richardson
(Kessel, Chau) Zac Jones (9) – PP – 15:331–0
1–117:50 – Tanner Laderoute (3) (Olson, Kelley)
1–231:01 – Cole Koepke (15) (Cates, Swaney)
(Lopina, Trivigno) Anthony Del Gaizo (2) – 48:252–2
(Trivigno, Lopina) Garrett Wait (9) – GW – 74:303–2
2 minPenalties4 min
28Shots38

2021 National Championship

[edit]

(E2) Massachusetts vs. (NE2) St. Cloud State

[edit]
April 10, 2021
7:00 PM		(E2) Massachusetts5 – 0(NE2) St. Cloud StatePPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 3,963
Game reference
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st UMA Aaron Bohlinger (1) – GW Sullivan and Farmer 7:26 1–0 UMA
UMA Reed Lebster (2) Kiefiuk 18:56 2–0 UMA
2nd UMA Philip Lagunov (6) – SH unassisted 25:10 3–0 UMA
UMA Matthew Kessel (10) – PP Chau and Gaudet 33:45 4–0 UMA
3rd UMA Bobby Trivigno (11) Lebster 46:00 5–0 UMA
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st UMA Anthony Del Gaizo Slashing 15:27 2:00
2nd STC Seamus Donohue Tripping 20:24 2:00
UMA Ryan Sullivan Tripping 23:57 2:00
UMA Jake Gaudet Elbowing 30:31 2:00
STC Bench (served by Zach Okabe) Too Many Men 32:35 2:00
3rd None

All-Tournament team

[edit]

* Most Outstanding Player(s)

Record by conference

[edit]
Conference Bids Record Win % Regional Finals Frozen Four Championship Game Champions
NCHC 4 5–4 .556 3 2 1 –
Big Ten 4 1–2 .333 1 – – –
Hockey East 3 4–2 .667 2 1 1 1
WCHA 3 3–3 .500 2 1 – –
Atlantic Hockey 1 0–1 .000 – – – –
ECAC Hockey 1 0–1 .000 – – – –

Note: Two regional semifinal games were declared 'No Contest' and the four teams involved were not credited with a win or a loss in those games.

Media

[edit]

Television

[edit]

ESPN had US television rights to all games during the tournament for the sixteenth consecutive year.[12] ESPN aired every game, beginning with the regionals, on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, and ESPN3, which were streamed online via WatchESPN.

Broadcast assignments

[edit]

Regionals

Frozen Four

  • John Buccigross, Barry Melrose, Colby Cohen, and Quint Kessenich – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Radio

[edit]

Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the Frozen Four and broadcast both the semifinals and the championship.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2019–22 NCAA Championship Sites". NCAA.com.
  2. ^ "New Hampshire, SNHU Arena withdraw from hosting 2021 Northeast Regional championship". College Hockey. January 27, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Myers, Jess (February 22, 2021). "NCAA hockey chair: regional and Frozen Four attendance capped at 25% of building capacity". Brainerd Dispatch. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  4. ^ "NCAA announces DI men's ice hockey regional sites for 2020 and 2021". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  5. ^ "2021 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey championship selections announced". NCAA.com. March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "St. Lawrence Withdraws From NCAAs Over Positive COVID-19 Test". College Hockey News. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "2021 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey championship selections announced". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "BC advances in NCAA men's hockey tournament as Notre Dame has to forfeit Saturday's game - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Paul, Tony; Bianchi, Nolan. "UM hockey forced out of NCAA Tournament because of positive tests". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "Notre Dame Hockey Removed from NCAA Tournament". Notre Dame Athletics. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  11. ^ "Ice Hockey Removed from NCAA Tournament Due to COVID Protocols". Michigan Athletics. March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Margolis, Rachel (December 15, 2011). "ESPN and NCAA® Extend Rights Agreement through 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  13. ^ "NCAA, Westwood One extend deal". NCAA. January 13, 2011. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
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