1976 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament

The 1976 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament was the culmination of the 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, the 29th such tournament in NCAA history. It was held between March 25 and 27, 1976, and concluded with Minnesota defeating Michigan Tech 6–4. All games were played at the University of Denver Arena in Denver, Colorado.

1976 NCAA Division I men's
ice hockey tournament
Teams4
Finals site
ChampionsMinnesota Golden Gophers (2nd title)
Runner-upMichigan Tech Huskies (7th title game)
Semifinalists
Winning coachHerb Brooks (2nd title)
MOPTom Vannelli (Minnesota)
Attendance17,410

Qualifying teams

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Four teams qualified for the tournament, two each from the eastern and western regions. The ECAC tournament champion and the two WCHA tournament co-champions received automatic bids into the tournament. An at-large bid was offered to a second eastern team based upon both their ECAC tournament finish as well as their regular season record.

East West
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Appearance Last bid Seed School Conference Record Berth type Appearance Last bid
1 Boston University ECAC Hockey 25–3–0 Tournament champion 11th 1975 1 Michigan Tech WCHA 33–8–0 Tournament co-champion 9th 1975
2 Brown ECAC Hockey 22–6–0 At-Large 3rd 1965 2 Minnesota WCHA 26–14–2 Tournament co-champion 7th 1975

[1]

Format

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The ECAC champion was seeded as the top eastern team while the WCHA co-champion with the better regular season record was given the top western seed. The second eastern seed was slotted to play the top western seed and vice versa. All games were played at the University of Denver Arena. All matches were Single-game eliminations with the semifinal winners advancing to the national championship game and the losers playing in a consolation game. Minnesota and Michigan Tech squared off in the championship game for the third straight year, with Michigan Tech having won in '75 and Minnesota in '74.

Bracket

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[2]

Semifinals
March 25–26
National championship
March 27
      
E1 Boston University 2
W2 Minnesota 4
W2 Minnesota 6
W1 Michigan Tech 4
W1 Michigan Tech 7*
E2 Brown 6 Third-place game
E1 Boston University 7
E2 Brown 8

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Semifinal

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(W1) Michigan Tech vs. (E2) Brown

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March 25 Michigan Tech 7 – 6 OT Brown University of Denver Arena


(E1) Boston University vs. (W2) Minnesota

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March 26 Boston University 2 – 4 Minnesota University of Denver Arena


Third-place game

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(E1) Boston University vs. (E2) Brown

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March 27 Boston University 7 – 8 Brown University of Denver Arena


National Championship

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(W1) Michigan Tech vs. (W2) Minnesota

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March 27 Michigan Tech 4 – 6 Minnesota University of Denver Arena


Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st MTU Warren Young Joelson, Dempsey 7:55 1–0 MTU
MTU Warren Young Joelson and Decker 10:36 2–0 MTU
MTU Jim Murray Jessee 11:31 3–0 MTU
MIN Tom VannelliPP Younghans and Phippen 17:05 3–1 MTU
2nd MIN Joe Micheletti Larson and Vannelli 22:55 3–2 MTU
MIN Bill Baker Vannelli and Phippen 30:26 3–3
MIN Tom Gorence Larson 32:47 4–3 MIN
MTU Nels Goddard Roberts and Zuke 39:24 4–4
3rd MIN Pat PhippenGW Vannelli and Larson 48:37 5–4 MIN
MIN Warren Miller Phippen and Vannelli 59:30 6–4 MIN

None Selected

[3]

Tom Vannelli

[4]

References

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  1. ^ "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  2. ^ "NCAA Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  3. ^ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  4. ^ "NCAA Division I Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved July 17, 2013.