The 1959 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the

1958–59 NCAA men's ice hockey season The 1958–59 NCAA men's ice hockey season began in November 1958 and concluded with the 1959 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 14, 1959 at the RPI Field House in Troy, New York. This was the 12th season in which an N ...

, the 12th such tournament in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

history. It was held between March 12 and 14, 1959, and concluded with

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

defeating

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

4-3 in overtime. All games were played at the RPI Field House in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

. This was the last tournament to be won by an

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

. (as of 2016)

Qualifying teams

Four teams qualified for the tournament, two each from the eastern and western regions. The

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

and Tri-State League champions received bids into the tournament as did two independent schools.

Format

The Tri-State League champion was seeded as the top eastern team while the Big Ten champion 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 RPI Field House. All matches were Single-game eliminations with the semifinal winners advancing to the national championship game and the losers playing in a consolation game.

Bracket

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Semifinals

St. Lawrence vs. North Dakota

Michigan State vs. Boston College

Consolation Game

St. Lawrence vs. Boston College

National Championship

Michigan State vs. North Dakota

All-Tournament team

First Team

*G:

Joe Selinger Joe Selinger is a Canadian retired ice hockey goaltender who was an All-American for Michigan State and led the team it its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1959. Career Selinger was the starting goalie for the Regina Pats when the team won ...

(Michigan State) *D: Joe Jangro (Boston College) *D:

Pat Presley Pat Presley is a Canadian retired ice hockey defenseman who was a 2-time All-American for St. Lawrence. Career After finishing his junior career in the Quebec-area, Presley was able to earn an athletic scholarship to St. Lawrence, near his home ...

(St. Lawrence) *F:

Reg Morelli Reginald P. Morelli (December 10, 1935 – November 11, 2020) was a Canadian ice hockey center who was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1959 NCAA Tournament. Career Morelli was a scorer for North Dakota from the moment he joined the varsity ...

* (North Dakota) *F:

Bill MacKenzie William Kenneth MacKenzie (December 12, 1911 — May 29, 1990) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers, Montreal Maroons, and Montreal Canadiens between 1932 and ...

(Michigan State) *F: Ed Thomlinson (North Dakota) * Most Outstanding Player(s)

Second Team

*G: Jim Logue (Boston College) *D: Ralph Lyndon (North Dakota) *D: Ed Pollesel (Michigan State) *F: Larry Langill (St. Lawrence) *F: Tom Mustonen (Michigan State) *F: Joe Poole (North Dakota)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1959 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament

Tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Ice hockey competitions in New York (state) Troy, New York Sports in Rensselaer County, New York