The 2002 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament involved 12 schools playing in

single-elimination A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

play to determine the national champion of men's

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

. The final event was played at

Xcel Energy Center Xcel Energy Center (also known as "The X") is a multipurpose arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Completed in 2000, it is named for its locally based corporate sponsor Xcel Energy. With an official capacity of 17,954, the arena has four ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. The University of Minnesota, coached by Don Lucia, won its first NCAA title since 1979 by defeating the University of Maine, coached by Tim Whitehead, 4-3, in overtime on April 6. Matt Koalska tied the game with 53 seconds remaining in regulation with Minnesota goaltender Adam Hauser pulled for an extra attacker.

Grant Potulny Grant Martin Potulny (born March 4, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He is currently the head coach of the Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey team. Potulny was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the 5th round ...

then won it on his power-play goal at 16:58 of the extra session, giving the Golden Gophers their fourth NCAA championship ( 6th overall). Minnesota senior forward John Pohl assisted on both the tying and winning goals in his final game in a Gophers uniform. Minnesota advanced to the finals with a 3-2 semifinal win over Michigan on April 4, after Maine had bested Hockey East rival New Hampshire by a 7-2 score in the other semifinal.

Game locations

The NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Championship is a single-elimination tournament featuring 12 teams representing five Division I conferences in the nation. The Championship Committee seeds the entire field from 1 to 12 within two regionals of 6 teams. The winners of five Division I conference championships receive automatic bids to participate in the NCAA Championship. The top regional placements are given to the best teams from each of the two regions (East and West) while the remaining 10 teams are seeded based upon their rankings regardless of region.

Regional Sites

* East Regional – Centrum Centre,

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

* West Regional –

Yost Ice Arena Yost Ice Arena, formerly the Fielding H. Yost Field House, is an indoor ice hockey arena located on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the home of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team which plays in ...

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

Championship Site

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

–

Qualifying teams

The at-large bids and seeding for each team in the tournament were announced after the conference tournaments concluded on March 17, 2002. The

Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...

(WCHA) had four teams receive a berth in the tournament,

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

had three teams receive a berth in the tournament, the

Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previous incarnation, which the curre ...

(CCHA), and the ECAC each had two berths, while the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and N ...

(MAAC) received a single bid for its tournament champion. Number in parentheses denotes overall seed in the tournament.

Bracket

East Regional

West Regional

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Regional Quarterfinals

East Regional

(3) Maine vs. (6) Harvard

(4) Cornell vs. (5) Quinnipiac

West Regional

(3) Michigan State vs. (6) Colorado College

(4) Michigan vs. (5) St. Cloud State

Regional semifinals

East Regional

(1) New Hampshire vs. (4) Cornell

(2) Boston University vs. (3) Maine

West Regional

(1) Denver vs. (4) Michigan

(2) Minnesota vs. (6) Colorado College

Frozen Four

National semifinal

(E1) New Hampshire vs. (E3) Maine

(W2) Minnesota vs. (W4) Michigan

National Championship

(W2) Minnesota vs. (E3) Maine

All-Tournament team

*G: Adam Hauser (Minnesota) *D:

Peter Metcalf Peter Metcalf (born February 25, 1979) is an American former ice hockey player who played eight seasons of professional hockey in the American Hockey League and ECHL from 2002–10. He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 9th round (267t ...

(Maine) *D: Michael Schutte (Maine) *F: Róbert Liščák (Maine) *F:

John Pohl John August "Johnny" Pohl (born June 29, 1979) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Pohl played for the University of Minnesota where he helped lead the team to the ...

(Minnesota) *F:

* (Minnesota) * Most Outstanding Player(s)

Record by conference

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2002 NCAA Division I 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 Division Ice Hockey Tournament NCAA Men's Division Ice Hockey Tournament NCAA Men's Division Ice Hockey Tournament NCAA Men's Division Ice Hockey Tournament NCAA Men's Division Ice Hockey Tournament 2000s in Minneapolis Ice hockey competitions in Worcester, Massachusetts Ice hockey competitions in Michigan Sports competitions in Michigan Ice hockey competitions in Saint Paul, Minnesota Sports in Ann Arbor, Michigan