# 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season

The 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began in October 1975 and concluded with the 1976 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 27, 1976 at the University of Denver Arena in Denver, Colorado. This was the 29th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 82nd year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.

## Season Outlook
### Pre-season poll

The top teams in the nation voted on by coaches before the start of the season. The poll was compiled by radio station WMPL.
WMPL Poll :
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Minnesota |
| 2 | Michigan |
| 3 | Boston University |
| 4 | Michigan Tech |
| 5 | Michigan State |
| 6 | Cornell |
| 7 | Minnesota Duluth |
| 8 | Colorado College |
| 9 | Harvard |
| 10 | Vermont |

## Regular season
### Season tournaments

| Tournament | Dates | Teams | Champion |
| Utica Invitational | November 27–28 | 4 | New Hampshire |
| North Country Thanksgiving Festival | November 27–29 | 4 | Concordia |
| Syracuse Invitational | December 26–27 | 4 | Clarkson |
| Rensselaer Holiday Tournament | December 27–29 | 4 | Providence |
| Great Lakes Invitational | December 29–30 | 4 | Michigan |
| Blue–Green Invitational | January 2–3 | 4 | New Hampshire |
| ECAC Holiday Hockey Festival | January 2–4 | 4 | Clarkson |
| Yale–SAAB Tournament | January 9–10 | 4 | New Hampshire |
| Concordia Invitational | January 14–15 | 4 | |
| Beanpot | February 2, 9 | 4 | Boston College |

### Standings

1975–76 Big Ten standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Michigan State† | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 57 | 49 | 40 | 23 | 15 | 2 | 193 | 176 |
| Michigan | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 69 | 52 | 39 | 21 | 18 | 0 | 196 | 176 |
| Minnesota | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 42 | 53 | 44 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 190 | 158 |
| Wisconsin | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 49 | 63 | 38 | 12 | 24 | 2 | 153 | 177 |
| † indicates conference regular season champion |||||||||||||||
1975–76 Central Collegiate Hockey Association standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Bowling Green† | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 80 | 44 | 32 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 198 | 90 |
| Saint Louis* | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 76 | 51 | 41 | 24 | 15 | 2 | 193 | 139 |
| Lake Superior State | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 59 | 55 | 37 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 185 | 172 |
| Western Michigan | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 62 | 75 | 34 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 176 | 158 |
| Ohio State | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 49 | 101 | 34 | 18 | 15 | 1 | 213 | 155 |
| Championship: Saint Louis † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion |||||||||||||||
1975–76 ECAC Hockey standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | Pct. | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Boston University†* | 23 | 21 | 2 | 0 | .915 | 141 | 77 | 30 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 182 | 108 |
| New Hampshire | 28 | 22 | 6 | 0 | .786 | 163 | 97 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 184 | 108 |
| Brown | 23 | 18 | 5 | 0 | .783 | 149 | 90 | 30 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 186 | 126 |
| Clarkson | 25 | 16 | 8 | 1 | .660 | 135 | 114 | 31 | 18 | 12 | 1 | 170 | 146 |
| Cornell | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 | .587 | 127 | 98 | 29 | 18 | 10 | 1 | 174 | 128 |
| Dartmouth | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0 | .583 | 123 | 112 | 27 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 140 | 123 |
| Harvard | 20 | 10 | 7 | 3 | .575 | 101 | 89 | 26 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 134 | 125 |
| Boston College | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | .548 | 115 | 96 | 29 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 158 | 135 |
| Providence | 25 | 11 | 12 | 2 | .480 | 132 | 111 | 31 | 14 | 15 | 2 | 171 | 141 |
| Rensselaer | 23 | 9 | 12 | 2 | .435 | 123 | 121 | 28 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 153 | 143 |
| Vermont | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | .409 | 102 | 112 | 32 | 15 | 16 | 1 | 179 | 160 |
| St. Lawrence | 19 | 7 | 11 | 1 | .395 | 87 | 102 | 27 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 128 | 144 |
| Colgate | 20 | 6 | 14 | 0 | .300 | 88 | 126 | 25 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 117 | 153 |
| Northeastern | 23 | 6 | 16 | 1 | .283 | 93 | 124 | 26 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 117 | 133 |
| Princeton | 23 | 6 | 16 | 1 | .283 | 76 | 135 | 24 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 86 | 138 |
| Pennsylvania | 23 | 5 | 17 | 1 | .239 | 85 | 141 | 26 | 6 | 19 | 1 | 107 | 163 |
| Yale | 21 | 1 | 20 | 0 | .048 | 68 | 166 | 25 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 91 | 189 |
| Championship: Boston University † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion |||||||||||||||
1975–76 NCAA Division I Independent ice hockey standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Air Force | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 26 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 160 | 145 |
1975–76 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Michigan Tech†* | 32 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 50 | 190 | 134 | 43 | 34 | 9 | 0 | 255 | 177 |
| Michigan State | 32 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 40 | 154 | 139 | 40 | 23 | 15 | 2 | 193 | 176 |
| Minnesota* | 32 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 37 | 129 | 119 | 44 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 190 | 158 |
| Michigan | 32 | 17 | 15 | 0 | 34 | 157 | 141 | 39 | 21 | 18 | 0 | 196 | 176 |
| Notre Dame | 32 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 32 | 143 | 140 | 38 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 171 | 173 |
| Colorado College | 32 | 15 | 16 | 1 | 31 | 131 | 133 | 38 | 15 | 22 | 1 | 151 | 181 |
| Wisconsin | 32 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 24 | 137 | 151 | 38 | 12 | 24 | 2 | 153 | 177 |
| Denver | 32 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 24 | 120 | 140 | 39 | 16 | 23 | 0 | 165 | 175 |
| Minnesota-Duluth | 32 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 24 | 132 | 160 | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0 | 159 | 179 |
| North Dakota | 32 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 24 | 119 | 155 | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0 | 142 | 168 |
| Championship: Minnesota, Michigan Tech † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion |||||||||||||||

### Final regular season polls

The final top 10 teams as ranked by coaches (WMPL) before the conference tournament finals.
WMPL Coaches Poll :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Michigan Tech |
| 2 | Boston University |
| 3 | Michigan State |
| 4 | New Hampshire |
| 5 | Minnesota |
| 6 | Brown |
| 7 | Michigan |
| 8 | Bowling Green State |
| 9 | Notre Dame |
| 10 | Clarkson |
| 10 (tie) | Cornell |

## 1976 NCAA Tournament

| Semifinals March 25–26 | Semifinals March 25–26 | Semifinals March 25–26 | National championship March 27 | National championship March 27 | National championship March 27 |
| E1 | Boston University | 2 | | | |
| W2 | Minnesota | 4 | | | |
| W2 | Minnesota | 4 | W2 | Minnesota | 6 |
| | | | W1 | Michigan Tech | 4 |
| W1 | Michigan Tech | 7* | W1 | Michigan Tech | 4 |
| E2 | Brown | 6 | Third-place game | Third-place game | Third-place game |
| | | | E1 | Boston University | 7 |
| | | | E2 | Brown | 8 |
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

## Player stats
### Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the season.
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Class | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Tom Ross | Senior | Michigan State | 41 | 51 | 54 | 105 | 28 |
| Mike Zuke | Senior | Michigan Tech | 43 | 47 | 57 | 104 | 42 |
| Steve Colp | Senior | Michigan State | 39 | 40 | 54 | 94 | 56 |
| Bruce Allworth | Junior | Ohio State | 34 | 40 | 53 | 93 | 50 |
| George Lyle | Junior | Michigan Tech | 43 | 47 | 41 | 88 | 42 |
| Stuart Ostlund | Sophomore | Michigan Tech | 43 | 34 | 50 | 84 | 18 |
| Darryl Rice | Senior | Michigan State | 41 | 31 | 51 | 82 | 54 |
| Chuck Delich | Junior | Air Force | 26 | 44 | 35 | 79 | 45 |
| Bill Gilligan | Sophomore | Brown | 30 | 25 | 54 | 79 | 10 |
| Jim Mayer | Senior | Michigan Tech | 43 | 29 | 42 | 71 | 58 |

### Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Class | Team | GP | Min | W | L | OT | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Mike Liut | Junior | Bowling Green | 21 | 1171 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 50 | 0 | .905 | 2.56 |
| Tom Mohr | Senior | Minnesota | 12 | 689 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 0 | .905 | 2.70 |
| Lindsay Middlebrook | Junior | Saint Louis | 30 | 1767 | - | - | - | 88 | 0 | - | 2.99 |
| Dan Magnarelli | Junior | New Hampshire | 21 | 1230 | - | - | - | 65 | 0 | .886 | 3.17 |
| Jeff Tscherne | Sophomore | Minnesota | 29 | 1766 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 103 | 0 | .893 | 3.50 |
| Mark Evans | Sophomore | New Hampshire | 11 | 562 | - | - | - | 37 | 0 | .850 | 3.95 |
| Kevin McCabe | Junior | Brown | 29 | 1619 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 107 | 0 | .879 | 3.97 |
| Bruce Horsch | Sophomore | Michigan Tech | 31 | 1860 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 124 | 1 | .898 | 4.00 |
| Ernie Glanville | Sophomore | Denver | 19 | - | 9 | - | - | - | 0 | .882 | 4.10 |
| Pat Tims | Junior | Lake Superior State | 22 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.13 |

## 1976 NHL Amateur Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | College | Conference | NHL team |
| 1 | 8 | David Shand $^‡$ | Michigan | WCHA | Atlanta Flames |
| 2 | 21 | Steve Clippingdale $^‡$ | Wisconsin | WCHA | Los Angeles Kings |
| 2 | 22 | Reed Larson | Minnesota | WCHA | Detroit Red Wings |
| 3 | 39 | Don Jackson | Notre Dame | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 3 | 41 | Mike Fidler | Boston University | ECAC Hockey | California Golden Seals |
| 3 | 54 | Bill Baker | Minnesota | WCHA | Montreal Canadiens |
| 4 | 56 | Mike Liut | Bowling Green | CCHA | St. Louis Blues |
| 4 | 59 | Warren Young | Michigan Tech | WCHA | California Golden Seals |
| 4 | 61 | Paul Skidmore | Boston College | ECAC Hockey | St. Louis Blues |
| 4 | 63 | Dave Debol | Michigan | WCHA | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 4 | 68 | Ken Morrow | Bowling Green | CCHA | New York Islanders |
| 4 | 70 | Bob Miller | New Hampshire | ECAC Hockey | Boston Bruins |
| 5 | 75 | Phil Verchota | Minnesota | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 5 | 79 | Cal Sandbeck | Denver | WCHA | California Golden Seals |
| 5 | 85 | Rob Palmer | Michigan | WCHA | Los Angeles Kings |
| 5 | 89 | Robin Lang | Cornell | ECAC Hockey | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 6 | 93 | Dave Delich | Colorado College | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 6 | 97 | Nels Goddard | Michigan Tech | WCHA | St. Louis Blues |
| 6 | 99 | John Peterson | Notre Dame | WCHA | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 6 | 107 | Paul Klasinski $^†$ | Michigan State | WCHA | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 7 | 110 | Jeff Barr | Michigan State | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 7 | 113 | Mike Eaves | Wisconsin | WCHA | St. Louis Blues |
| 7 | 115 | John Rothstein | Minnesota–Duluth | WCHA | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 8 | 122 | Stuart Ostlund | Michigan Tech | WCHA | Vancouver Canucks |
| 8 | 123 | John Gregory | Wisconsin | WCHA | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 9 | 124 | Dave Dornseif | Providence | ECAC Hockey | St. Louis Blues |
| 9 | 125 | Bruce Horsch | Michigan Tech | WCHA | Montreal Canadiens |
| 10 | 126 | Bradley Wilson | Providence | ECAC Hockey | St. Louis Blues |
| 11 | 128 | Dan Hoene | Michigan | WCHA | St. Louis Blues |
| 13 | 132 | Jim Bales | Denver | WCHA | St. Louis Blues |
† Incoming freshman. ‡ Clippingdale and Shand had both left school two years prior.