# 2001–02 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season

The 2001–02 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season was the 81st season of play for the program. They represent the University of Minnesota in the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season and for the 43rd season in Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The Golden Gophers were coached by Don Lucia, in his 3rd season, and played their home games at the Mariucci Arena.

## Season
### Fast start

Minnesota entered the season with the highest expectations since the mid-90s, being ranked in the top-5 in both preseason polls. The team lived up to its billing and then some from the start when they downed defending finalist and #2 North Dakota and then went on a long unbeaten streak. In the game starting goaltender Adam Hauser faltered in the first and was replaced by freshman Travis Weber. Houser regained the starting role after a strong performance the following week and cemented his position when he relieved Weber after the young netminder allowed 4 goals in the first period against Michigan Tech. While the goalies were sorting themselves out, the Golden Gophers' offense was overpowering in their first 13 games. Minnesota scored no fewer than 4 goals a night and averaging 6 goals a game. The scoring was led by Jeff Taffe and Jordan Leopold but was spread across the lineup with all four lines contributing to the team's success.

### Hiccup

Minnesota rode its stellar record to the #1 seed and held it until early December. The offense cooled off a bit against St. Cloud State and the Gophers lost their top ranking as a result. The team split a road series at Denver to head into then holiday break but recovered a bit by winning the Mariucci Classic. Despite winning the tournament, Minnesota dropped another spot in the rankings and slowly slipped down to #5 by failing to sweep any of the succeeding 5 weekends. During this time, the team began rotating the starting job in goal between Hauser and Weber with mixed results.

### Returning to form

The Gopher offense finally regained its footing in early February and remained consistent for most of the rest of the season. The result was Minnesota going 7–1 down the stretch to finish strong. Unfortunately, the mid-season stumble cost the team a chance at a regular season title and the Golden Gophers finished 3rd in the WCHA. In the final month of the season, Hauser regain the starting role with a string of solid performances and led the team into the postseason as the #3 team.

### WCHA Tournament

In spite of a scare in the second game against North Dakota, Minnesota continued their hot streak. They overpowered St. Cloud State in the semifinal to reach their first championship game since 1997. While the Gophers outshout Denver 40–27, they were stymied by a masterful performance by Wade Dubielewicz and fell 2–5.

### NCAA tournament

Though disappointed at the runner-up finish, Minnesota did receive the second western seed for the NCAA Tournament and were advanced into the second round. Their first game came against conference-rival Colorado College. The Tigers got on the board first, but the Gophers got the next three goals. CC closed the gap just after the mid-point of the game but the defense closed ranks and limited the opportunities on their goal for the remainder of the match. Early in the 3rd, Barry Tallackson took a hooking call, giving Colorado College a man-advantage, but it was Minnesota's John Pohl who scored during the ensuing power play. Several more penalties were called before the end of the match, but a pair of cross-checking infractions from Alex Kim put CC at a disadvantage for most of the final four minutes and helped usher the Gophers to their first postseason victory in 5 years.
The national semifinal against Michigan wasn't any more sedate and Minnesota had to kill off six separate penalties during the game. They managed to do so and progressively built a 3–0 lead early in the third. The Wolverines would not quit, however, and scored twice to pull within a goal with 90 seconds remaining. With Minnesota playing a defensive shell, they managed to hold off Michigan and still had the lead when the buzzer sounded.

#### National championship

In Minnesota's first championship appearance in over a decade, they met Maine and the two fought a back-and-forth battle for the title. Minnesota got on the board in the first period on the strength of the power play goal from Keith Ballard. They held the lead for a time but couldn't extend their advantage despite three succeeding penalties by Maine. Instead, it was the Black bears who netted a power play marker early in the second frame. John Pohl wasted no time and scored to give Minnesota the lead just 51 seconds later. The Gophers continued to hold a 1-goal advantage for the rest of the period on the strength of Hauser's play. Maine tied the game a second time, just 77 seconds into the third, and continued to fire the puck on goal until they got their first lead of the game with under 5 minutes to play. Minnesota tried to tie the game for a fourth time but the clock was quickly counting down. After an icing, head coach Don Lucia called a timeout with 58 seconds remaining and drew up a play for the team. The ensuing drew turned to a melee but the puck found its way to Matt Koalska, who shot it between Matthew Yeats' legs to the delight of the partisan crowd. Both teams had several opportunities to score in the ensuing overtime, but Minnesota got the biggest break when Maine took a tripping penalty with just over 4 minutes remaining. A minute later, Grant Potulny collected the second rebound after shots by Leopold and Pohl and fired the puck into the cage, winning the 4th national title for the program.
This was the 4th national championship team consisted entirely of American players (1949 Boston College, 1976 Minnesota, 1979 Minnesota).

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Matt Leimbek | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Dylan Mills | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Quad City Mallards) |
| Aaron Miskovich | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Hershey Bears) |
| Pete Samargia | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to Augsburg |
| Stuart Senden | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Ben Tharp | Defenseman | United States | Returned to juniors (Chicago Steel) |
| Erik Westrum | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Phoenix Coyotes) |
| Erik Young | Goaltender | United States | Returned to juniors (Tri-City Storm) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Dan Welch | Forward | United States | 20 | Hastings, MN; joined mid-season; returned from juniors |
| Keith Ballard | Defenseman | United States | 18 | Baudette, MN |
| Mike Erickson | Forward | United States | 18 | Elk River, MN |
| Jake Fleming | Forward | United States | 19 | Osseo, MN |
| Justin Johnson | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Ham Lake, MN |
| Brett MacKinnon | Forward | United States | 20 | Wayzata, MN |
| Jerrid Reinholz | Forward | United States | 22 | Ramsey, MN; transfer from Minnesota–Duluth; redshirt |
| Garrett Smaagaard | Forward | United States | 19 | Eden Prairie, MN |
| Judd Stevens | Defenseman | United States | 18 | Wayzata, MN |
| Barry Tallackson | Forward | United States | 18 | Grafton, ND |
| Travis Weber | Goaltender | United States | 18 | Hibbing, MN |

## Standings

2001–02 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 |
| #5 Denver†* | 28 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 43 | 108 | 63 | 41 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 158 | 86 |
| #10 St. Cloud State | 28 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 40 | 117 | 65 | 42 | 29 | 11 | 2 | 179 | 99 |
| #1 Minnesota | 28 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 39 | 113 | 84 | 44 | 32 | 8 | 4 | 197 | 119 |
| #7 Colorado College | 28 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 34 | 95 | 74 | 43 | 27 | 13 | 3 | 147 | 97 |
| Wisconsin | 28 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 27 | 88 | 90 | 39 | 16 | 19 | 4 | 123 | 120 |
| Minnesota State-Mankato | 28 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 24 | 84 | 107 | 38 | 16 | 20 | 2 | 124 | 138 |
| Alaska-Anchorage | 28 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 24 | 79 | 96 | 36 | 12 | 19 | 5 | 99 | 125 |
| North Dakota | 28 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 24 | 103 | 100 | 37 | 16 | 19 | 2 | 134 | 136 |
| Minnesota-Duluth | 28 | 6 | 19 | 3 | 15 | 72 | 112 | 40 | 13 | 24 | 3 | 119 | 153 |
| Michigan Tech | 28 | 4 | 22 | 2 | 10 | 66 | 134 | 38 | 8 | 28 | 2 | 92 | 177 |
| Championship: Denver † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Final rankings: USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll Top 15 Poll |||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular season ||||||||||
| October 5 | 7:05 PM | at #2 North Dakota* | #4 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota (US Hockey Hall of Fame game) | | Weber | W 7–5 | 11,690 | 1–0–0 |
| October 19 | 7:05 PM | vs. Bemidji State* | #3 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Weber | W 7–2 | 9,569 | 2–0–0 |
| October 20 | 7:05 PM | vs. Bemidji State* | #3 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 7–1 | 9,562 | 3–0–0 |
| October 26 | 7:05 PM | vs. Colgate* | #2 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 8–0 | 9,684 | 4–0–0 |
| October 27 | 7:05 PM | vs. Colgate* | #2 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Johnson | W 9–0 | 9,730 | 5–0–0 |
| November 2 | 6:04 PM | at Michigan Tech | #1 | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | | Hauser | W 7–3 | 2,555 | 6–0–0 (1–0–0) |
| November 3 | 7:04 PM | at Michigan Tech | #1 | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | | Hauser | T 5–5 $^{OT}$ | 2,545 | 6–0–1 (1–0–1) |
| November 9 | 7:05 PM | vs. Minnesota State–Mankato | #2 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 5–3 | 9,804 | 7–0–1 (2–0–1) |
| November 10 | 7:05 PM | vs. Minnesota State–Mankato | #2 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Johnson | W 4–2 | 9,871 | 8–0–1 (3–0–1) |
| November 16 | 7:05 PM | vs. Minnesota–Duluth | #1 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 5–1 | 9,899 | 9–0–1 (4–0–1) |
| November 17 | 8:05 PM | vs. Minnesota–Duluth | #1 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 5–3 | 9,917 | 10–0–1 (5–0–1) |
| College Hockey Showcase ||||||||||
| November 23 | 6:35 PM | at #11 Michigan* | #1 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan (College Hockey Showcase game 1) | | Hauser | W 5–2 | 6,917 | 11–0–1 |
| November 25 | 12:34 PM | at #4 Michigan State* | #1 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan (College Hockey Showcase game 2) | | Hauser | T 4–4 $^{OT}$ | 6,871 | 11–0–2 |
| November 30 | 7:05 PM | vs. #2 St. Cloud State | #1 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | L 2–3 | 10,231 | 11–1–2 (5–1–1) |
| December 1 | 7:08 PM | at #2 St. Cloud State | #1 | National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | | Hauser | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 6,685 | 11–1–3 (5–1–2) |
| December 7 | 8:35 PM | at #3 Denver | #2 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | | Hauser | W 2–1 | 6,013 | 12–1–3 (6–1–2) |
| December 8 | 8:05 PM | at #3 Denver | #2 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | | Hauser | L 3–4 | 6,013 | 12–2–3 (6–2–2) |
| Mariucci Classic ||||||||||
| December 28 | 7:05 PM | vs. Ferris State* | #2 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota (Mariucci semifinal) | | Hauser | W 3–2 | 10,040 | 13–2–3 |
| December 30 | 7:05 PM | vs. Providence* | #3 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota (Mariucci championship) | | Weber | W 6–1 | 10,074 | 14–2–3 |
| January 6 | 7:05 PM | vs. North Dakota | #3 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | L 3–4 | 10,214 | 14–3–3 (6–3–2) |
| January 7 | 7:05 PM | vs. North Dakota | #3 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Weber | W 2–1 | 10,183 | 15–3–3 (7–3–2) |
| January 11 | 7:08 PM | at Wisconsin | #4 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | | Weber | L 3–8 | 12,937 | 15–4–3 (7–4–2) |
| January 12 | 7:08 PM | at Wisconsin | #4 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | | Hauser | W 6–2 | 14,711 | 16–4–3 (8–4–2) |
| January 18 | 10:08 PM | at Alaska–Anchorage | #5 | Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska | | Hauser | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 4,658 | 16–4–4 (8–4–3) |
| January 19 | 10:05 PM | at Alaska–Anchorage | #5 | Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, Alaska | | Weber | W 5–2 | 5,230 | 17–4–4 (9–4–3) |
| January 25 | 7:05 PM | vs. #1 Denver | #4 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | L 1–3 | 10,176 | 17–5–4 (9–5–3) |
| January 26 | 7:05 PM | vs. #1 Denver | #4 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Weber | W 6–1 | 10,217 | 18–5–4 (10–5–3) |
| January 28 | 7:05 PM | vs. France* | #3 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | | W 6–2 | | |
| February 1 | 7:05 PM | at Minnesota–Duluth | #3 | Duluth Entertainment Convention Center • Duluth, Minnesota | | Weber | L 2–5 | 5,405 | 18–6–4 (10–6–3) |
| February 2 | 7:05 PM | at Minnesota–Duluth | #3 | Duluth Entertainment Convention Center • Duluth, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 2–1 | 5,405 | 19–6–4 (11–6–3) |
| February 8 | 7:35 PM | at North Dakota | #5 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | | Johnson | W 6–4 | 11,815 | 20–6–4 (12–6–3) |
| February 9 | 7:35 PM | at North Dakota | #5 | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | | Hauser | W 4–3 | 12,189 | 21–6–4 (13–6–3) |
| February 15 | 7:05 PM | vs. #6 Colorado College | #4 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Weber | L 5–6 | 10,219 | 21–7–4 (13–7–3) |
| February 16 | 7:05 PM | vs. #6 Colorado College | #4 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 7–3 | 10,221 | 22–7–4 (14–7–3) |
| February 22 | 7:05 PM | vs. Wisconsin | #4 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 6–3 | 10,192 | 23–7–4 (15–7–3) |
| February 23 | 7:05 PM | vs. Wisconsin | #4 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 10,228 | 24–7–4 (16–7–3) |
| March 1 | 7:13 PM | at #2 St. Cloud State | #4 | National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 5–4 | 6,685 | 25–7–4 (17–7–3) |
| March 2 | 7:05 PM | vs. #2 St. Cloud State | #4 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Hauser | W 3–1 | 10,248 | 26–7–4 (18–7–3) |
| WCHA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 8 | 7:05 PM | vs. North Dakota* | #3 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota (WCHA first round game 1) | | Hauser | W 7–2 | 10,203 | 27–7–4 |
| March 9 | 7:05 PM | vs. North Dakota* | #3 | Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota (WCHA first round game 2) | | Hauser | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 10,216 | 28–7–4 |
| Minnesota Won Series 2-0 ||||||||||
| March 15 | 7:08 PM | vs. #4 St. Cloud State* | #3 | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (WCHA semifinal) | | Hauser | W 4–1 | 18,523 | 29–7–4 |
| March 17 | 7:00 PM | vs. #2 Denver* | #3 | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (WCHA championship) | | Hauser | L 2–5 | 18,126 | 29–8–4 |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 23 | 3:06 PM | vs. #10 Colorado College* | #3 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan (NCAA West Regional semifinal) | | Hauser | W 4–2 | - | 30–8–4 |
| April 4 | 6:37 PM | vs. #7 Michigan* | #3 | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (NCAA National semifinal) | | Hauser | W 3–2 | 19,234 | 31–8–4 |
| April 6 | 6:07 PM | vs. #6 Maine* | #3 | Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (NCAA National championship) | ESPN | Hauser | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 19,324 | 32–8–4 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time. ||||||||||

## 2002 national championship

Scoring summary :
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | MIN | Keith Ballard (10) – PP | Riddle and Angell | 7:18 | 1–0 MIN |
| 2nd | Maine | Michael Schutte (12) – PP | Metcalf and Dimitrakos | 24:47 | 1–1 |
| 2nd | MIN | John Pohl (27) | Anthony and Angell | 25:38 | 2–1 MIN |
| 3rd | Maine | Michael Schutte (13) | Ryan and Jackson | 46:18 | 2–2 |
| 3rd | Maine | Róbert Liščák (17) | Dimitrakos | 55:27 | 3–2 Maine |
| 3rd | MIN | Matt Koalska (10) – EA | Riddle and Pohl | 59:07 | 3–3 |
| 1st Overtime | MIN | Grant Potulny (15) – GW PP | Pohl and Leopold | 76:58 | 4–3 MIN |
| Penalty summary ||||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | Maine | Cliff Loya | Holding | 5:40 | 2:00 |
| 1st | Maine | Ben Murphy | Goaltender Interference | 9:20 | 2:00 |
| 1st | Maine | Cliff Loya | Cross-Checking | 10:08 | 2:00 |
| 1st | MIN | Grant Potulny | Holding the Stick | 13:18 | 2:00 |
| 1st | Maine | Ben Murphy | High-Sticking | 16:34 | 2:00 |
| 2nd | MIN | Grant Potulny | Interference | 23:47 | 2:00 |
| 2nd | MIN | Keith Ballard | Obstruction Holding | 29:37 | 2:00 |
| 2nd | Maine | Gray Shaneberger | Tripping | 33:02 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | MIN | Jeff Taffe | Boarding | 49:15 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | Maine | Lucas Lawson | Hitting after the Whistle | 59:19 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | MIN | Matt DeMarchi | Hitting after the Whistle | 59:19 | 2:00 |
| 1st Overtime | Maine | Michael Schutte | Tripping | 75:58 | 2:00 |
Shots by period :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T |
| Maine | 11 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 45 |
| Minnesota | 11 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 35 |
Goaltenders :
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| Maine | Matthew Yeats | 31 | 4 | 76:58 |
| MIN | Adam Hauser | 42 | 3 | 76:52 |

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| John Pohl | C | 44 | 27 | 52 | 79 | 26 |
| Jeff Taffe | C | 43 | 34 | 24 | 58 | 86 |
| Jordan Leopold | D | 44 | 20 | 28 | 48 | 28 |
| Troy Riddle | C | 44 | 16 | 31 | 47 | 46 |
| Paul Martin | D | 44 | 8 | 30 | 38 | 22 |
| Grant Potulny | C | 43 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 38 |
| Matt Koalska | C | 44 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 34 |
| Barry Tallackson | RW | 44 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 44 |
| Keith Ballard | D | 41 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 42 |
| Nick Anthony | C | 25 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 8 |
| Erik Wendell | LW/RW | 44 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 42 |
| Judd Stevens | D | 41 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
| Nick Angell | D | 44 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 61 |
| Jake Fleming | F | 43 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 6 |
| Dan Welch | LW/RW | 19 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
| Matt DeMarchi | D | 36 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 112 |
| Jon Waibel | F | 44 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 38 |
| Pat O'Leary | C | 40 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 18 |
| Brett MacKinnon | F | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Joey Martin | D | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 |
| Mike Erickson | RW | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Garrett Smaagaard | F | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Adam Hauser | G | 35 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Mark Nenovich | D | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Chad Roberg | F | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Johnson | G | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Travis Weber | G | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| Total | | | 197 | 318 | 515 | 717 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Adam Hauser | 35 | 2002 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 80 | 842 | 1 | .913 | 2.40 |
| Justin Johnson | 6 | 233 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 99 | 1 | .892 | 3.08 |
| Travis Weber | 10 | 456 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 167 | 0 | .870 | 3.29 |
| Empty Net | - | 5 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 44 | 2697 | 32 | 8 | 4 | 119 | 1108 | 2 | .903 | 2.65 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 4 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | N/A | N/A |
| USA Today | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 24 and 25.

## Awards and honors

| Honor | Player |
| Grant Potulny | NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player |
| Jordan Leopold | AHCA West Second Team All-American |
| John Pohl | AHCA West Second Team All-American |
| Adam Hauser | NCAA All-Tournament Team |
| John Pohl | NCAA All-Tournament Team |
| Grant Potulny | NCAA All-Tournament Team |
| Jordan Leopold | WCHA Defensive Player of the Year |
| Jordan Leopold | All-WCHA First Team |
| John Pohl | All-WCHA First Team |
| Paul Martin | All-WCHA Second Team |
| Jeff Taffe | All-WCHA Third Team |
| Keith Ballard | WCHA All-Rookie Team |
| Troy Riddle | WCHA All-Tournament Team |
| Jordan Leopold | WCHA All-Tournament Team |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2002 NHL Entry Draft

| = NHL All-Star team | = NHL All-Star | = NHL All-Star and NHL All-Star team | = Did not play in the NHL |
| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 1 | 11 | Keith Ballard | Buffalo Sabres |
| 2 | 53 | Barry Tallackson | New Jersey Devils |
| 5 | 136 | Andy Sertich $^†$ | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 6 | 170 | P. J. Atherton $^†$ | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 6 | 177 | Jake Taylor $^†$ | New York Rangers |
† incoming freshman