# 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season

The 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began in October 1980 and concluded with the 1981 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 28, 1981 at the Duluth Arena in Duluth, Minnesota. This was the 34th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 87th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.
For the first time the Hobey Baker Award was conferred after the conclusion of the regular season.
After the season four teams from the WCHA left to join the CCHA. As a result of dividing the four Big Ten schools that had previously been in the WCHA the Big Ten stopped declaring a conference ice hockey champion until the formation of a separate conference in 2013–14.

## 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 Tech |
| 3 | Providence |
| 4 | Boston College |
| 5 | Wisconsin |
| 6 | North Dakota |
| 7 | Northern Michigan |
| 8 | Michigan |
| 9 (tie) | Denver |
| 9 (tie) | Minnesota Duluth |

## Regular season
### Season tournaments

| Tournament | Dates | Teams | Champion |
| Elmira Invitational | November 14–15 | 4 | St. Lawrence |
| North Country Thanksgiving Festival | November 27–29 | 4 | Clarkson |
| Empire Cup | December 20–21 | 4 | Colgate |
| I Love New York Tournament | November 22–24 | 4 | St. Lawrence |
| Great Lakes Invitational | December 27–28 | 4 | Michigan Tech |
| First National Hockey Tournament | December 27–29 | 4 | Cornell |
| Western Michigan Tournament | December 28–29 | 4 | Western Michigan |
| Rensselaer Holiday Tournament | December 28–30 | 4 | Maine |
| Auld Lang Syne Classic | December 30–31 | 4 | Dartmouth |
| Yale Invitational | January 2–3 | 4 | North Dakota |
| Colonial Bank Hockey Invitational | January 3–4 | 4 | Clarkson |
| Beanpot | February 2, 9 | 4 | Harvard |

### Standings

1980–81 Big Ten 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 |
| Minnesota† | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | 61 | 35 | 45 | 33 | 12 | 0 | 261 | 174 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 45 | 45 | 42 | 27 | 14 | 1 | 218 | 155 |
| Michigan | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 42 | 54 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 0 | 185 | 161 |
| Michigan State | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 23 | 37 | 36 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 116 | 144 |
| † indicates conference regular season champion |||||||||||||||
1980–81 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 |
| Northern Michigan†* | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 115 | 81 | 44 | 27 | 14 | 3 | 201 | 158 |
| Ohio State | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 31 | 107 | 82 | 39 | 24 | 12 | 3 | 189 | 149 |
| Ferris State | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 26 | 101 | 92 | 36 | 20 | 14 | 2 | 166 | 144 |
| Bowling Green | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 20 | 98 | 99 | 39 | 13 | 24 | 2 | 153 | 188 |
| Western Michigan | 22 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 99 | 107 | 36 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 178 | 165 |
| Lake Superior State | 22 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 13 | 101 | 134 | 36 | 14 | 21 | 1 | 183 | 202 |
| Miami^ | 12 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 68 | 35 | 16 | 17 | 2 | 174 | 142 |
| Championship: Northern Michigan † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion ^ Only Miami's road games were counted for conference standings |||||||||||||||
1980–81 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 |
| East Region |||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | .659 | 85 | 72 | 31 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 126 | 100 |
| Maine | 21 | 12 | 9 | 0 | .571 | 101 | 93 | 34 | 23 | 11 | 0 | 197 | 147 |
| Northeastern | 21 | 12 | 9 | 0 | .571 | 118 | 104 | 26 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 140 | 139 |
| Providence* | 22 | 12 | 9 | 1 | .568 | 106 | 90 | 33 | 17 | 15 | 1 | 165 | 143 |
| New Hampshire | 24 | 13 | 10 | 1 | .563 | 128 | 100 | 33 | 19 | 13 | 1 | 166 | 129 |
| Boston University | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | .455 | 87 | 88 | 29 | 14 | 15 | 0 | 115 | 116 |
| West Region |||||||||||||||
| Clarkson† | 20 | 17 | 2 | 1 | .875 | 119 | 65 | 37 | 26 | 7 | 4 | 202 | 119 |
| Colgate | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | .625 | 99 | 84 | 35 | 21 | 12 | 2 | 194 | 150 |
| Rensselaer | 21 | 10 | 11 | 0 | .476 | 98 | 83 | 29 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 158 | 118 |
| St. Lawrence | 22 | 9 | 12 | 1 | .432 | 77 | 87 | 33 | 15 | 16 | 2 | 137 | 126 |
| Vermont | 22 | 4 | 16 | 2 | .227 | 81 | 114 | 34 | 9 | 23 | 2 | 136 | 173 |
| Ivy Region |||||||||||||||
| Cornell | 22 | 12 | 9 | 1 | .568 | 95 | 79 | 31 | 19 | 11 | 1 | 144 | 110 |
| Yale | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | .548 | 96 | 101 | 26 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 127 | 137 |
| Princeton | 21 | 10 | 11 | 0 | .476 | 78 | 99 | 25 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 93 | 111 |
| Harvard | 21 | 8 | 12 | 1 | .405 | 79 | 98 | 26 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 103 | 119 |
| Dartmouth | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | .364 | 87 | 115 | 26 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 100 | 138 |
| Brown | 22 | 3 | 18 | 1 | .159 | 67 | 125 | 26 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 83 | 144 |
| Independent |||||||||||||||
| Army^ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 35 | 21 | 13 | 1 | 230 | 160 |
| Championship: Providence † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion ^ Army had been accepted into ECAC Hockey but had not begun a conference schedule |||||||||||||||
1980–81 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 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 103 | 128 |
| Kent State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 35 | 17 | 18 | 0 | | |
| US International | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 21 | 8 | 13 | 0 | | |
1980–81 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 |
| Minnesota†* | 28 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 40 | 152 | 104 | 45 | 33 | 12 | 0 | 261 | 174 |
| Wisconsin | 28 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 34 | 131 | 101 | 42 | 27 | 14 | 1 | 218 | 155 |
| Michigan Tech* | 28 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 34 | 118 | 102 | 44 | 29 | 14 | 1 | 195 | 155 |
| Denver | 28 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 32 | 120 | 111 | 40 | 23 | 15 | 2 | 233 | 197 |
| Michigan | 28 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 30 | 138 | 122 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 0 | 185 | 161 |
| North Dakota | 28 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 30 | 133 | 134 | 38 | 21 | 15 | 2 | 186 | 168 |
| Colorado College | 28 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 24 | 128 | 142 | 36 | 17 | 19 | 0 | 174 | 183 |
| Minnesota-Duluth | 28 | 11 | 17 | 0 | 22 | 120 | 150 | 39 | 17 | 21 | 1 | 165 | 197 |
| Notre Dame | 28 | 9 | 18 | 1 | 19 | 100 | 137 | 36 | 13 | 21 | 2 | 139 | 166 |
| Michigan State | 28 | 7 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 82 | 119 | 36 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 116 | 144 |
| Championship: Michigan Tech, Minnesota † 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 | Minnesota |
| 2 | Clarkson |
| 3 | Wisconsin |
| 3 (tie) | Michigan Tech |
| 5 | Northern Michigan |
| 6 | Denver |
| 7 | Boston College |
| 8 | North Dakota |
| 9 | Colgate |
| 10 | Michigan |
| 10 (tie) | New Hampshire |

## 1981 NCAA Tournament

| Quarterfinals March 19–21 | Quarterfinals March 19–21 | Quarterfinals March 19–21 | Quarterfinals March 19–21 | Quarterfinals March 19–21 | 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 | Clarkson | 2 | 6 | 8 | | | | | | |
| W4 | Wisconsin | 3 | 6 | 9 | | | | | | |
| W4 | Wisconsin | 3 | 6 | 9 | W4 | Wisconsin | 5 | | | |
| | | | | | W2 | Northern Michigan | 1 | | | |
| W2 | Northern Michigan | 7 | 3 | 10 | W2 | Northern Michigan | 1 | | | |
| E3 | Cornell | 3 | 4 | 7 | | | | | | |
| E3 | Cornell | 3 | 4 | 7 | | | | W4 | Wisconsin | 6 |
| | | | | | | | | W1 | Minnesota | 3 |
| W1 | Minnesota | 9 | 5 | 14 | | | | | | | W1 | Minnesota | 3 |
| E4 | Colgate | 4 | 4 | 8 | | | |
| E4 | Colgate | 4 | 4 | 8 | W1 | Minnesota | 7 | Third-place game | Third-place game | Third-place game |
| | | | | | W3 | Michigan Tech | 2 |
| E2 | Providence | 3 | 5 | 8 | W3 | Michigan Tech | 2 | W2 | Northern Michigan | 2 |
| W3 | Michigan Tech | 7 | 6 | 13 | | | | W3 | Michigan Tech | 5 |
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 |
| Aaron Broten | Sophomore | Minnesota | 45 | 47 | 59 | 106 | 24 |
| Steve Ulseth | Senior | Minnesota | 45 | 41 | 52 | 93 | 18 |
| Steve Bozek | Junior | Northern Michigan | 44 | 35 | 55 | 90 | 46 |
| Jeff Pyle | Junior | Northern Michigan | 40 | 35 | 53 | 88 | 20 |
| Bryan Erickson | Sophomore | Minnesota | 44 | 39 | 47 | 86 | 30 |
| Troy Murray | Freshman | North Dakota | 38 | 33 | 45 | 78 | 28 |
| Scott Lecy | Senior | Wisconsin | 42 | 26 | 49 | 75 | 44 |
| Ross Fitzpatrick | Junior | Western Michigan | 36 | 28 | 43 | 71 | 22 |
| Neal Broten | Sophomore | Minnesota | 36 | 17 | 54 | 71 | 56 |
| Dan Fridgen | Junior | Colgate | 33 | 37 | 31 | 68 | 164 |
| Bryan Cleaver | Senior | Clarkson | 37 | 24 | 44 | 68 | 38 |

### 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 |
| Don Sylvestri | Freshman | Clarkson | 29 | 1740 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 84 | 2 | .904 | 2.92 |
| Gary Laskoski | Junior | St. Lawrence | 21 | 1196 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 64 | 0 | .895 | 3.21 |
| Frank Krieber | Senior | Michigan Tech | 28 | 1701 | - | - | - | 91 | 1 | .895 | 3.21 |
| Jeff Poeschl | Freshman | Northern Michigan | 32 | 1855 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 101 | 1 | .895 | 3.27 |
| Marc Behrend | Sophomore | Wisconsin | 16 | 913 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 0 | .909 | 3.29 |
| Alain Chevrier | Freshman | Miami | 19 | 1053 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 73 | 0 | - | 3.40 |
| Darren Eliot | Sophomore | Cornell | 18 | 912 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 52 | 1 | .908 | 3.42 |
| Scott Robinson | Junior | Denver | 31 | 1885 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 110 | 0 | .882 | 3.50 |
| Mike Blake | Senior | Ohio State | 37 | 2098 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 125 | 2 | .896 | 3.57 |
| Brian Hayward | Junior | Cornell | 19 | 967 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 58 | 1 | .904 | 3.60 |

## 1981 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | College | Conference | NHL team |
| 1 | 9 | James Patrick $^†$ | North Dakota | WCHA | New York Rangers |
| 2 | 27 | Dave Donnelly $^†$ | North Dakota | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 2 | 33 | Tom Hirsch $^†$ | Minnesota | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 2 | 34 | David Preuss $^†$ | Minnesota | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 2 | 37 | Rich Costello $^†$ | Providence | ECAC Hockey | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 2 | 40 | Chris Chelios $^†$ | Wisconsin | WCHA | Montreal Canadiens |
| 4 | 64 | Kirk McCaskill | Vermont | ECAC Hockey | Winnipeg Jets |
| 4 | 68 | Anthony Kellin $^†$ | Minnesota | WCHA | Washington Capitals |
| 4 | 71 | Paul Houck $^†$ | Wisconsin | WCHA | Edmonton Oilers |
| 4 | 76 | James Malwitz $^†$ | Minnesota | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 4 | 81 | Marty Dallman | Rensselaer | ECAC Hockey | Los Angeles Kings |
| 5 | 85 | Marc Behrend | Wisconsin | WCHA | Winnipeg Jets |
| 5 | 88 | Steve Rooney $^†$ | Providence | ECAC Hockey | Montreal Canadiens |
| 5 | 95 | Ed Lee | Princeton | ECAC Hockey | Quebec Nordiques |
| 6 | 106 | Bob O'Connor | Boston College | ECAC Hockey | Winnipeg Jets |
| 6 | 108 | Bruce Driver | Wisconsin | WCHA | Colorado Rockies |
| 6 | 114 | Eric Magnuson | Rensselaer | ECAC Hockey | New York Rangers |
| 6 | 117 | Bill Schafhauser | Northern Michigan | CCHA | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 6 | 118 | Paul Guay $^†$ | Providence | ECAC Hockey | Minnesota North Stars |
| 6 | 119 | Bruce Milton | Boston University | ECAC Hockey | Boston Bruins |
| 6 | 124 | Tom Anastos $^†$ | Michigan State | WCHA | Montreal Canadiens |
| 7 | 135 | Mike Guentzel $^†$ | Minnesota | WCHA | New York Rangers |
| 7 | 139 | Jim Archibald $^†$ | North Dakota | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 7 | 141 | Rick Heppner $^†$ | Wisconsin | WCHA | Calgary Flames |
| 7 | 143 | Dan McFall $^†$ | Michigan State | WCHA | Winnipeg Jets |
| 7 | 144 | Peter Sawkins $^†$ | Yale | ECAC Hockey | Los Angeles Kings |
| 7 | 145 | Tom Kurvers | Minnesota–Duluth | WCHA | Montreal Canadiens |
| 8 | 149 | Rick Zombo $^†$ | North Dakota | WCHA | Detroit Red Wings |
| 8 | 163 | Steve Taylor | Providence | ECAC Hockey | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 8 | 164 | Gaetano Orlando | Providence | ECAC Hockey | Buffalo Sabres |
| 8 | 165 | Dan Brennan | North Dakota | WCHA | Los Angeles Kings |
| 8 | 166 | Paul Gess $^†$ | Lake Superior State | CCHA | Montreal Canadiens |
| 9 | 171 | Tim Army | Providence | ECAC Hockey | Colorado Rockies |
| 9 | 172 | Jeff Poeschl | Northern Michigan | CCHA | Hartford Whalers |
| 9 | 173 | George White | New Hampshire | ECAC Hockey | Washington Capitals |
| 9 | 177 | Paul Reifenberger $^†$ | Western Michigan | CCHA | New York Rangers |
| 9 | 181 | Scott Bjugstad | Minnesota | WCHA | Minnesota North Stars |
| 9 | 182 | Don Sylvestri | Clarkson | ECAC Hockey | Boston Bruins |
| 9 | 183 | George Boudreau $^†$ | Boston College | ECAC Hockey | Calgary Flames |
| 9 | 187 | Scott Ferguson $^†$ | Colorado College | WCHA | Montreal Canadiens |
| 10 | 192 | John Johannson | Wisconsin | WCHA | Colorado Rockies |
| 10 | 197 | Gord Sherven $^†$ | North Dakota | WCHA | Edmonton Oilers |
| 10 | 198 | Mario Proulx | Providence | ECAC Hockey | New York Rangers |
| 10 | 202 | Steve Kudebeh $^†$ | Rensselaer | ECAC Hockey | Minnesota North Stars |
| 10 | 204 | Bruce Eakin $^‡$ | Wisconsin | WCHA | Detroit Red Wings |
| 10 | 206 | Warren Harper $^†$ | Michigan State | WCHA | Buffalo Sabres |
| 10 | 207 | Jeff Baikie | Cornell | ECAC Hockey | Los Angeles Kings |
| 10 | 210 | Dave Randerson $^†$ | Bowling Green | CCHA | New York Islanders |
† incoming freshman ‡ Eakin had left school during the season