1986 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament

The 1986 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was a tournament to determine the Division III national champion in men's ice hockey.  This was the third time a national championship tournament at the Division III level had been held, in the 13th overall season of Division III hockey. With western conferences starting their own conference tournaments, this was the first season in which no Western Intercollegiate Hockey Association (WIHA) Tournament took place to help determine qualifiers from the West Region.
== Format ==
Eight teams qualify for the tournament. In the quarterfinals, teams played two game series to determine which school advanced to the semifinals. If the series was tied, teams played a 20 minute mini-game to determine who advances. This was different from the two-game aggregate series used in the previous 2 editions of the quarterfinals. Beginning with the semifinals, all rounds became single-game eliminations. The teams were seeded according to geographic proximity in the quarterfinals, so the visiting team would have the shortest feasible distance to travel. The quarterfinals were held at campus sites from March 14-16. The semifinal and final rounds were held March 21 and 22 at John S. Glas Field House of Bemidji State University, in Bemidji, Minnesota.
== Bids ==
The following teams qualified for the tournament. There were no automatic bids, however, conference tournament champions were given preferential consideration. No formal seeding was used, while quarterfinal matches were arranged so that the road teams would have the shortest possible travel distances. Because the Division III level was skewed towards eastern teams, the East Region initially received 5 bids, while the West Region received 3 bids.
=== At-Large Bids ===
==== East ====
* Babson Beavers - ECAC East (3rd appearance)
** (19-7-1)
* Elmira Soaring Eagles - ECAC West (1st appearance)
** (24-5-0)
* Plattsburgh Cardinals - ECAC West (2nd appearance; later vacated)
** (25-11-1)
* RIT Tigers - ECAC West (3rd appearance)
** ECAC West Tournament Champions (28-5-0)
* Union Dutchmen - ECAC West (3rd appearance)
** (15-12-0)
==== West ====
* Bemidji State Beavers - NCHA (2nd appearance)
** NCHA Tournament Champions (22-8-1)
* Mankato State Mavericks - NCHA (2nd appearance)
** (25-6-3)
* St. Thomas Tommies - MIAC (3rd appearance)
** MIAC Tournament Champions (24-5-1)
== Misc. ==
* Seven of the eight schools who earned bids appeared in the previous NCAA tournament, with Elmira being the only outlier.
* This is the 3rd of 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for Babson.
* This is the 2nd of 5 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for Bemidji State.
* This is the 2nd of 4 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for Plattsburgh.
* Pairings were determined strictly off of geography for the quarterfinal matches.
* The ECAC West gets a record four teams into the field.
* Because the NESCAC barred member schools from participating in national tournaments at the time, a Bowdoin team with a great resume and 22-5-0 record could not participate for the National Championship. 
** Many NESCAC teams were denied chances at championships in the first ten years of the championship being held.
* Plattsburgh State's appearance in the tournament would later be vacated in 1990 by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
== Results ==
=== Quarterfinals ===
Held at campus sites
-John S. Glas Field House- Bemidji, MN
*MINIGAME*
-Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena- Henrietta, NY
-Plattsburgh State Fieldhouse- Plattsburgh, NY
*MINIGAME*
-All Seasons Arena- Mankato, MN
*MINIGAME*
=== Semifinals ===
Hosted by Bemidji State University: -John S. Glas Field House- Bemidji, MN
=== Third Place ===
Hosted by Bemidji State University: -John S. Glas Field House- Bemidji, MN
=== Championship ===
Hosted by Bemidji State University: -John S. Glas Field House- Bemidji, MN
== Bracket ==
== Tournament Notes ==
* Bemidji State wins its first national championship in program history at the Division III level.
* BSU also becomes the first host school to not only advance to the national title game, but also win the championship.
* BSU also the first program to win the title after falling in the championship game the year prior.
* Plattsburgh finishes 2nd for the first time in program history.
** Plattsburgh State's appearance in the tournament would later be vacated in 1990 by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
* RIT earns the program's second 3rd place finish, and its 3rd straight Frozen Four appearance.
* Mankato State reaches the Frozen Four for the first time in program history.
== All-Tournament Team ==
* F: Mike Alexander- Bemidji State (MVP)
* F: Tim Lescarbeau- Bemidji State
* F: Todd Lescarbeau- Bemidji State
* D: Chris Panek- Plattsburgh
* D: Dale Rivington- RIT
* G: Jim Martin- Bemidji State
Category:1986 in hockey
Category:NCAA Division III Tournaments