2020-21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on November 14, 2020 and is intended to conclude with the Frozen Four on April 10th 2021. Due to the cancellation of the previous year's tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the 73rd season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held, and will be US college hockey's 126th year overall.
Due to ongoing concerns related to the pandemic, the start of the season was delayed until what would have normally been the 8th week of play.
==Polls==
==Regular season==
Due to difficulties in scheduling, Arizona State entered into a scheduling alliance with the Big Ten while LIU did the same with Atlantic Hockey. Both teams remained independent programs and will not be considered for conference championships.
===Standings===
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
==PairWise Rankings==
The PairWise Rankings (PWR) are a statistical tool designed to approximate the process by which the NCAA selection committee decides which teams get at-large bids to the 16-team NCAA tournament. Although the NCAA selection committee does not use the PWR as presented by USCHO, the PWR has been accurate in predicting which teams will make the tournament field.
	
For Division I men, all teams are included in comparisons starting in the 2013–14 season (formerly, only teams with a Ratings Percentage Index of .500 or above, or teams under consideration, were included). The PWR method compares each team with every other such team, with the winner of each “comparison” earning one PWR point. After all comparisons are made, the points are totaled up and rankings listed accordingly.
	
With 61 Division I men's teams, the greatest number of PWR points any team could earn is 60, winning the comparison with every other team. Meanwhile, a team that lost all of its comparisons would have no PWR points.
Teams are then ranked by PWR point total, with ties broken by the teams’ RPI ratings, which starting in 2013-14 is weighted for home and road games and includes a quality wins bonus (QWB) for beating teams in the top 20 of the RPI (it also is weighted for home and road).
	
When it comes to comparing teams, the PWR uses three criteria which are combined to make a comparison: RPI, record against common opponents and head-to-head competition. Starting in 2013–14, the comparison of record against teams under consideration was dropped because all teams are now under comparison.https://www.uscho.com/faq/pairwise-rankings-explanation/
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most teams played a very small selection of intraconference games, if any at all. As a result, the PairWise rankings would not be used as the primary measuring tool for determining which teams would receive at-large bids for the NCAA tournament. The ranking would only be used to differentiate between teams within their own conferences. The PWR will likely be used as the primary ranking system once a full NCAA season is played.
 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Final PairWise Rankingshttps://www.uscho.com/rankings/pairwise-rankings/d-i-men/	
Rank 	Team 	PWR 	RPI 	Conference
1 	 	60 	.6037* 	WCHA
2 	 	59 	.5769 	NCHC
3 	 	57 	.5765* 	Atlantic Hockey
3 	 	57 	.5751 	Big Ten
5 	 	56 	.5672 	Hockey East
6 	 	55 	.5613* 	Hockey East
7 	 	54 	.5593 	WCHA
8 	 	53 	.5510 	Big Ten
9 	 	52 	.5476 	WCHA
10 	 	51 	.5463 	WCHA
11 	 	50 	.5430 	Atlantic Hockey
12 	 	49 	.5426 	Atlantic Hockey
12 	 	49 	.5413 	ECAC Hockey
14 	 	47 	.5391 	Hockey East
15 	 	46 	.5375 	NCHC
16 	 	45 	.5364 	ECAC Hockey
17 	 	44 	.5311 	Big Ten
18 	 	43 	.5303 	WCHA
19 	 	42 	.5233 	NCHC
20 	 	41 	.5137 	Atlantic Hockey
21 	 	40 	.5136 	Hockey East
22 	 	39 	.5123 	Hockey East
23 	 	38 	.5100 	NCHC
24 	 	37 	.5096 	Hockey East
25 	 	36 	.5092 	Big Ten
26 	 	35 	.5086 	NCHC
27 	 	34 	.5026 	Atlantic Hockey
28 	 	33 	.4976 	ECAC Hockey
29 	 	32 	.4934 	Hockey East
30 	 	30 	.4920 	Independent
30 	 	30 	.4914 	WCHA
32 	 	29 	.4825 	NCHC
33 	 	28 	.4814 	Atlantic Hockey
34 	 	27 	.4784 	Atlantic Hockey
35 	 	26 	.4782 	Atlantic Hockey
35 	 	26 	.4725 	Big Ten
37 	 	24 	.4701 	ECAC Hockey
38 	 	22 	.4669 	Hockey East
38 	 	22 	.4669 	Atlantic Hockey
40 	 	21 	.4513 	Hockey East
41 	 	20 	.4559 	Hockey East
42 	 	19 	.4495 	Big Ten
43 	 	18 	.4435 	NCHC
44 	 	17 	.4396 	Big Ten
45 	 	16 	.4375 	NCHC
46 	 	15 	.4331 	Independent
47 	 	14 	.4260 	Atlantic Hockey
48 	 	13 	.4198 	Atlantic Hockey
49 	 	12 	.4139 	WCHA
50 	 	11 	.4014 	Hockey East
51 	 	10 	.4007 	WCHA
52 	 	0 	.0000 	WCHA
52 	 	0 	.0000 	WCHA
52 	 	0 	.0000 	ECAC Hockey
52 	 	0 	.0000 	ECAC Hockey
52 	 	0 	.0000 	ECAC Hockey
52 	 	0 	.0000 	ECAC Hockey
52 	 	0 	.0000 	ECAC Hockey
52 	 	0 	.0000 	ECAC Hockey
52 	 	0 	.0000 	ECAC Hockey
52 	 	0 	.0000 	ECAC Hockey
*A team's RPI has been adjusted to remove negative effect from defeating a weak opponent Note: A team's record is based only on games against other Division I hockey schools which are eligible for the NCAA Tournament Final PairWise Rankings	*A team's RPI has been adjusted to remove negative effect from defeating a weak opponent Note: A team's record is based only on games against other Division I hockey schools which are eligible for the NCAA Tournament Final PairWise Rankings	*A team's RPI has been adjusted to remove negative effect from defeating a weak opponent Note: A team's record is based only on games against other Division I hockey schools which are eligible for the NCAA Tournament Final PairWise Rankings	*A team's RPI has been adjusted to remove negative effect from defeating a weak opponent Note: A team's record is based only on games against other Division I hockey schools which are eligible for the NCAA Tournament Final PairWise Rankings	*A team's RPI has been adjusted to remove negative effect from defeating a weak opponent Note: A team's record is based only on games against other Division I hockey schools which are eligible for the NCAA Tournament Final PairWise Rankings
==Player stats==
===Scoring leaders===
Updated as of games played on March 27, 2021.
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player	Class 	Team 	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM
 	Sophomore	Wisconsin 	31	30	22	52 	4
 	Senior 	Quinnipiac 	29	8 	39	47 	22
 	Senior 	Wisconsin 	31	12	29	41 	2
 	Senior 	North Dakota 	28	10	26	36 	24
 	Sophomore	Wisconsin 	23	11	24	35 	19
 	Senior 	North Dakota 	29	14	20	34 	10
 	Senior 	Bowling Green 	31	11	23	34 	26
 	Senior 	Northern Michigan	29	12	21	33 	0
 	Sophomore	North Dakota 	28	15	17	32 	4
 	Junior 	Notre Dame 	29	15	17	32 	8
===Leading goaltenders===
The following goaltenders lead the NCAA in goals against average, minimum 1/3 of team's minutes played.
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Player	Class 	Team 	GP	Min 	W 	L	T	GA	SO	SV% 	GAA
 	Junior 	Massachusetts 	14	858:43 	9 	1	4	19	4 	.946	1.33
 	Junior 	Minnesota State 	24	1402:33	20	3	0	34	9 	.928	1.45
 	Junior 	North Dakota 	26	1590:38	20	4	1	46	4 	.931	1.74
 	Senior 	Minnesota 	28	1648:38	22	6	0	48	5 	.935	1.75
 	Sophomore	Michigan Tech 	24	1393:58	14	9	0	42	3 	.934	1.81
 	Junior 	Michigan 	21	1205:00	11	9	1	38	5 	.930	1.89
 	Senior 	Quinnipiac 	29	1715:45	17	8	4	54	5 	.926	1.89
 	Senior 	Army 	20	1253:29	14	4	1	40	2 	.922	1.91
 	Senior 	Lake Superior State	25	1380:55	14	6	3	45	2 	.930	1.96
 	Freshman 	Clarkson 	16	959:52 	7 	5	4	32	0 	.921	2.00
== Tournament bracket ==
* denotes overtime period† Michigan and Notre Dame were removed from the tournament due to positive COVID-19 test results.
==Awards==
===NCAA===
Award 	Award 	Recipient
Hobey Baker Award 	Hobey Baker Award 	Cole Caufield, Wisconsin
Spencer Penrose Award 	Spencer Penrose Award 	Mike Hastings, Minnesota State
Tim Taylor Award 	Tim Taylor Award 	Thomas Bordeleau, Michigan
Mike Richter Award 	Mike Richter Award 	Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota
Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award 	Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award 	Josh Kosack, Union
Lowes' Senior CLASS Award 	Lowes' Senior CLASS Award 	Jordan Kawaguchi, North Dakota
Tournament Most Outstanding Player 	Tournament Most Outstanding Player	
AHCA All-American Teams 	AHCA All-American Teams 	AHCA All-American Teams
East First Team 	  Position   	West First Team
Spencer Knight, Boston College 	G 	Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota
David Farrance, Boston University 	D 	Ronnie Attard, Western Michigan
Brennan Kapcheck, American International	D 	Cameron York, Michigan
Matthew Boldy, Boston College 	F 	Cole Caufield, Wisconsin
Bobby Trivigno, Massachusetts 	F 	Shane Pinto, North Dakota
Odeen Tufto, Quinnipiac 	F 	Sampo Ranta, Minnesota
East Second Team 	  Position   	West Second Team
Trevin Kozlowski, Army 	G 	Dryden McKay, Minnesota State
Drew Helleson, Boston College 	D 	Matt Kiersted, North Dakota
Zac Jones, Massachusetts 	D 	Jackson LaCombe, Minnesota
Colin Bilek, Army 	F 	Dylan Holloway, Wisconsin
Will Calverley, RIT 	F 	Jordan Kawaguchi, North Dakota
Jonny Evans, Connecticut 	F 	Linus Weissbach, Wisconsin
===Big Ten===
Award 	Award 	Recipient
Player of the Year 	Player of the Year 	Cole Caufield, Wisconsin
Defensive Player of the Year 	Defensive Player of the Year 	Cameron York, Michigan
Goaltender of the Year 	Goaltender of the Year 	Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota
Freshman of the Year 	Freshman of the Year 	Thomas Bordeleau, Michigan
Scoring Champion 	Scoring Champion 	Cole Caufield, Wisconsin
Coach of the Year 	Coach of the Year 	Tony Granato, Wisconsin
Tournament Most Outstanding Player	Tournament Most Outstanding Player	Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota
All-Big Ten Teams 	All-Big Ten Teams 	All-Big Ten Teams
First Team 	  Position   	Second Team
Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota 	G 	Strauss Mann, Michigan
Cameron York, Michigan 	D 	Owen Power, Michigan
Jackson LaCombe, Minnesota 	D 	Spencer Stastney, Notre Dame
Sampo Ranta, Minnesota 	F 	Thomas Bordeleau, Michigan
Cole Caufield, Wisconsin 	F 	Alex Steeves, Notre Dame
Dylan Holloway, Wisconsin 	F 	Linus Weissbach, Wisconsin
Freshman Team 	  Position   	
Cameron Rowe, Wisconsin 	G 	
Owen Power, Michigan 	D 	
Brock Faber, Minnesota 	D 	
Matty Beniers, Michigan 	F 	
Thomas Bordeleau, Michigan 	F 	
Kent Johnson, Michigan 	F 	
===Atlantic Hockey===
====East====
Award 	Award 	Recipient
Player of the Year 	Player of the Year 	Brennan Kapcheck, American International
Rookie of the Year 	Rookie of the Year 	Lincoln Hatten, Army
Best Defensive Forward 	Best Defensive Forward 	Chris Dodero, American International
Best Defenseman 	Best Defenseman 	Brennan Kapcheck, American International
Individual Sportsmanship Award 	Individual Sportsmanship Award 	Justin Cole, American International
Regular Season Scoring Trophy 	Regular Season Scoring Trophy 	Jakov Novak, Bentley
Regular Season Goaltending Award 	Regular Season Goaltending Award	Trevin Kozlowski, Army
Coach of the Year 	Coach of the Year 	Brian Riley, Army
Tournament MVP 	Tournament MVP 	Justin Cole, American International
All-Atlantic Hockey Teams 	All-Atlantic Hockey Teams 	All-Atlantic Hockey Teams
First Team 	  Position   	Second Team
Trevin Kozlowski, Army 	G 	Stefano Durante, American International
Brennan Kapcheck, American International	D 	John Zimmerman, Army
Thomas Farrell, Army 	D 	Matt Slick, Holy Cross
Colin Bilek, Army 	F 	Elijah Barriga, American International
Tobias Fladeby, American International 	F 	Chris Dodero, American International
Marc Johnstone, Sacred Heart 	F 	Braeden Tuck, Sacred Heart
Rookie Team 	  Position   	
Nick Grabko, Bentley 	G 	
Nico Somerville, American International 	D 	
Drew Bavaro, Bentley 	D 	
Lincoln Hatten, Army 	F 	
Aaron Grounds, American International 	F 	
Eric Otto, American International 	F 	
====West====
Award 	Award 	Recipient
Player of the Year 	Player of the Year 	Will Calverley, RIT
Player of the Year 	Player of the Year 	Nick Prkusic, Robert Morris
Rookie of the Year 	Rookie of the Year 	Randy Hernández, Robert Morris
Best Defensive Forward 	Best Defensive Forward 	Will Calverley, RIT
Best Defenseman 	Best Defenseman 	Nick Jenny, Robert Morris
Individual Sportsmanship Award 	Individual Sportsmanship Award 	Nick Jenny, Robert Morris
Regular Season Scoring Trophy 	Regular Season Scoring Trophy 	Will Calverley, RIT
Regular Season Goaltending Award	Regular Season Goaltending Award	Jacob Barczewski, Cansius
Coach of the Year 	Coach of the Year 	Derek Schooley, Robert Morris
Tournament MVP 	Tournament MVP 	Justin Cole, American International
All-Atlantic Hockey Teams 	All-Atlantic Hockey Teams 	All-Atlantic Hockey Teams
First Team 	  Position   	Second Team
Jacob Barczewski, Cansius 	G 	Noah West, Robert Morris
— 	G 	Zach LaRocque, Air Force
Nick Jenny, Robert Morris 	D 	Joseph Maziarz, Mercyhurst
Dan Willett, RIT 	D 	Brendan Michaelian, Robert Morris
Will Calverley, RIT 	F 	Randy Hernández, Robert Morris
Nick Prkusic, Robert Morris 	F 	Jon Bendorf, Mercyhurst
Keaton Mastrodonato, Cansius 	F 	Carson Brière, Mercyhurst
Rookie Team 	  Position   	
Noah West, Robert Morris 	G 	
Brian Kramer, Robert Morris 	D 	
Josef Mysak, Niagara 	D 	
Randy Hernández, Robert Morris 	F 	
Carson Brière, Mercyhurst 	F 	
Austin Heidemann, Mercyhurst 	F 	
===ECAC===
Award 	Award 	Recipient
Player of the Year 	Player of the Year 	Odeen Tufto, Quinnipiac
Best Defensive Forward 	Best Defensive Forward 	Zach Tsekos, Clarkson
Best Defensive Defenseman 	Best Defensive Defenseman 	Pierson Brandon, Colgate
Rookie of the Year 	Rookie of the Year 	Ethan Haider, Clarkson
Ken Dryden Award 	Ken Dryden Award 	Keith Petruzelli, Quinnipiac
Student-Athlete of the Year 	Student-Athlete of the Year 	Kyle Betts, Cornell
Tim Taylor Award 	Tim Taylor Award 	Rand Pecknold, Quinnipiac
Most Outstanding Player in Tournament	Most Outstanding Player in Tournament	David Jankowski, St. Lawrence
All-ECAC Hockey Teams 	All-ECAC Hockey Teams 	All-ECAC Hockey Teams
First Team 	  Position   	Rookie Team
Keith Petruzelli, Quinnipiac 	G 	Ethan Haider, Clarkson
Zach Metsa, Quinnipiac 	D 	Pierson Brandon, Colgate
Connor McCarthy, Clarkson 	D 	Luc Salem, St. Lawrence
Odeen Tufto, Quinnipiac 	F 	Ty Smilanic, Quinnipiac
Zach Tsekos, Clarkson 	F 	Alex Young, Colgate
Cameron Buhl, St. Lawrence 	F 	Greg Lapointe, St. Lawrence
Josh McKechney, Colgate 	F 	
===Hockey East===
Award 	Award 	Recipient
Player of the Year 	Player of the Year 	Spencer Knight, Boston College
Best Defensive Forward 	Best Defensive Forward 	Marc McLaughlin, Boston College
Best Defensive Defenseman 	Best Defensive Defenseman 	Drew Helleson, Boston College
Rookie of the Year 	Rookie of the Year 	Josh Lopina, MassachusettsNikita Nesterenko, Boston College
Goaltending Champion 	Goaltending Champion 	Spencer Knight, Boston College
Len Ceglarski Sportmanship Award 	Len Ceglarski Sportmanship Award 	Patrick Grasso, New Hampshire
Three Stars Award 	Three Stars Award 	Jonny Evans, ConnecticutAidan McDonough, NortheasternMarc McLaughlin, Boston College
Scoring Champion 	Scoring Champion 	Jonny Evans, Connecticut
Charlie Holt Team Sportsmanship Award 	Charlie Holt Team Sportsmanship Award 	Massachusetts
Bob Kullen Award (Coach of the Year) 	Bob Kullen Award (Coach of the Year) 	Jerry York, Boston College
William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player	William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player	Bobby Trivigno, Massachusetts
Hockey East All-Star Teams 	Hockey East All-Star Teams 	Hockey East All-Star Teams
First Team 	  Position   	Second Team
Spencer Knight, Boston College 	G 	Filip Lindberg, Massachusetts
David Farrance, Boston University 	D 	Jordan Harris, Northeastern
Drew Helleson, Boston College 	D 	Zac Jones, Massachusetts
Matthew Boldy, Boston College 	F 	Jackson Pierson, New Hampshire
Jonny Evans, Connecticut 	F 	Zach Solow, Northeastern
Bobby Trivigno, Massachusetts 	F 	Tyce Thompson, Providence
Third Team 	  Position   	Rookie Team
Tomáš Vomáčka, Connecticut 	G 	Drew Commesso, Boston University
Marc Del Gaizo, Massachusetts 	D 	Eamon Powell, Boston College
Matthew Kessel, Massachusetts 	D 	—
Angus Crookshank, New Hampshire 	F 	Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Northeastern
Jáchym Kondelík, Connecticut 	F 	Alex Jefferies, Merrimack
Marc McLaughlin, Boston College 	F 	Josh Lopina, Massachusetts
— 	F 	Nikita Nesterenko, Boston College
— 	F 	Luke Tuch, Boston University
===NCHC===
Award 	Award 	Recipient
Player of the Year 	Player of the Year 	Shane Pinto, North Dakota
Rookie of the Year 	Rookie of the Year 	Veeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State
Goaltender of the Year 	Goaltender of the Year 	Adam Scheel, North Dakota
Forward of the Year 	Forward of the Year 	Shane Pinto, North Dakota
Defensive Defenseman of the Year 	Defensive Defenseman of the Year	Jacob Bernard-Docker, North Dakota
Offensive Defenseman of the Year 	Offensive Defenseman of the Year	Ronnie Attard, Western Michigan
Defensive Forward of the Year 	Defensive Forward of the Year 	Shane Pinto, North Dakota
Scholar-Athlete of the Year 	Scholar-Athlete of the Year 	Kale Bennett, Western Michigan
Three Stars Award 	Three Stars Award 	Ludvig Persson, Miami
Sportsmanship Award 	Sportsmanship Award 	Kevin Fitzgerald, St. Cloud State
Herb Brooks Coach of the Year 	Herb Brooks Coach of the Year 	Brad Berry, North Dakota
Frozen Faceoff MVP 	Frozen Faceoff MVP 	Riese Gaber, North Dakota
All-NCHC Teams 	All-NCHC Teams 	All-NCHC Teams
First Team 	  Position   	Second Team
Adam Scheel, North Dakota 	G 	Ludvig Persson, Miami
Matt Kiersted, North Dakota 	D 	Nick Perbix, St. Cloud State
Ronnie Attard, Western Michigan 	D 	Jacob Bernard-Docker, North Dakota
Shane Pinto, North Dakota 	F 	Veeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State
Jordan Kawaguchi, North Dakota 	F 	Chayse Primeau, Omaha
Nick Swaney, Minnesota–Duluth 	F 	Noah Cates, Minnesota–Duluth
Honorable Mention 	  Position   	Rookie Team
Isaiah Saville, Omaha 	G 	Ludvig Persson, Miami
Brandon Scanlin, Omaha 	D 	Jake Sanderson, North Dakota
Wyatt Kaiser, Minnesota–Duluth 	D 	Wyatt Kaiser, Minnesota–Duluth
Collin Adams, North Dakota 	F 	Veeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State
Cole Koepke, Minnesota–Duluth 	F 	Carter Savoie, Denver
Grant Cruikshank, Colorado College	F 	Riese Gaber, North Dakota
Ethen Frank, Western Michigan 	F 	
===WCHA===
Award 	Award 	Recipient
Player of the Year 	Player of the Year 	Dryden McKay, Minnesota State
Offensive Player of the Year 	Offensive Player of the Year 	Julian Napravnik, Minnesota State
Defensive Player of the Year 	Defensive Player of the Year 	Will Cullen, Bowling Green
Defensive Player of the Year 	Defensive Player of the Year 	Elias Rosén, Bemidji State
Goaltender of the Year 	Goaltender of the Year 	Dryden McKay, Minnesota State
Rookie of the Year 	Rookie of the Year 	Akito Hirose, Minnesota State
Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year	Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year	Zach Driscoll, Bemidji State
Coach of the Year 	Coach of the Year 	Mike Hastings, Minnesota State
Scoring Champion 	Scoring Champion 	André Ghantous, Northern Michigan
Most Outstanding Player in Tournament 	Most Outstanding Player in Tournament 	Ashton Calder, Lake Superior State
All-WCHA Hockey Teams 	All-WCHA Hockey Teams 	All-WCHA Hockey Teams
First Team 	  Position   	Second Team
Dryden McKay, Minnesota State 	G 	Mareks Mitens, Lake Superior State
Will Cullen, Bowling Green 	D 	Colin Swoyer, Michigan Tech
Elias Rosén, Bemidji State 	D 	Will Riedell, Lake Superior State
Brandon Kruse, Bowling Green 	F 	Joseph Nardi, Northern Michigan
Julian Napravnik, Minnesota State 	F 	Nathan Smith, Minnesota State
Connor Ford, Bowling Green 	F 	Ashton Calder, Lake Superior State
Third Team 	  Position   	Rookie Team
Zach Driscoll, Bemidji State 	G 	Rico DiMatteo, Northern Michigan
Akito Hirose, Minnesota State 	D 	Akito Hirose, Minnesota State
Riese Zmolek, Minnesota State 	D 	Jake Livingstone, Minnesota State
Trenton Bliss, Michigan Tech 	F 	Arvid Caderoth, Michigan Tech
André Ghantous, Northern Michigan 	F 	Lukas Sillinger, Bemidji State
Pete Veillette, Lake Superior State 	F 	Tyrone Bronte, Alabama–Huntsville
==See also==
* 2020–21 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
* 2020–21 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
==References==
 
NCAA