2021 WCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament

The 2021 WCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 62nd and final tournament in the history of the men's Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The tournament was held between March 12 and March 20, 2021. Quarterfinal games were played on home campus sites while semifinal- and championship-round games were held at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, the home venue for Minnesota State. By winning the tournament, Lake Superior State received the WCHA's automatic bid for the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

After the 2020–21 season, the men's WCHA disbanded after seven of its members left to reestablish the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Two other members dropped men's hockey after the season. The WCHA remains in operation as a women-only league.[1]

Format

The first round of the postseason tournament featured a best-of-three games format, while the semifinals and final were single games held at the campus site of the highest remaining seed. The top eight conference teams participated in the tournament. Teams were seeded No. 1 through No. 8 according to their final conference standings, with a tiebreaker system used to seed teams with an identical number of points accumulated. The higher seeded teams each earned home ice and hosted one of the lower seeded teams.[2]

Conference standings

Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#4 Minnesota State14131011039561527225110046
#14 Lake Superior State *149502202739342919738663
#18 Bowling Green14851020274634312010110867
#10 Bemidji State1485132024423429161038270
Michigan Tech1477010020383530171217863
Northern Michigan14671221204047291117179103
Alabama–Huntsville143110100818492231813180
Ferris State1401310113285925123155103
Alaska0---------0-----
Alaska Anchorage0---------0-----
Championship: March 20, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Bracket

  Quarterfinals
March 12–14
Semifinals
March 19
Championship
March 20
                               
  1 Minnesota State 3 3 1 Minnesota State 1  
8 Ferris State 0 1 6 Northern Michigan 5  
  2 Lake Superior State 6 4
7 Alabama-Huntsville 1 1     6 Northern Michigan 3
  2 Lake Superior State 6
  3 Bowling Green 3 5 1
6 Northern Michigan 4 0 5
  4 Bemidji State 3 4 2 Lake Superior State 4
5 Michigan Tech 1 1 4 Bemidji State 1  

Note: * denotes overtime periods

Results

(1) Minnesota State vs. (8) Ferris State

March 12, 2021
6:07 PM
Minnesota State3 – 0
(0–0, 0–0, 3–0)
Ferris StateMayo Clinic Health System Event Center, Mankato, Minnesota
Attendance: 250
March 13, 2021
4:07 pm
Minnesota State3 – 1
(0–0, 1–0, 2–1)
Ferris StateMayo Clinic Health System Event Center, Mankato, Minnesota
Attendance: 250
Minnesota State Won Series 2–0

(2) Lake Superior State vs. (7) Alabama–Hutsville

March 12, 2021
7:07 PM
Lake Superior State6 – 1
(2–0, 4–1, 0–0)
Alabama–HutsvilleTaffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Attendance: 0
March 13, 2021
5:07 pm
Lake Superior State4 – 1
(0–0, 3–1, 1–1)
Alabama–HutsvilleTaffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Attendance: 0
Lake Superior State Won Series 2–0

(3) Bowling Green vs. (6) Northern Michigan

March 12, 2021
7:00 PM
Bowling Green3 – 4
(1–0, 0–4, 2–0)
Northern MichiganSlater Family Ice Arena, Bowling Green, Ohio
Attendance: 630
March 13, 2021
7:07 PM
Bowling Green3 – 4
(2–0, 0–0, 3–0)
Northern MichiganSlater Family Ice Arena, Bowling Green, Ohio
Attendance: 630
March 14, 2021
5:07 PM
Bowling Green3 – 4
(0–2, 1–1, 0–2)
Northern MichiganSlater Family Ice Arena, Bowling Green, Ohio
Attendance: 630
Northern Michigan Won Series 2–1

(4) Bemidji State vs. (5) Michigan Tech

March 12, 2021
7:07 PM
Bemidji State3 – 1
(2–1, 1–0, 0–0)
Michigan TechSanford Center, Bemidji, Minnesota
Attendance: 250
March 13, 2021
6:07 PM
Bemidji State4 – 1
(0–1, 2–0, 2–0)
Michigan TechSanford Center, Bemidji, Minnesota
Attendance: 250
Bemidji State Won Series 2–0

(1) Minnesota State vs. (6) Northern Michigan

March 19, 2021
2:07 PM
Minnesota State1 – 5
(0–1, 0–4, 1–0)
Northern MichiganMayo Clinic Health System Event Center, Mankato, Minnesota
Attendance: 250

(2) Lake Superior State vs. (4) Bemidji State

March 19, 2021
7:37 PM
Lake Superior State4 – 1
(1–0, 2–0, 1–1)
Bemidji StateMayo Clinic Health System Event Center, Mankato, Minnesota
Attendance: 250

(2) Lake Superior State vs. (6) Northern Michigan

March 20, 2021
7:07 PM
Lake Superior State6 – 3
(2–0, 2–1, 2–2)
Northern MichiganMayo Clinic Health System Event Center, Mankato, Minnesota
Attendance: 250

Tournament awards

Most Outstanding Player

Ashton Calder (Lake Superior State)
[3]

References

  1. Christensen, Joe (July 2, 2021). "WCHA's men's hockey era officially ends after 70 years". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  2. "WCHA Postseason Tournament". wcha.com. February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  3. "Minnesota State's Mike Hastings Wins 2021 Spencer Penrose Award". WCHA. April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
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