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.
| 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is scheduled to host of the 2021 Frozen Four | |||||
| Duration | November 14, 2020– April 10, 2021 | ||||
| NCAA tournament | 2021 | ||||
| National championship | PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||||
| |||||
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.[1]
Standings
2020–21 Atlantic Hockey Standings | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | OW | OL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #19 American International | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 47 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 32 | |
| Robert Morris | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 54 | 38 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 67 | 51 | |
| Army | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 27 | 27 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 34 | 32 | |
| Mercyhurst | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 40 | 36 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 48 | 50 | |
| RIT | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 26 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 47 | 40 | |
| Bentley | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 21 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 22 | |
| Canisius | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 12 | |
| Niagara | 11 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 32 | 46 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 39 | 53 | |
| Holy Cross | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 31 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 26 | 45 | |
| Sacred Heart | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 33 | |
| Air Force | 10 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 42 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 42 | |
| Championship: † indicates conference regular season champion; * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; Updated January 31, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #4 Minnesota | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 36 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 66 | 26 | |
| #7 Michigan | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 58 | 33 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 58 | 33 | |
| #13 Wisconsin | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 42 | 33 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 57 | 46 | |
| Notre Dame | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 24 | 29 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 40 | 48 | |
| Penn State | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 41 | 52 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 49 | 58 | |
| Ohio State | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 30 | 41 | 16 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 36 | 48 | |
| Michigan State | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 27 | 41 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 30 | 42 | |
| Championship: † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated January 24, 2021 | |||||||||||||||
| Overall record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| Arizona State | 20 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 54 | 89 | |
| Long Island | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 29 | |
| Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated January 29, 2021 | |||||||
2020–21 ECAC Hockey Standings | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #12 Clarkson | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 55 | 45 | |
| #11 Quinnipiac | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 57 | 37 | |
| St. Lawrence | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 24 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 24 | |
| Colgate | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 19 | 26 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 36 | |
| Brown | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Cornell | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Dartmouth | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Harvard | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Princeton | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Rensselaer | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Union | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Yale | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
Championship:  indicates conference regular season champion (Cleary Cup)* indicates conference tournament champion (Whitelaw Cup) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; Updated January 29, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
2020–21 Hockey East Standings | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SOW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #10 Massachusetts | 19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 62 | 36 | 19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 62 | 36 | |
| #1 Boston College | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 53 | 29 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 53 | 29 | |
| #16 Providence | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 41 | 39 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 41 | 39 | |
| Connecticut | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 26 | 48 | 41 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 48 | 41 | |
| #14 Northeastern | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 44 | 35 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 44 | 35 | |
| #15 Boston University | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 25 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 19 | |
| New Hampshire | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 31 | 56 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 31 | 56 | |
| #20 UMass Lowell | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 20 | |
| Maine | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 28 | 43 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 43 | |
| Merrimack | 12 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 27 | 48 | 12 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 27 | 48 | |
| Vermont | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 25 | |
| Championship: TBD - March 2021 indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; Updated February 3, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
2020–21 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standings | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #6 Minnesota–Duluth | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 45 | 34 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 45 | 34 | |
| #5 St. Cloud State | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 54 | 45 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 54 | 45 | |
| #2 North Dakota | 17 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 65 | 33 | 17 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 65 | 33 | |
| #9 Omaha | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 51 | 38 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 51 | 38 | |
| #20 Denver | 16 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 43 | 45 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 43 | 45 | |
| Western Michigan | 18 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 50 | 70 | 18 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 50 | 70 | |
| Colorado College | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 29 | 53 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 29 | 53 | |
| Miami | 17 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 32 | 51 | 17 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 32 | 51 | |
| Championship: indicates conference regular season champion; * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated December 10, 2020 | |||||||||||||||
2020–21 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Standings | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #3 Minnesota State | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 26 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 15 | |
| #8 Bowling Green | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 27 | 14 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 80 | 38 | |
| #18 Michigan Tech | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 34 | 30 | |
| Northern Michigan | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 32 | 56 | |
| Alabama–Huntsville | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 24 | |
| Bemidji State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 29 | |
| Ferris State | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 35 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 35 | 55 | |
| Lake Superior State | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 27 | |
| Alaska | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Alaska Anchorage | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Championship: March 20, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion; * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated January 31, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
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.[2]
| Rank | Team | PWR | RPI | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota State | 60 | .6994* | WCHA |
| 2 | Bowling Green | 59 | .6328* | WCHA |
| 3 | Boston University | 58 | .6218* | Hockey East |
| 4 | Bemidji State | 57 | .6000 | WCHA |
| 5 | Canisius | 56 | .5958 | Atlantic Hockey |
| 6 | Boston College | 55 | .5932* | Hockey East |
| 7 | North Dakota | 54 | .5788 | NCHC |
| 8 | Minnesota | 53 | .5773 | Big Ten |
| 9 | American International | 51 | .5706* | Atlantic Hockey |
| 9 | Michigan Tech | 51 | .5696 | WCHA |
| 11 | Clarkson | 50 | .5523* | ECAC Hockey |
| 12 | St. Cloud State | 49 | .5504 | NCHC |
| 12 | Quinnipiac | 49 | .5487 | ECAC Hockey |
| 14 | Robert Morris | 47 | .5484* | Atlantic Hockey |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 46 | .5427 | Hockey East |
| 16 | Minnesota–Duluth | 45 | .5377 | NCHC |
| 17 | St. Lawrence | 44 | .5350 | ECAC Hockey |
| 18 | Lake Superior State | 43 | .5334 | WCHA |
| 19 | Michigan | 42 | .5292 | Big Ten |
| 20 | Omaha | 41 | .5285 | NCHC |
| 21 | Northeastern | 39 | .5237 | Hockey East |
| 21 | Providence | 39 | .5181* | Hockey East |
| 23 | Massachusetts–Lowell | 38 | .5181 | Hockey East |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 37 | .5173 | Big Ten |
| 25 | Connecticut | 36 | .5089 | Hockey East |
| 26 | RIT | 35 | .5054 | Atlantic Hockey |
| 27 | Colgate | 34 | .5009 | ECAC Hockey |
| 28 | Mercyhurst | 33 | .4994 | Atlantic Hockey |
| 29 | Army | 32 | .4972 | Atlantic Hockey |
| 30 | Notre Dame | 31 | .4941 | Big Ten |
| 31 | Penn State | 30 | .4931 | Big Ten |
| 32 | Denver | 29 | .4865 | NCHC |
| 33 | Long Island | 28 | .4760 | Independent |
| 34 | Michigan State | 27 | .4714 | Big Ten |
| 35 | Arizona State | 26 | .4745 | Independent |
| 36 | Western Michigan | 25 | .4629 | NCHC |
| 37 | Ohio State | 24 | .4492 | Big Ten |
| 38 | Miami | 22 | .4480 | NCHC |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 22 | .4467 | Hockey East |
| 40 | Alabama–Huntsville | 21 | .4409 | WCHA |
| 41 | Sacred Heart | 20 | .4374 | Atlantic Hockey |
| 42 | Maine | 19 | .4341 | Hockey East |
| 42 | Colorado College | 19 | .4284 | NCHC |
| 44 | Holy Cross | 17 | .4241 | Atlantic Hockey |
| 45 | Niagara | 16 | .4210 | Atlantic Hockey |
| 46 | Vermont | 15 | .4133 | Hockey East |
| 47 | Merrimack | 14 | .4119 | Hockey East |
| 48 | Northern Michigan | 13 | .4099 | WCHA |
| 49 | Bentley | 12 | .4048 | Atlantic Hockey |
| 50 | Air Force | 11 | .3731 | Atlantic Hockey |
| 51 | Ferris State | 10 | .3291 | WCHA |
| 52 | Alaska | 0 | .0000 | WCHA |
| 52 | Alaska Anchorage | 0 | .0000 | WCHA |
| 52 | Brown | 0 | .0000 | ECAC Hockey |
| 52 | Cornell | 0 | .0000 | ECAC Hockey |
| 52 | Dartmouth | 0 | .0000 | ECAC Hockey |
| 52 | Harvard | 0 | .0000 | ECAC Hockey |
| 52 | Princeton | 0 | .0000 | ECAC Hockey |
| 52 | Rensselaer | 0 | .0000 | ECAC Hockey |
| 52 | Union | 0 | .0000 | ECAC Hockey |
| 52 | Yale | 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[4] PairWise Rankings were last updated January 29, 2021 | ||||
Player stats
Scoring leaders
Updated as of games played on February 5, 2021.[5]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Class | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Caufield | Sophomore | Wisconsin | 19 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 2 |
| Odeen Tufto | Senior | Quinnipiac | 19 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 12 |
| Brandon Kruse | Senior | Bowling Green | 21 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 16 |
| Linus Weissbach | Senior | Wisconsin | 19 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 0 |
| Shane Pinto | Sophomore | North Dakota | 18 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 2 |
| Alex Steeves | Junior | Notre Dame | 20 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 8 |
| Cameron Wright | Senior | Bowling Green | 21 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 2 |
| Nick Swaney | Senior | Minnesota Duluth | 18 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 8 |
| Jonny Evans | Junior | Connecticut | 16 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 10 |
| Connor Ford | Senior | Bowling Green | 21 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 6 |
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders lead the NCAA in goals against average, minimum 1/3 of team's minutes played.[5]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dryden McKay | Junior | Minnesota State | 10 | 597:13 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 6 | .954 | 0.90 |
| Jack LaFontaine | Senior | Minnesota | 16 | 953:28 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 3 | .948 | 1.38 |
| Zack Rose | Sophomore | Bowling Green | 8 | 476:17 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | .930 | 1.51 |
| Cameron Rowe | Freshman | Wisconsin | 8 | 380:16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | .946 | 1.58 |
| Matt Ladd | Junior | Canisius | 3 | 178:32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | .946 | 1.68 |
| Jake Kucharski | Freshman | American International | 6 | 279:06 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | .908 | 1.72 |
| Jaxson Stauber | Sophomore | Providence | 14 | 853:25 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 25 | 3 | .930 | 1.76 |
| Keith Petruzzelli | Senior | Quinnipiac | 18 | 1073:27 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 32 | 4 | .929 | 1.79 |
| Blake Pietila | Sophomore | Michigan Tech | 11 | 623:22 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 2 | .938 | 1.83 |
| Spencer Knight | Sophomore | Boston College | 10 | 604:51 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 2 | .944 | 1.88 |
See also
- 2020–21 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
- 2020–21 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
References
- "ASU/Big Ten Agree to Schedule Arrangement for 2020-21". thesundevils.com. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- https://www.uscho.com/faq/pairwise-rankings-explanation/
- https://www.uscho.com/rankings/pairwise-rankings/d-i-men/
- https://www.uscho.com/rankings/pairwise-rankings/d-i-men/
- "Men's Division I Hockey 2020-2021 Overall Statistics". uscho.com. January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.