2020–21 NCHC season

The 2020–21 NCHC season was the 8th season of play for National Collegiate Hockey Conference and took place during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. The start of the season was delayed until December 1, 2020 and concluded on April 10, 2021.[1] St. Cloud State made its first championship appearance, finishing as the national runner-up.

2020–21 NCHC season
Season2020–21
ConferenceNCHC
DivisionDivision I
Sportice hockey
DurationDecember 1, 2020–
April 10, 2021
Number of teams8
2021 NHL Entry Draft
Top draft pickConnor Kelley
Picked byChicago Blackhawks
Regular Season
Season championsNorth Dakota
Season MVPShane Pinto
Top scorerJordan Kawaguchi
NCHC Tournament
Tournament championsNorth Dakota
  Runners-upSt. Cloud State
Tournament MVPRiese Gaber
Top scorerCollin Adams
Jordan Kawaguchi
NCAA tournament
Bids4
Record5–4
Best FinishRunner-Up
Team(s)St. Cloud State
NCHC seasons
« 2019–20 2021–22 »

Season

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all NCHC teams scrapped their non-conference schedules. The league ended up delaying the start to the season until the beginning of December, 2 months later than usual. All eight member teams began the year playing at the Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska.[2] All games in the month of December were set at the Mavericks' home arena and the pattern for the remainder of the season was set. North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth lived up to their preseason billing while Denver and Western Michigan both eventually fell from the rankings. The later two were quickly replaced by St. Cloud State and Omaha. From the time the clubs returned home in January to the end of the season, very little movement was seen as far as their national rankings.

By the time the conference tournament began, the NCHC was all but guaranteed to receive 4 bids to the NCAA tournament. Even after Omaha was upset in the quarterfinals by Denver, they only fell from 12 to 14 and did end up with one of the final at-large bids. North Dakota, the #1 team for much of the season, received the top overall seed after winning the conference title and opened NCAA play against #16 American International. They did not, however, have the easiest path into the quarterfinals as Duluth ended up getting advanced due to a withdrawal by Michigan.

The NCHC proved to be the strongest conference by having the most teams in every round of the NCAA tournament. One of the biggest games, outside of the championship, was the quarterfinal match between North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth that set a new NCAA record for the longest game in tournament history. The match required 5 extra periods and went on so long that UMD starting goaltender Zach Stejskal had to be replaced due to cramping.[3] The Bulldogs did eventually win the game on a goal by Freshman Luke Mylymok and make their 4th consecutive Frozen Four. While St. Cloud State had a chance to extend the conference's championship run to five, they were defeated in the final by Massachusetts.[4]

Standings
2020–21 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS PT% GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#5 North Dakota †*24185121054.750944729226111457
#2 St. Cloud State24159033045.6257864312011010184
#3 Minnesota Duluth24139212143.597725428151128466
#13 Omaha24149140140.556796926141118581
Denver22912102131.470616024111316766
Western Michigan241011310133.458738425101237789
Colorado College22416202218.27335772341723679
Miami24517201018.25046832551824889
Championship: March 16, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Coaches

Entering the season, Scott Sandelin needed 9 more wins to become 45th coach in NCAA history to record 400 victories for a career.

Records
Team Head coach Season at school Record at school NCHC record
Colorado College Mike Haviland 7 63–136–20 31–95–19
Denver David Carle 3 45–21–11 22–19–8
Miami Chris Bergeron 2 8–21–5 5–16–3
Minnesota Duluth Scott Sandelin 21 391–321–89 94–60–15
North Dakota Brad Berry 6 116–57–23 67–41–13
Omaha Mike Gabinet 4 40–58–8 23–43–6
St. Cloud State Brett Larson 3 43–21–9 29–32–5
Western Michigan Andy Murray 10 157–144–40 70–83–15

Conference tournament
Main article: 2021 NCHC Tournament
Quarterfinals
March 12–13 		Semifinals
March 15 		Championship
March 16
         
1 North Dakota 6
8 Miami 2
1 North Dakota 2*
5 Denver 1
2 St. Cloud State 2
7 Colorado College 1
1 North Dakota 5
2 St. Cloud State 3
3 Minnesota-Duluth 5*
6 Western Michigan 4
2 St. Cloud State 3
3 Minnesota-Duluth 2
4 Omaha 4
5 Denver 5

* denotes overtime periods

NCAA tournament
Main article: 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament

Midwest
March 26, 2021
7:30 PM		(1) North Dakota5 – 1
(4–0, 0–0, 1–1)		(4) American InternationalScheels Arena, Fargo, North Dakota
Attendance: 1,435
Game reference
Adam ScheelGoaliesStefano Durante (20 min)
Jake Kucharski (40 min)		Referees:
Bobby Lukkason
Brady Johnson
Linesmen:
Tyler Landman
Nathan Voll
(Bernard-Docker, Sanderson) Jasper Weatherby (13) – 08:581–0
(unassisted) Jasper Weatherby (14) – GW – 11:542–0
(Kleven, Caulfield) Grant Mismash (10) – 14:163–0
(Gaber, Bast) Collin Adams (12) – 16:224–0
4–157:46 – Tobias Fladeby (10) (Theodore, Callahan)
(Kawaguchi) Collin Adams (13) – 58:085–1
12 minPenalties12 min
33Shots25

After seeding, Michigan, Minnesota Duluth's opponent in the first round, was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 positive tests. UMD was automatically advanced to the second round by a no-contest decision.

West
March 27, 2021
8:00 PM		(1) Minnesota7 – 2
(3–1, 3–0, 1–1)		(4) OmahaBudweiser Events Center, Loveland, Colorado
Attendance: 125
Game reference
Jack LaFontaineGoaliesIsaiah Saville (27:13)
Austin Roden (32:47)		Referees:
Scott Hansen
Holton Walker
Linesmen:
Kevin Briganti
Kyle Richetelle
(Munson, Faber) Mason Nevers (1) – 05:481–0
(Faber, Johnson) Jack Perbix (4) – 15:352–0
(McLaughlin, Walker) Scott Reedy (11) – GW – 17:363–0
3–118:04 – Taylor Ward (12) (Weiss, Scanlin)
(Faber, Meyers) Ryan Johnson (2) – 20:414–1
(LaCombe, Brodzinski) Ben Meyers (12) – 27:135–1
(Ranta, Faber) Mason Nevers (2) – 36:136–1
6–243:05 – Taylor Ward (13) (Weiss, Proctor)
(Nelson, Faber) Sampo Ranta (19) – 44:177–2
2 minPenalties4 min
30Shots28

Northeast
March 27, 2021
1:00 PM		(2) St. Cloud State6 – 2
(0–0, 3–2, 3–0)		(3) Boston UniversityTimes Union Center, Albany, New York
Attendance: 1,136
Game reference
Dávid HrenákGoaliesDrew CommessoReferees:
Colin Kronfrost
Brett DesRosiers
Linesmen:
Sam Shikowsky
Nick Bradshaw
0–120:08 – Wilmer Skoog (4) (Cockerill)
(Walker, Trejbal) Micah Miller (2) – 32:141–1
(Hammer, Kupka) Nick Perbix (7) – 33:292–1
2–235:28 – PP – Jake Wise (9) (Tuch)
(Walker) Easton Brodzinski (12) – GW – 36:003–2
(unassisted) Jami Krannila (11) – SH PS – 44:174–2
(Walker) Easton Brodzinski (13) – 50:045–2
(Bushy, Krannila) Veeti Miettinen (11) – 55:026–2
23 minPenalties21 min
38Shots36

West
March 27, 2021
6:30 PM		(1) North Dakota2 – 3 (5OT)
(0–0, 0–0, 2–2, 0–0, 0–0, 0–0, 0–0, 0–1)		(3) Minnesota–DuluthScheels Arena, Fargo, North Dakota
Attendance: 1,494
Game reference
Adam ScheelGoaliesZach Stejskal (124:37)
Ryan Fanti (17:36)		Referees:
Joe Carusoe
C. J. Hanafin
Linesmen:
Ryan Knapp
Brian Oliver
0–143:21 – Jackson Cates (11) (Lellig, Bender)
0–244:41 – Cole Koepke (14) (unassisted)
(Weatherby, Pinto) Collin Adams (14) – EA – 58:191–2
(Pinto, Kiersted) Jordan Kawaguchi (10) – EA – 59:032–2
2–3142:13 – GW – Luke Mylymok (2) (unassisted)
6 minPenalties6 min
65Shots54

Northeast
March 28, 2021
5:30		(1) Boston College1 – 4
(1–0, 0–3, 0–1)		(2) St. Cloud StateTimes Union Center, Albany, New York
Attendance: 1,136
Game reference
Spencer KnightGoaliesDávid HrenákReferees:
Ryan Sweeney
Mike Schubert
Linesmen:
Joe Sherman
Anthony Valley
(Newhook, Hardman) Matt Boldy (11) – 14:231–0
1–129:21 – Luke Jaycox (1) (Okabe, Krannila)
1–235:15 – GW – Will Hammer (2) (Perbix, Cockrell)
1–339:15 – Nolan Walker (9) (Perbix)
1–459:15 – EN – Micah Miller (3) (Bushy)
2 minPenalties4 min
27Shots36

Frozen Four
April 8, 2021
5:00 PM		(W2) Minnesota State4 – 5
(1–2, 2–1, 1–2)		(NE2) St. Cloud StatePPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 3,660
Game reference
Dryden McKayGoaliesDávid HrenákReferees:
Peter Schlittenhardt
Jeremy Tufts
Linesmen:
Nicholas Briganti
William Kingdon
0–103:18 – PP – Spencer Meier (4) (Okabe, Fitzgerald)
(Hirose, Napravnik) Nathan Smith (8) – PP – 16:091–1
1–216:19 – Kyler Kupka (3) (Walker, Hentges)
1–322:40 – Will Hammer (3) (unassisted)
(Gerads, Carroll) Walker Duehr (10) – 32:072–3
(Morton, Hirose) Nathan Smith (9) – PP – 34:243–3
(Duehr) Dallas Gerads (9) – 44:184–3
4–450:14 – Joe Molenaar (1) (Hammer, Meier)
4–559:06 – GW – Nolan Walker (4) (Donohue, Kupka)
2 minPenalties4 min
29Shots22
April 8, 2021
9:00 PM		(E2) Massachusetts3 – 2 (OT)
(1–1, 0–1, 1–0, 1–0)		(MW3) Minnesota DuluthPPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 3,660
Game reference
Matt MurrayGoaliesZach StejskalReferees:
Brett DesRosiers
Brett Sheva
Linesmen:
Justin Cornell
Pat Richardson
(Kessel, Chau) Zac Jones (9) – PP – 15:331–0
1–117:50 – Tanner Laderoute (3) (Olson, Kelley)
1–231:01 – Cole Koepke (15) (Cates, Swaney)
(Lopina, Trivigno) Anthony Del Gaizo (2) – 48:252–2
(Trivigno, Lopina) Garrett Wait (9) – GW – 74:303–2
2 minPenalties4 min
28Shots38

National Championship
April 10, 2021
7:00 PM		(E2) Massachusetts5 – 0(NE2) St. Cloud StatePPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 3,963
Game reference
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st UMA Aaron Bohlinger (1) – GW Sullivan and Farmer 7:26 1–0 UMA
UMA Reed Lebster (2) Kiefiuk 18:56 2–0 UMA
2nd UMA Philip Lagunov (6) – SH unassisted 25:10 3–0 UMA
UMA Matthew Kessel (10) – PP Chau and Gaudet 33:45 4–0 UMA
3rd UMA Bobby Trivigno (11) Lebster 46:00 5–0 UMA
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st UMA Anthony Del Gaizo Slashing 15:27 2:00
2nd STC Seamus Donohue Tripping 20:24 2:00
UMA Ryan Sullivan Tripping 23:57 2:00
UMA Jake Gaudet Elbowing 30:31 2:00
STC Bench (served by Zach Okabe) Too Many Men 32:35 2:00
3rd None

Statistics

Leading scorers

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes[5]

Player Class Team GP G A Pts PIM
Shane PintoSophomoreNorth Dakota231513282
Nick SwaneySeniorMinnesota Duluth2413142710
Jordan KawaguchiSeniorNorth Dakota237202724
Collin AdamsSeniorNorth Dakota24915248
Jackson CatesJuniorMinnesota Duluth241013234
Chayse PrimeauJuniorOmaha24914232
Veeti MiettinenFreshmanSt. Cloud State241012220
Ronnie AttardSophomoreWestern Michigan24814228
Drew WorradJuniorWestern Michigan24517226
Carter SavoieFreshmanDenver221282023
Tyler WeissJuniorOmaha246142034

Leading goaltenders

Minimum 1/3 of team's minutes played in conference games.
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
Adam ScheelJuniorNorth Dakota2112021631364.9281.80
Ryan FantiSophomoreMinnesota Duluth171027962390.9062.28
Ludvig PerssonFreshmanMiami17926592372.9302.40
Magnus ChronaSophomoreDenver169156100371.9082.43
Dávid HrenákSeniorSt. Cloud State2011611280512.9072.63

Ranking
Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings

USCHO
Team Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Final
Colorado College NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRN/ANR
Denver 545498141617181920NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRN/ANR
Miami NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRN/ANR
Minnesota Duluth 333333445776548109999N/A3
North Dakota 11111433323232221221N/A5
Omaha NRNRNRNR18171111111011991091112111212N/A13
St. Cloud State NRNRNRNR13966646546668887N/A2
Western Michigan 18171717NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRN/ANR

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20. [6]

USA Today
Team Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Final
Colorado College NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNR
Denver 4564871214NRNR15NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNR
Miami NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNR
Minnesota Duluth 33433344587664810999953
North Dakota 1111143332333111122145
Omaha NRNRNRNRNRNR141111911910101012121213121414
St. Cloud State NRNRNRNR1196675655776868732
Western Michigan NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNR

[7]

Awards

NCAA
AwardRecipient
Lowes' Senior CLASS AwardJordan Kawaguchi, North Dakota
AHCA All-American Teams[8]
West First TeamPosTeam
Ronnie AttardDWestern Michigan
Shane PintoFNorth Dakota
West Second TeamPosTeam
Matt KierstedDNorth Dakota
Jordan KawaguchiFNorth Dakota

NCHC
AwardRecipient[9]
Player of the YearShane Pinto, North Dakota
Rookie of the YearVeeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State
Goaltender of the YearAdam Scheel, North Dakota
Forward of the YearShane Pinto, North Dakota
Defensive Defenseman of the YearJacob Bernard-Docker, North Dakota
Offensive Defenseman of the YearRonnie Attard, Western Michigan
Defensive Forward of the YearShane Pinto, North Dakota
Scholar-Athlete of the YearKale Bennett, Western Michigan
Three Stars AwardLudvig Persson, Miami
Sportsmanship AwardKevin Fitzgerald, St. Cloud State
Herb Brooks Coach of the YearBrad Berry, North Dakota
All-NCHC Teams[10][11]
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

Conference tournament
Frozen Faceoff MVP
Riese GaberNorth Dakota
Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team[12]
PlayerPosTeam
Adam ScheelGNorth Dakota
Nick PerbixDSt. Cloud State
Jake SandersonDNorth Dakota
Collin AdamsFNorth Dakota
Gavin HainFNorth Dakota
Riese GaberFNorth Dakota

NCAA tournament
All-Tournament Team
PlayerPosTeam
Nolan WalkerFSt. Cloud State

2021 NHL Entry Draft
Main article: 2021 NHL Entry Draft
Round Pick Player College NHL team
236Shai Buium†DenverDetroit Red Wings
254Jack Peart†St. Cloud StateMinnesota Wild
261Sean Behrens†DenverColorado Avalanche
370Carter Mazur†DenverDetroit Red Wings
380Brent Johnson†North DakotaWashington Capitals
4109Jackson Blake†North DakotaCarolina Hurricanes
4114Redmond Savage†MiamiDetroit Red Wings
4119Joaquim Lemay†OmahaWashington Capitals
4125Cameron Berg†OmahaNew York Islanders
6182Nate Benoit†North DakotaMinnesota Wild
7204Connor KelleyMinnesota DuluthChicago Blackhawks

† incoming freshman [13]

References
  1. "Schedule". NCHC. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  2. "NCHC Will Begin Season in Omaha Bubble". Neutral Zone. October 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  3. "Minnesota Duluth wins epic NCAA hockey game over North Dakota in five overtimes". Star Tribune. March 28, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  4. "St. Cloud State vs UMass Ice Hockey Game Highlights, 2021 NCAA National Championship". YouTube.com. NCAA. April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  5. "Player Stats". HCHC. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  6. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  7. "USA Today Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  8. "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  9. "North Dakota's Berry, Pinto Garner NCHC's Top Honors for 2020-21". NCHC. March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  10. "North Dakota Paces 2020-21 NCHC All-Conference Teams". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  11. "Five Teams Represented on 2020-21 NCHC All-Rookie Team". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  12. "North Dakota Wins 2021 Frozen Faceoff Championship". SB Nation. March 16, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  13. "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
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