1978 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey tournament

The 1978 NCAA Men's Division II Ice Hockey Tournament involved 4 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college ice hockey. A total of 4 games were played, hosted by American International College.

1978 NCAA Division II men's
ice hockey tournament
Teams4
Finals site
ChampionsMerrimack Warriors (1st title)
Runner-upLake Forest Foresters (1st title game)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJ. Thom Lawler (1st title)
MOPJim Toomey (Merrimack)
Attendance2,409

Merrimack, coached by Thom Lawler, won the national title with a 12–2 victory in the final game over Lake Forest.

Jim Toomey, of Merrimack, was named the Most Outstanding Player and was the high scorer of the tournament with seven points (1 goal, 6 assists).

Qualifying teams

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Due to the lack of conferences and tournaments for western schools the NCAA held a regional tournament to help select teams for the national tournament. The western regional tournament is not considered as part of the NCAA championship but is included here for reference. No automatic bids were offered.

Western Championship Tournament

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Regional semifinals Regional final
      
  Mankato State 7
  Illinois–Chicago 3
  Mankato State 2
  Lake Forest 5
  Lake Forest 5
  St. Cloud State 1

National Tournament Teams

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Team Record
Elmira 26–4–0
Lake Forest 22–4–0
Merrimack 19–9–2
Mankato State 16–15–1

Bracket

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National semifinals
March 16–17
National championship
March 18
      
  Merrimack 6
  Mankato State 1
  Merrimack 12
  Lake Forest 2
  Lake Forest 4
  Elmira 1 Third place
  Mankato State 5
  Elmira 3

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

  • G: Gilles Moffet (Merrimack)
  • D: Dean Fraser (Merrimack)
  • D: Ron Bisplinghoff (Elmira)
  • F: Jim Toomey* (Merrimack)
  • F: John Kenney (Elmira)
  • F: John Pratt (Lake Forest)
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  • "NCAA Record Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved April 13, 2016.