1988 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
| Teams | 12 |
|---|---|
| Finals Site | |
| Champions | Lake Superior State (1st title) |
| Runner-Up | St. Lawrence (2nd title game) |
| Semifinalists | |
| Winning coach | Frank Anzalone (1st title) |
| MOP | Bruce Hoffort Lake Superior State |
| Attendance | 27,582 |
The 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, the 41st such tournament in NCAA history. It was held between March 18 and April 2, 1988, and concluded with Lake Superior State defeating St. Lawrence 4-3 in overtime. All First Round and Quarterfinals matchups were held at home team venues with the 'Frozen Four' games being played at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York.
For the first time the NCAA tournament was expanded to 12 teams (four more than the previous seven years) partially as a result of an increasing number of programs as well as two additional conferences being created in the interim.
This was the first tournament to include an independent school since 1960, more than a year before the ECAC was founded.
The NCAA permitted 12 teams to qualify for the tournament and divided its qualifiers into two regions (East and West). Each of the tournament champions from the four Division I conferences (CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and WCHA) received automatic invitations into the tournament with At-large bids making up the remaining 8 teams. The NCAA permitted one Independent team to participate in the tournament and placed it in the western bracket with the intention to place an additional independent in the eastern regional in 1989. As a result, the two western conferences (WCHA and CCHA) would split only three open spots as opposed to the East's four open spots.
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