2003 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
2003 Frozen Four logo
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| Teams | 16 |
|---|---|
| Finals Site | |
| Champions | Minnesota (5th title) |
| Runner-Up | New Hampshire (2nd title game) |
| Semifinalists | |
| Winning coach | Don Lucia (2nd title) |
| MOP | Thomas Vanek Minnesota |
| Attendance | 111,224 |
The 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. The tournament began on March 28, 2003, and ended with the championship game on April 12. A total of 15 games were played. 2003 was the first year 16 teams were invited to the tournament and was the first expansion of the tournament since 1988 when it increased from eight to 12 teams. The first and second rounds of the 2003 tournament were divided across four regional sites, an increase from the two regional format in place since 1992.
The University of Minnesota, coached by Don Lucia, won its fifth NCAA title (7th overall) with a 5-1 victory in the final game over the University of New Hampshire, coached by Dick Umile. Minnesota became the first team to successfully defend their title since Boston University won back-to-back titles in 1971 and 1972.
Minnesota forward Thomas Vanek was named the Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player.
The at-large bids and seeding for each team in the tournament was announced on March 23, 2003. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) had five teams receive a berth in the tournament, Hockey East had four teams receive a berth in the tournament, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) had three teams receive a berth in the tournament, the ECAC had two berths, while both the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and College Hockey America (CHA) received one bid for their tournament champions.
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