Sault Ste. Marie is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populated city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette. It is the primary city of the Sault Ste. Marie, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Chippewa County and had a population of 36,785 at the 2020 census. Sault Ste. Marie was settled by mostly French colonists in 1668, making it the oldest city in Michigan.
Clarence "Taffy" Abel Arena is a 4,000-seat hockey arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on the campus of Lake Superior State University. It is home to the Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey team of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The arena is part of the Norris Center student athletic complex, which was built in 1976 and includes the 2,500-seat Cooper Gymnasium and other sports facilities for the school. The arena itself dates back to 1976; it was renovated and remodeled to its current larger form in the summer of 1995 following the Lakers' run of three national championships and eight straight NCAA tournament appearances, which continued into the first year of the arena. It was named after American ice hockey player Clarence "Taffy" Abel, who was born in Sault Ste. Marie. It was the only on-campus hockey arena in the United States which has a seating capacity greater than the enrollment of the school for which it is used, until the completion of Colorado College's Ed Robson Arena in 2021.
Ronald Herbert Mason was a Canadian ice hockey player, head coach, and university executive. A head coach of various American universities, most notably Michigan State University (MSU), he was the most successful coach in NCAA ice hockey history between 1993 and 2012 with 924 wins, until Jerry York became the new winningest coach with his 925th career win on December 29, 2012. Mason was athletic director at MSU from 2002 to 2008. He then served as senior advisor for the USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks. On December 2, 2013, Mason was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Rick Comley is a former collegiate ice hockey player and former head coach at Michigan State University. He finished his 38-year coaching career with a 783–615–110 (.556) record. In 2007, he became the third coach in NCAA history to win a national championship at two different schools. Comley is currently serving in his second stint as the athletic director at Northern Michigan University, hired in 2022.
Jeffery L. Jackson is an American ice hockey coach and currently is head coach at the University of Notre Dame. Previously, he was the head coach at Lake Superior State University, where he won two NCAA championships in ice hockey. He has also been an assistant coach with the New York Islanders and head coach for the Guelph Storm.
The Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Lake Superior State University. The Lakers are a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). They play at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
The Bemidji State Beavers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Bemidji State University. The Beavers are a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and play at Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota, as of the 2010 season, after previously playing at the John S. Glas Field House.
The Lake Superior State Lakers are the athletic teams that represent the Lake Superior State University, located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Lakers compete as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for 12 of 13 varsity sports, with the men's hockey team playing in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Lakers have been members of the GLIAC since 1972.
Joseph R. Shawhan is an American ice hockey head coach who is currently leading the program at Michigan Tech.
The 1968 NAIA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament involved four schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1968 tournament was the first men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on March 8, 1968, and ended with the championship game on March 9.
The 1969 NAIA men's ice hockey tournament involved four schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1969 tournament was the second men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on March 7, 1969, and ended with the championship game on March 8.
The 1971 NAIA men's ice hockey tournament involved four schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1971 tournament was the third men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on March 6, 1971, and ended with the championship game on March 7.
The 1972 NAIA men's ice hockey tournament involved four schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1972 tournament was the fifth men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on March 4, 1972, and ended with the championship game on March 5.
The 1973 NAIA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament involved six schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1973 tournament was the sixth men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on March 1, 1973, and ended with the championship game on March 3.
The 1974 NAIA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament involved six schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1974 tournament was the seventh men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on March 1, 1974, and ended with the championship game on March 3.
The 1976 NAIA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1976 tournament was the ninth men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on February 27, 1976 and ended with the championship game on March 1, 1976.
The 1977 NAIA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1977 tournament was the tenth men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on February 25, 1977 and ended with the championship game on February 27, 1977.
The 1981 NAIA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1981 tournament was the 15th men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on March 5, 1981 and ended with the championship game on March 7, 1981.
The 1983 NAIA men's ice hockey tournament involved four schools playing in single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of men's NAIA college ice hockey. The 1983 tournament was the 16th men's ice hockey tournament to be sponsored by the NAIA. The tournament began on February 25, 1983 and ended with the championship game on February 25, 1983.
The 1991–92 Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey team represented the Lake Superior State University in college ice hockey. In its 2nd year under head coach Jeff Jackson the team compiled a 30–9–4 record and reached the NCAA tournament for the sixth time. The Lakers defeated Wisconsin 5–3 to win the championship game at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York.
