| Teams | 4 |
|---|---|
| Finals site | |
| Champions | Lowell Chiefs (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Mankato State Mavericks (1st title game) |
| Semifinalists |
|
| Winning coach | Bill Riley Jr. (1st title) |
| MOP | Craig MacTavish (Lowell) |
| Attendance | 3,012 |
The 1979 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 Merrimack College.
The University of Lowell, coached by Bill Riley, won the national title with a 6-4 victory in the final game over Mankato State.
Craig MacTavish, of the University of Lowell, was named the Most Outstanding Player and was the high scorer of the tournament with six points (4 goals, 2 assists).
Due to the lack of conferences and tournaments for western schools the NCAA held a Western 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.
| Regional semifinals | Regional final | ||||||||
| Mankato State | 4 | ||||||||
| St. Cloud State | 3 | ||||||||
| Mankato State | 4 | ||||||||
| Chicago Circle | 4 | ||||||||
| Chicago Circle | 10 | ||||||||
| Hamline | 4 | ||||||||
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Illinois–Chicago | 16–11–1 |
| Lowell | 25–6–0 |
| Mankato State | 24–11–1 |
| Salem State | 23–9–1 |
| National semifinals March 15–16 | National championship March 17 | ||||||||
| Mankato State | 5 | ||||||||
| Salem State | 3 | ||||||||
| Mankato State | 4 | ||||||||
| Lowell | 6 | ||||||||
| Lowell | 10 | ||||||||
| Illinois-Chicago | 6 | Third place | |||||||
| Salem State | 3 | ||||||||
| Illinois-Chicago | 4* | ||||||||
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)