The 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 1980–81 season in men's ice hockey for teams in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the championship game, held in Duluth, Minnesota.
Tournament bracket
The quarter-finals were two-game total-goals series. The semi-finals and finals were single elimination games.
Tournament bracket
The quarter-finals were two-game total-goals series. The semi-finals and finals were single elimination games.
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
| Clarkson | 2 | 6 | 8 | |||||||||
| Wisconsin | 3 | 6 | 9 | |||||||||
| Wisconsin | 5 | |||||||||||
| Northern Michigan | 1 | |||||||||||
| Northern Michigan | 7 | 3 | 10 | |||||||||
| Cornell | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||
| Wisconsin | 6 | |||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | |||||||||||
| Minnesota | 9 | 5 | 14 | |||||||||
| Colgate | 4 | 4 | 8 | |||||||||
| Minnesota | 7 | Third place | ||||||||||
| Michigan Tech | 2 | |||||||||||
| Providence | 3 | 5 | 8 | Michigan Tech | 5 | |||||||
| Michigan Tech | 7 | 6 | 13 | Northern Michigan | 2 | |||||||
All-tournament team
- Goaltender
- Marc Behrend, Wisconsin Badgers
- Defencemen
- Mike Knoke, Minnesota Golden Gophers
- Tim Watters, Michigan Tech Huskies
- Forwards
- Steve Bozek, Northern Michigan Wildcats
- Aaron Broten, Minnesota Golden Gophers
- John Newberry, Wisconsin Badgers