Wisconsin 's win brought the crown back to the WCHA for the first time in four seasons and started a five-year run of western dominance where no eastern team could even make the title match . Dean Talafous scored both game-winning goals for the Badgers as well as notching the tying marker in the semifinal so it came with no surprise that he was named as the tournament 's Most Outstanding Player . Along with Talafous , Jim Makey , John Taft and Stan Hinkley were named to the All-Tournament Team After the tournament had ended the NCAA wanted to enforce a new policy that would make students who had played for Canadian junior team ineligible as they received a nominal stipend for room and board which the NCAA considered a payment making those players professionals . To ease the transition the NCAA told the universities that they wanted their programs to declare their own players ineligible and afterwards the NCAA would restore status to the players , effectively ' grandfathering ' in the prohibition on major junior players . While most teams , including Wisconsin , acquiesced to the NCAA , Denver refused to follow suit and had their players not only ruled ineligible but their participation in the 1973 tournament vacated
Most Outstanding Player
List of NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Tournament Most Outstanding Player
1972–73 Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey season