UND finished the regular season with a 28 – 5 – 3 record , winning the NCHC regular season title . Seeded first in the NCHC Tournament , the Fighting Hawks swept the first-round series with Colorado College , before losing to Minnesota – Duluth in the semifinals . UND entered the NCAA Tournament as the 3rd overall seed , and top seed in the Midwest Regional . In the first round , they defeated Northeastern , and topped Big Ten champion Michigan in the regional final . At the Frozen Four in Tampa , UND defeated conference foe and West Regional champion Denver on a Nick Schmaltz goal with 56 seconds remaining in regulation . The Fighting Hawks faced Quinnipiac in the final , and easily won 5 – 1 to claim the school 's 8th National Championship and first since 2000
NCHC Tournament
2016 NCHC Tournament
2015–16 North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey season