The 1997-98 Yale men's ice hockey team concluded its season with a 4-0 loss to Ohio State on March 27 in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.
Only 12 teams in the country qualified for the tournament, which determines the national collegiate champion. The Bulldogs' appearance in the tournament was only the second in the University's history, having previously participated in the tournament in 1951-52.
Yale earned a berth in the tournament by winning the regular season championship of the Eastern College Athletic Association conference with a 17-4-1 record. Yale had never won the ECAC regular season crown since joining the conference in 1962.
The hockey team also won the Ivy League title with a record of 7-2-1. It was Yale's first Ivy crown since the 1991-92 season, and only its second Ivy championship in 17 seasons.
Yale placed three players -- senior Ray Giroux, junior Alex Westlund and sophomore Jeff Hamilton -- on the six-member all-ECAC team. Giroux also won ECAC Player of the Year honors and Tim Taylor was named the conference's Coach of the Year.
Yale finished the year with an overall record of 23-9-3, including a mark of 13-1-3 at Ingalls Rink. On their home ice, the Bulldogs outscored their opponents by 69-30 and drew a record average of 3,117 spectators to each game.