So a few numbers to make us feel worse...! :)

Only Michigan State, in 1966, had a lower winning % for a champion, .552 versus UMDs .602. Michigan State actually had a losing record in the WCHA that season before getting hot and winning both the WCHA playoff and then their 2 NCAA tournament games.

UMD had more losses (16) than any other national champion. Wisconsin in 1981 and Minnesota in 1976 had 14. Providence (2015) and Michigan state (2007, 1966) won titles with 13 losses.

Scott Sandelin knows how to coach in the NCAA tournament, though, that's for sure. During his career at UMD he has a winning % of .521 in regular season and WCHA/NCHC playoff games. In the NCAAs it is an astounding .739.

In the 53 seasons of the NCAA tournament before Sandelin arrived in Duluth, UMD made the NCAA tournament just 4 times. In Sandelin's 18 years at UMD they have made the NCAAs 8 times, won 2 titles and made 2 other FFs.

His teams have won at least one game in the NCAAs in each of the 8 seasons they've been selected for the tournament. In the 16 team era (first year 2003) 49 current teams and one defunct program have made at least one NCAA tournament. Only 3 other teams have at least one win in each year they've made the NCAAs, UMass Lowell (5 times),Ferris State (3) and UMass (1). To make this crapshoot of a tournament 8 times and win at least once every single time is remarkable.