1978–79 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season

The 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began in October 1978 and concluded with the 1979 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 24, 1979 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. This was the 32nd season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 85th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.

Pre-season poll
The top teams in the nation voted on by coaches before the start of the season. The poll was compiled by radio station WMPL.

Final regular season polls
The final top 10 teams as ranked by coaches (WMPL) before the conference tournament finals.

1979 NCAA Tournament
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the season.

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

1979 NHL Entry Draft
† incoming freshman ‡ McDonald had left school mid-season.