The following is the CCHA tie-breaker procedure as of February 16, 2002.

The following tie-breaker procedure is followed by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in the event that two, or more, teams accumulate the same number of points from the regular-season schedule of twenty-eight games.

The team accumulating the greatest number of points in regular season contests shall be the CCHA champion, and shall receive the CCHA Championship Trophy. If two or more teams are tied for the Championship, they shall be considered co-champions. The CCHA Championship Trophy shall be awarded, and positions for the CCHA Playoff Tournament determined, according to the following procedure.

• Most league wins.
• Head-to head record (in conference games).
• Goal differential in head-to-head games.
• Record (winning percentage) vs. other CCHA teams (in conference games) beginning with first place.
• Coin toss.

Tie-breaker number four will come into play if Michigan and Michigan State finish the regular season with identical records. They have, after all, skated to a 3-3 tie on October 6, 2001 and a 1-1 tie on January 19, 2002, which fails to break the deadlock on tie-breakers number two and three. The determining factor becomes the respective records of Michigan and Michigan State against the team that finishes third in the standings. Michigan has a superior winning percentage to Michigan State against Alaska Fairbanks (.750 to .500) and Nebraska-Omaha (.875 to .000) but the nod goes to the Spartans over the Wolverines in winning percentage against Northern Michigan (1.000 to .000).

There has been a tie atop the standings at the conclusion of the regular season on two previous occasions in the 31-year history of the CCHA. In 1972, Ohio State was declared the regular-season champion based on outscoring St. Louis University 17-12 during a regular season series split. In 1996, Lake Superior and Michigan finished with identical records of 22-6-2 with the Lakers declared the regular-season champion based on defeating the Wolverines 2-1 in the season series. Michigan State and Western Michigan finished tied for third that year, one point out of the top spot with the Spartans awarded the third seed for the playoffs based on having one more win than the Broncos, 22 to 21, during the regular season.