The tournament was played between March 8 and March 24, 2012, at campus locations and at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

The tournament was won by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish—winning the Mason Cup and earning the CCHA's automatic bid into the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

In the first round the sixth and eleventh, seventh and tenth, and eighth and ninth seeds as determined by the final regular season standings played a best-of-three series, with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, the highest and lowest seeds and second-highest and second-lowest seeds played a single game, with the winner advancing to the championship game.

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against * Most Valuable Player(s)[4] [5]