2009-10 WCHA MEN’S YEARBOOK WCHA HISTORY MICHIGAN TECH AND COLORADO COLLEGE GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN 1960’S WESTERN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION ACTION 97 2009-10 WCHA MEN’S YEARBOOK THE WESTERN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION STORY CELEBRATING 57 YEARS OF HISTORY, TRADITION & SUCCESS percentage. Michigan, however, under the redoubt- THE FIRST 50 YEARS able Heyliger, captured the national title for the third straight time and fourth in the event’s first six years by John Gilbert by beating Minnesota 7-3 in the NCAA final. For Year Three in 1953-54, the fledgling league look back through the history of the Western changed its name to the Western Intercollegiate Collegiate Hockey Association is filled with Hockey League (WIHL), and Minnesota won the A spectacular achievements and stunning title again, with a 16-3-1 record (22-5-1 overall), as surprises. It is a league that produced so many Mayasich won his second straight league scoring highlights that it took 51 years for the WCHA to title with 29-49–78, matching his sophomore points. celebrate its first 50 years. Again, however, the Gophers came up short in the The answer to that trivia quiz-level puzzle is that national tournament, this time beating Boston the league didn’t play as a league for the 1958-59 College 14-1 in the semifinals, only to lose 5-4 in season, so it took 51 years to play 50 seasons. And, the overtime to RPI in the 1954 title match. WCHA celebrated its 50th anniversary throughout As a senior in 1954-55, Mayasich scored 41-39–80 the 2002-03 season, which was the 50th year since the for his third straight league scoring title, giving him original Midwest Collegiate Hockey League was first a four-year total of 144 goals, 154 assists and 298 transformed into the Western Intercollegiate Hockey points, a mark that still stands in the Gopher record League (WIHL) and then re-named the WCHA. books. But winning league and national titles were Confusing? Maybe. Dominant? Definitely. elusive for Minnesota, and Colorado College returned There have been national collegiate hockey to the league pinnacle in 1955, although the Tigers championship tournaments since 1948, when Michi- again lost to Michigan, 5-3, in the national champion- gan beat Dartmouth for the title at Colorado Springs. ship. The first 10 national tournaments were held at the Michigan followed up by winning both the league figure-skating arena adjacent to the Broadmoor Hotel and national crowns in 1955-56, with Michigan Tech in Colorado Springs, Colo., a wide but short rink that the runner-up in both. The Wolverines outgunned became legendary as the Broadmoor World Arena. Tech 7-5 for the title, after depending all season on Michigan took third and Colorado College fourth in the stout goaltending of Lorne Howes, who had a1.90 1949, with Colorado College winning the national goals-against mark in 22 games. John Andrews of CC title in 1950, and Michigan regaining the throne in won the league scoring title with 27-25–52, edging 1951. North Dakota’s Bill Reichart and Tech’s Jack McManus Officially, the WCHA goes back to the fall of 1951, by one point. when Michigan coach Vic Heyliger coaxed his peers Nobody had a knockout punch like Mayasich, into organizing something called the Midwest Col- but Colorado College countered with a “Haymaker,” legiate Hockey League. Michigan, Michigan State, of its own, as Bill Hay supplanted Mayasich as the Michigan Tech, Minnesota, North Dakota, Denver most prolific league scorer. Hay led CC to the league and Colorado College were the original entrants. title in 1956-57 for the second time in three years, So in the annals of national championships, charter but this time they also tacked on the NCAA crown, members Michigan actually had two and CC one overrunning Michigan 13-6 in the title game. Reichart before the league even began. (24-16–40) beat teammate Jim Ridley and Hay for the In those days, the Midwest Collegiate league was league scoring title. filled with colorful characters. Colorado College won Hay led the WIHL in scoring the next year, in the first league title with a 10-2 record under coach 1957-58, with 16-32–48, but North Dakota, behind Cheddy Thompson, while Denver and Michigan Bob Peabody’s league-leading goalie play, won the tied for second at 9-3. But Michigan, which was 22-4 league. Coach Murray Armstrong’s Denver outfit overall, went on to win its second of three consecutive rose from third place to sting the Sioux 6-2 in the national titles by beating CC in the final,right there NCAA final, as the tournament left what had been on the Tigers home ice at the Broadmoor. its only home at the Broadmoor for Williams Arena Colorado College forwards Tony Frasca, league MINNESOTA LEGEND JOHN MAYASICH IN 1950’S WCHA ACTION AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE in Minneapolis. scoring champion Ron Hartwell (40-27–67) and Difficult as it is to believe, hockey types sometimes Omer Brandt swept the leagueπs first all-star spots, School, who was just starting to carve out a Hall-of- streak that earned a 16-4 record (22-5 overall). The disagree, and hassles within the elite seven-team and were joined by Tigers goalie Ken Kinsley, while Fame college career with the Gophers by scoring 32 legendary John Mariucci replaced Doc Romnes to WIHL led to the league disbanding for the 1958-59 Denver defensemen Eddie Miller and Don Burgess goals and assisting on 30 more for 32-30–62 rookie coach his first season that year, and while Mayasich filled out the first team. Lurking on the second team, points, in a 13-13 season. scored an improbable 42-36–78 to top league scor- however, was a freshman at Minnesota named John Mayasich led the Gophers to the second con- ers, teammate Jim Mattson also was the top goalie BELOW: WCHA ACTION BETWEEN NORTH DAKOTA Mayasich, a legendary scorer from Eveleth High ference title in 1952-53, with a 10-game winning with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .910 saves AND MINNESOTA IN THE EARLY 1950’S. 98 2009-10 WCHA MEN’S YEARBOOK HISTORY OF THE WCHA VIC HEYLIGER JOHN MATCHEFTS BILL STEENSON COLORADO COLLEGE WON THE WCHA CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1952 AND 1957 AND THE NCAA CROWN IN 1957. AL RENFREW REG MORELLI MURRAY ARMSTRONG season, only to reform as the Western Collegiate Pioneers. John MacInnes lured a goaltender named Hockey Association one year later. Meantime, league Garry Bauman to Houghton, where Lou Angotti and cohesiveness or not, the West prevailed nationally a herd of other blue-chippers made Michigan Tech a freshmen from the virtual professional breeding In the 1962-63 regardless, as North Dakota went to the NCAA tour- major threat. Michigan had Gordon ‘Red’ Berenson ground of Canadian junior hockey was dominating season, Denver (12-6-0) and North Dakota (11-5-2) nament in Troy, N.Y., and beat Michigan State 4-3 in and later Gordon Wilkie and Gary Butler, while Min- U.S. college teams comprised of high school gradu- shared rights to the MacNaughton Cup, and the overtime in the 1959 title game. nesota followed the Ken Yackel era with a defenseman ates who come to college at age 18. Mariucci stressed Fighting Sioux settled the matter where it mattered Armstrong’s Denver dynasty took command named Lou Nanne, who led the league in scoring. that the trend precluded the development of U.S. most, by beating Denver in the NCAA final. Denver when the WCHA played its first official season in Bauman was All-WCHA goalie for three straight talent. For his efforts, Mariucci is widely credited for beat North Dakota 5-4 in overtime for the WCHA 1959-60, the Pioneers winning both the league and seasons, beginning in 1961-62 when the Huskies disrupting the WCHA by refusing to play Denver’s playoff crown, but North Dakota reversed it to win NCAA titles behind Bill Masterton’s scoring, Marty made old Dee Stadium on Houghton’s riverfront rock Canadian-filled club. Privately, though, John gave the national title 6-5 in Boston. Minnesota came in Howe’s defense and George Kirkwood’s goaltending. with a 17-3 championship ledger, and a 29-3 overall full attribution for that move to Minnesota athletic fourth at 10-7-3 behind Tech as Nanne (9-23–32) Michigan Tech and North Dakota were the closest mark. Michigan finished 15-3 (22-5 overall) behind director Marsh Ryman, who ultimately decreed that became the first defenseman to ever lead the league challengers, and Tech battled the Pioneers to the Berenson’s 24-17–41 scoring title. The NCAA final four Minnesota would not schedule Denver. in scoring. Nanne was a rare Minnesota recruit from national finals before yielding 5-3 at Matthews Arena – a term commonly used for hockey in those years So the league sputtered along on a percentage Canada, and Mariucci, who also had brought in Mur- in Boston. Masterton, who won the league scoring – was in Utica, N.Y., but the West inflicted its usual basis instead of points because of an imbalance of ray Williamson, a Canadian who gained All-American title at 17-27–44, helped Denver post a 27-4-3 overall superiority. Tech beat St. Lawrence 6-1, although games, with some entrants refusing to play others. honors, said he always tried to have a Canadian on record. Masterton returned for the 1960-61 term, on what some veteran observers claimed was the greatest Denver team ever.