FightingFighting SiouxSioux HistoryHistory fighting sioux hockey pioneers By Chuck Johnson Art Foreman of Wahpeton, from the club team, backed Murray in goal and gave North Dakota representation on the original team, Big-time hockey at the University of North Dakota, one of the as did Robert “Monk” Monroe, student manager from Enderlin. most successful Division I programs in the United States, was the This, then, was a pickup team, wearing used UND football jer- product of co-founders, the late Glenn “Red” Jarrett and Calvin seys and other makeshift equipment – but not just any pickup team. Coolidge Marvin. Its first college game was at Michigan, which went on to win Marvin, a Warroad, Minn., native, the first National Collegiate Athletic Association hockey tourna- who died on Sept. 5, 2004, recalled one of ment, the idea of the Michigan coach, Vic Heyliger. The Wolverines their early conversations: “Red said, ‘Cal, lost only two games all season. One of them was the series opener get me a team, and I’ll get you a sched- against UND. The Sioux won, 6-5. Marvin said that he could not ule.’ I said, ‘Red, get me a schedule and recall much about the game or the trip, but he did remember that I'll get you a team.’” Noah scored the winning goal. Both lived up to their promises, and There were not many fans at the Friday game, but the crowd UND now has seven national title banners was huge the second night, when Michigan gained revenge, 5-2. flying in the new Ralph Engelstad Arena. Marvin had an explanation. Only Michigan has more, with nine, and “Before the first game,” he said, “they had never heard of us. the Wolverines won early titles before In fact, the newspaper said that no one was sure which side of the UND’s schedule even qualified the Sioux Mississippi River North Dakota was on. They know now.” Red Jarrett for national competition and considera- That first season, the Sioux played States-Dominion League tion. semipro teams from Grand Forks and Thief River Falls, but they Jarrett, an All-American halfback on UND’s 1930 football also compiled an 8-4 record against top college teams. team, was football coach and athletic director in the spring of 1947 They split two-game series with Michigan, Minnesota and Colorado when he made the move from club hockey. His decision was met College and they won three out of four from Michigan Tech. Home with derision in Grand Forks, on and off the campus. games were played in an unheated building, affectionately as “the People wanted to know why barn.” If the temperature was 20 below zero outside, it felt even UND needed another sport. Were colder inside. not football and basketball – for After the Sioux returned men only at the time – enough? by railroad from the upset of Jarrett went ahead with his Michigan, Marvin recalled a plan, anyway. He talked Fritz history class taught by Elwyn Crisler, the Michigan athletic B. Robinson, later author of director, into a two-game series “North Dakota History”: against the Wolverines, in Ann “The professor said, Arbor at that. Jarrett also lined up ‘History was made over the other established college hockey weekend by our hockey team. programs for the first season – Hockey players, please stand Minnesota, Colorado College and – Mr. Christian . Mr. Noah Michigan Tech. Mr. Marvin.’ It was some- Marvin, meanwhile, worked thing I won't forget.” tirelessly recruiting players from Marvin’s interest in northwestern Minnesota, particu- hockey has been life-long. The Fighting Sioux honor Cal Marvin prior to a game during the 2000-01 season. larly Warroad and Crookston. The For half a century, he ran the Johnson brothers – Russell “Buzz” and Milton “Prince” – were Warroad Lakers, which played and beat Canadian opposition in a already on campus, playing for the semipro Grand Forks Amerks. semipro league. The first indication of his devotion may have been They were listed from Webster, S.D. (NBC anchor Tom Brokaw’s when he enlisted in the U.S. Marines in World War II. On his home town), but they had grown up in Canada, and they could $10,000 GI (government issue) life insurance policy, he listed as skate. beneficiary the indoor ice rink in Warroad. Bob Murray, like Marvin a World War II veteran, was brought The rink was built 50 years later, and it is a fine one. The proj- in to play goalie. He was from Warroad, as were wings Gordon ect, however, did not benefit from Marvin’s insurance policy, which “Ginny” Christian, representing a famous hockey family, and Wes has yet to be cashed in. Marvin was the guiding force in making sure “Frisky” Cole, George Dickinson and Ted Wilson. Standouts from that his home town possessed excellent hockey accommodations. Crookston included center Jim Medved, defenseman John Noah and wing Bill Sullivan. The late Chuck Johnson, a Williston, N.D., native, graduated Marvin, besides serving Coach Don Norman, formerly of from UND in 1948. As a senior at the University, Johnson was the Crookston Cathedral, as an assistant on the ice, was on defense, school's sports information director when UND went big-time in alongside Joe Silovich of Eveleth, Minn., who also played both hockey. He went on to a career in journalism and was a long-time halfback in football and the French horn in the symphony; and the sports editor at the Milwaukee Journal. Johnson moved back to McKinnon brothers, Dan and Paul, of Williams, Minn. Also in the Grand Forks in December 2000 and did front lines were Jim Doyle of Thief River Falls, formerly of volunteer work for the athletic department and the Alumni Warroad; and Bob Krumholz of Hallock. Association and Foundation until his death in January 2005. 84 Thirteen-time WCHA Champions: 1958, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004 und hockey history season with two losses at Michigan to keep the Fighting Sioux from their first NCAA tournament bid. Autumn 1953 – The autumn of 1953 saw the arrival of artificial ice in UND’s Winter Sports Building- or “The Barn” as it was often called - as Sioux hockey was growing in pop- ularity. Jan. 14-15, 28-29, 1954 – Gerald “Spike” Schultz The Winter Sports Building, affectionately referred to as the “Barn,” was stones Michigan Tech with built in 1936. It was originally going to house indoor football and track four consecutive shutouts 5- practices. The unheated barn was home to UND hockey until 1972. 0, 5-0 at Tech and 4-0, 7-0 at UND, in Western Gerald “Spike” Schultz recorded four straight Intercollegiate Hockey shutouts -- all against Michigan Tech -- in 1954. League action. UND a 2-1 first period lead. Whitey White March 15-16, 1958 – sends UND ahead 3-2 midway through the sec- Seven different Sioux score ond period. George Gratton records 24 saves in as UND routs Harvard, 9-1, the Sioux nets. The USSR goalie has 21 stops. in Minneapolis, in its first ever trip to the NCAA semi- March 14-16, 1963 – UND tops host Boston finals. WIHL foe Denver, College 8-2 in the semifinal round of the however, tops the Sioux 6-2 NCAA tournament. Don Stokaluk and Pete in the championship game Stasiuk each notch a pair of goals, while Dave leaving the Sioux players Merrifield, John Sutherland, Al McLean and with unfinished business Ernie Dyda each tally once. Joe Lech makes 18 heading into the 1958-59 saves, while two BC goalies record 43. UND season. races to a 5-2 first period lead over Denver to win its second NCAA title on goals by Don ept. 1946 – The University of North Dakota S Stokaluk, Al McLean, Ernie Dyda, Stokaluk hired John C. (Jamie) Jamieson as hockey March 12-14, 1959 – UND wins its first and Jack Matheson. McLean, who is named coach. Jamieson, a student at the university, led national championship by virtue of two action- tourney MVP, scores the winning goal at 5:01 the first postwar team to a 7-6-0 overall record, packed 4-3 overtime thrillers at RPI in Troy, of the second period to make the final score 6- playing area town and college teams. N.Y. Guy LaFrance’s goal at 4:22 of sudden 5. UND’s Joe Lech makes only 11 saves in the Jamieson’s 19 player squad opened the season death overtime eliminates St. Lawrence in the game, while Rudy Unis of Denver has 32. at home, Jan. 6, 1947, losing to St. Cloud semifinal game. Reg Morelli tallies a pair of Teachers, 8-1. goals, and Art Miller and Ed Thomlinson one each in the St. Lawrence game. Morelli dupli- Jan. 10, 1948 – UND crashes into the big-time cates LaFrance’s OT heroics when he scores at of college hockey when it stuns the Michigan 4:18 of the first overtime period in the champi- Wolverines 6-5 in Ann Arbor. Strong defense onship game against Michigan State, giving the and a pair of goals each from John Noah, Sioux a 4-3 win. The Spartans lead 1-0 after one Gordon (Ginny) Christian and Jim Medved key period, but the Sioux go up 3-1 in the second on the big win. Noah scores the winning goal at goals by Ralph Lyndon, Jerry Walford and Stan 19:14 of the third period. Bob Murray stops 34 Paschke. State ties it late in the third, setting the Michigan shots in the UND nets. stage for Morelli’s dramatic shot over the sprawling Spartan goalie Joe Selinger, who 1951-52 – UND, a charter member of the records 26 saves.