Thursday night hockey: 1965 style
First Vermont hockey game at AIC Jan 15, 1965 The Morning Union (Springfield, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com Note: this article was inspired by a social media post from the Vermont men’s hockey team about the program’s first Thursday night hockey game.
The Vermont men’s hockey team was in its second season of existence when it traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts, to play its first Thursday night hockey game in program history. The Catamounts and American International College had played just once beforehand with that first game taking place the previous season in Burlington, Vermont. This Thursday night conference game in Massachusetts was played January 14, 1965 at the Eastern States Coliseum. The teams were both a part of the ECAC 2 in its inaugural year of operation after splitting off from the ECAC. It was also at the onset of the NCAA College Division – the precursor to Division II.
The Aces – as the American International College hockey team was referred to in its earlier years – avenged their prior loss in Vermont with an 8 to 3 win over the Catamounts in the weeknight game. Sophomore Bobby Coutts scored five of his team’s eight goals and had a hat trick before the first period was over. Flash forward nearly 62 years and the Vermont Catamounts are playing in the program’s 63rd Thursday night hockey game tonight. It’s once again in Massachusetts and also against a conference opponent, but this time the opponent is Boston College.