Category: ECAC

ECAC category only shows posts related to the ECAC Hockey conference.

Posted on Posted in Colgate Raiders, ECAC
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The 1939-40 college hockey season was a successful one for the Colgate Raiders hockey team. The Raiders won the Lake Placid Invitation Hockey Tournament at the beginning of the new year. After defeating Union on New Year’s Day and then Middlebury the following day, Colgate met MIT in the tournament championship game. It was the third game in three days for both clubs. The thrilling game ended when co-captain Steve Dewey scored a goal in the closing seconds of the second (and final) overtime period to give the Raiders a 5-4 win. The game would have been called a tie if the second overtime period remained scoreless. Harry Wheeler, the other co-captain, received praise for his goal-scoring prowess throughout the season. There were numerous games where he scored the only goals of the game for the Raiders. Wheeler totaled 15 goals and 7 assists by season’s end. Fan-favorite Jack Wells followed with 11 goals and 4 assists. This earned him the lone captaincy the following season. Other notable items from the season included the postponement of three games due to poor ice as well as an exciting Sophomore line that was broken up near the end of the season when two of the three Sophomores dropped out of college halfway through the spring semester. The team lost the final three games of the season after this occurred. There are some discrepancies regarding the final record of the team. After consulting additional sources, we recognize the record of 8-6-0. In the accompanying photo, the 14 members of the 1939-40 Colgate hockey team lined up for the annual team photo that later appeared in the school’s yearbook. The goalies wore different jerseys compared to the rest of the team. Note the different color sweater with numbers on the front compared to the school’s name for the remainder of the team. Looking at it even closer, it appears the number font is different between each goalie.

Photo credit: 1940 Colgate Yearbook

Posted on Posted in ECAC, Harvard Crimson, Hockey East, Northeastern Huskies

In a game that took place nearly three years before the first Beanpot Tournament, Northeastern and Harvard met on the ice on January 16, 1950. Harvard outlasted Northeastern 5-4. It was technically a home game for Harvard even though both teams called Boston Arena their home rink at the time. Harvard would later win the inaugural Beanpot Tournament (then known as the New England Invitational Tournament) between the four Boston teams on December 27, 1952. Northeastern has won the last three Beanpot Tournaments. The 2021 Beanpot championship game would have taken place tonight but the tournament has been cancelled due to COVID. Northeastern will look to make it four in a row in 2022. Despite there only being four teams in the tournament, these two teams have never faced each other in the Beanpot Final.

Photo courtesy of Herb Gallagher, in the Northeastern University Photography records at the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.

Posted on Posted in ECAC, Harvard Crimson
Harvard Stadium hockey in 1920

During the first seven seasons of Harvard hockey, the team primarily played in a rink on Holmes Field when hosting games on campus. Prior to the start of the 1904-05 season, Harvard built two rinks on the field within the newly-created Harvard Stadium. This allowed for considerably more spectators to attend the games. Harvard also charged admission for high-profile games. The Crimson would go on to win the Intercollegiate Hockey Association of America title that year; their third of four championships in a row.

Photo Credit: Harvard Library Archives

Posted on Posted in ECAC, Princeton Tigers
Hobey Baker from a March 2, 1914 issue of the Daily Princetonian

It would be a disservice if the first person to appear within a College Hockey History post wasn’t Hobey Baker. Considered one of the best athletes of his time and the first great American hockey player, Hobey Baker was a three-sport athlete for Princeton between 1911 and 1914. He captained both the hockey and football teams and led them to national championships. The Hobey Baker Award was created in 1981 to be awarded to the most outstanding college hockey player each year. The accompanying photo is from a March 2, 1914, publication of the Daily Princetonian announcing his retirement from college hockey shortly before he graduated. More information about Hobey Baker can be found within his write-up in our U.S. College Hockey History summary.