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1964–65 Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey season

The 1964–65 Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey team represented Michigan Tech University in college ice hockey. In its 9th year under head coach John MacInnes the team compiled a 24–5–1 record and reached the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in its history. The Huskies defeated Boston College 8–2 in the championship game at the Meehan Auditorium in Providence, Rhode Island.

1964–65 Michigan Tech Huskies
men's ice hockey season
National champion
WCHA Tournament, champion
1965 NCAA Tournament, champion
Conference2nd WCHA
Home iceDee Stadium
Record
Overall24–5–2
Conference12–5–1
Home11–2–1
Road11–3–1
Neutral2–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachJohn MacInnes
Captain(s)Al Holm[1]
Alternate captain(s)Pete Leiman
Rick Yeo
Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey seasons
« 1963–64 1965–66 »

Season

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With the last remnants of their first national championship team having graduated over the summer, John MacInnes moved Michigan Tech into a new era. With only six returning players from the year before, the Huskies were one of the least-experienced teams in the country (at last as far as college hockey) but the 1963 recruiting class would turn out to one of the best in history. With two good sophomore goaltenders to choose from, MacInnes decided to platoon his two netminders, allowing them to share the starting role and keep them well-rested throughout the season. With virtually no senior leadership on the team (both seniors were depth-players) all three captain roles were taken by juniors.

Michigan Tech began their season at home against Waterloo Lutheran (now called Wilfrid Laurier), winning both games easily, before travelling to Ontario to take on two senior teams and came away with two wins despite a scare in the second match. At the beginning of December MTU opened their conference schedule against North Dakota, taking both games against the Fighting Sioux and pushing their record to 6–0. Two weeks later the Huskies travelled to Grand Forks where UND repaid the favor by winning both of their home games to tie the two teams in the WCHA standings.[2]

After the winter break Michigan Tech returned to the ice with pair of series against Minnesota–Duluth beginning with a road trip to Duluth. The Bulldog had been improving since becoming a top-tier program in 1961, producing their first winning campaign this season, but they were unable to stop the Huskies in any of the four games. The scored for all the matches were fairly close but MTU returned to their conference schedule with a 10–2 record, looking for a chance to head back to the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan Tech began a two-week road trip against Minnesota, splitting the series with the Golden Gophers, and ended by taking three points against last season's Runner-Up, Denver. MTU finished out the month of January at home against Michigan, but could only manage a split against the defending national champions. With a pedestrian 5–4–1 WCHA record Michigan Tech was in danger of dropping out of conference playoff contention and unless they finished in the top four in the conference they wouldn't have the change to make the NCAA Tournament.

MTU opened February with their 17th annual Winter Carnival, hosting Colorado College and winning two very important games. The next week they played host to Denver, who were themselves in danger of missing the WCHA Tournament, and earned a split with the Pioneers. Michigan Tech ended their regular season with another two-week road trip, playing both Michigan and Michigan State. While there was a chance that the Huskies could have been pushed out of the playoff picture at the outset, the Huskies took both games against the Spartans to guarantee themselves a postseason berth. While North Dakota was too far in front for them to catch, Michigan Tech could still gain home ice in the first round of the WCHA Tournament and with two wins against the Wolverines that's exactly what they did.

Michigan Tech opened their conference tournament against Minnesota with a 8–4 win, putting their opponents in a deep hole. The Huskies played safer in the second match, holding the Golden Gophers to 3 goals to earn a tie and win the total-goal series 11–7. The WCHA had changed the tournament schedule that year to have the championship game the week after the First Round rather than the day after. The extra time allowed Michigan Tech to rest and not have to rush 500 miles overnight so when they took on the Fighting Sioux they were ready for the fifth meeting between the two and were able to constrain one of the top offenses in the country to 4 goals while scoring s times themselves to win their second WCHA championship. Because the WCHA would change the playoff format the following season, Michigan Tech was the last solitary tournament champion for twelve seasons and were the last program to win the MacNaughton Cup as the postseason champion (the trophy would revert to a regular season championship trophy in 1966).[3]

As the WCHA Champion Michigan Tech was given the top western seed and opened the 1965 NCAA Tournament as the home team despite playing in the home building of their opponent, Brown. The Huskies didn't give the partisan crowd much to cheer about, scoring twice in the first while holding the Bears to 8 shots. Rick Best held Brown scoreless for the entire game, earning the first ever shutout in tournament history[1] while Senior Fred Dart scored twice to send MTU to their fourth championship game. Despite the shutout, MacInnes continued his goaltender rotation and put future Hall of Famer Tony Esposito in net against ECAC champion Boston College and, while Tony O kept BC off the scoresheet until late in the second, the Huskies as a whole were more than a match for the Eagles. Michigan Tech set a new championship record by scoring the first six goals of the game, a mark that has only been equaled one other time (by Michigan Tech in 1975) as of 2018. Five players combined for the six goals with only tournament MOP Gary Milroy scoring twice. BC's first goal came on a 5-on-3 power play but the game was in hand by that point and the two teams played out the final period without too much fanfare as MTU won the national championship.

Due to their thoroughly dominating performance in the two games, Michigan Tech tied a record by placing five players on the All-Tournament first team: Tony Esposito, Dennis Huculak, Pete Leiman, Gary Milroy and Wayne Weller. Only Esposito was named to AHCA All-American West Team and the All-WCHA First Team while Huculak and Milroy made the WCHA Second Team. Milroy finished second on the team in scoring, behind fellow sophomore Wayne Weller, and was named as the WCHA Sophomore of the Year.[4]

Standings

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1964–65 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings
Conference Overall
GP W L T PCT GF GA GP W L T GF GA
North Dakota† 16 13 3 0 .813 75 48 33 25 8 0 184 106
Michigan Tech* 18 12 5 1 .694 78 47 31 24 5 2 153 82
Minnesota 18 10 8 0 .556 86 78 28 14 12 2 137 121
Michigan State 14 7 7 0 .500 69 61 29 17 12 0 165 118
Michigan 18 7 11 0 .389 68 94 26 13 12 1 110 122
Denver 12 4 7 1 .375 34 37 28 18 8 2 144 74
Colorado College 16 2 14 0 .125 51 96 25 7 17 1 96 132
Championship: Michigan Tech
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion

Schedule

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Date Opponent# Rank# Site Result Record
Regular Season
November 20 vs. Waterloo Lutheran* Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan W 6–1  1–0
November 21 vs. Waterloo Lutheran* Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan W 9–3  2–0
November 25 at Port Arthur Bearcats* Port Arthur, Ontario W 8–3  3–0
November 27 at Red Rock Royals* Red Rock, Ontario W 4–3  4–0
December 4 vs. North Dakota Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan W 3–2 OT 5–0 (1–0)
December 5 vs. North Dakota Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan W 5–2  6–0 (2–0)
December 18 at North Dakota Winter Sports Building • Grand Forks, North Dakota L 1–2  6–1 (2–1)
December 19 at North Dakota Winter Sports Building • Grand Forks, North Dakota L 3–6  6–2 (2–2)
January 1 at Minnesota–Duluth* Duluth Curling and Skating Club • Duluth, Minnesota W 6–3  7–2 (2–2)
January 2 at Minnesota–Duluth* Duluth Curling and Skating Club • Duluth, Minnesota W 4–3  8–2 (2–2)
January 8 vs. Minnesota–Duluth* Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan W 4–2  9–2 (2–2)
January 9 vs. Minnesota–Duluth* Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan W 5–4  10–2 (2–2)
January 15 at Minnesota Williams Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota W 4–1  11–2 (3–2)
January 16 at Minnesota Williams Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota L 4–5  11–3 (3–3)
January 22 at Denver DU Arena • Denver, Colorado W 3–2  12–3 (4–3)
January 23 at Denver DU Arena • Denver, Colorado T 3–3 OT 12–3–1 (4–3–1)
January 29 vs. Michigan Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan W 10–2  13–3–1 (5–3–1)
January 30 vs. Michigan Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan L 1–2  13–4–1 (5–4–1)
February 5 vs. Colorado College Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan (Winter Carnival) W 3–1  14–4–1 (6–4–1)
February 6 vs. Colorado College Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan (Winter Carnival) W 10–1  15–4–1 (7–4–1)
February 12 vs. Denver Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan L 1–3  15–5–1 (7–5–1)
February 13 vs. Denver Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan W 3–0  16–5–1 (8–5–1)
February 19 at Michigan State Demonstration Hall • East Lansing, Michigan W 4–3  17–5–1 (9–5–1)
February 20 at Michigan State Demonstration Hall • East Lansing, Michigan W 5–4  18–5–1 (10–5–1)
February 26 at Michigan Weinberg Coliseum • Ann Arbor, Michigan W 7–2  19–5–1 (11–5–1)
February 27 at Michigan Weinberg Coliseum • Ann Arbor, Michigan W 8–2  20–5–1 (12–5–1)
WCHA Tournament
March 5 vs. Minnesota* Weinberg Coliseum • Ann Arbor, Michigan (WCHA First Round Game 1) W 8–4  21–5–1 (12–5–1)
March 6 vs. Minnesota* Weinberg Coliseum • Ann Arbor, Michigan (WCHA First Round Game 2) T 3–3  21–5–2 (12–5–1)
March 13 at North Dakota* Winter Sports Building • Grand Forks, North Dakota (WCHA championship) W 6–4  22–5–2 (12–5–1)
NCAA Tournament
March 18 vs. Brown* Meehan Auditorium • Providence, Rhode Island (National Semifinal) W 4–0  23–5–2 (12–5–1)
March 20 vs. Boston College* Meehan Auditorium • Providence, Rhode Island (National championship) W 8–2  24–5–2 (12–5–1)
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll.
Source:

[1]

Roster and scoring statistics

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No. Name Year Position Hometown S/P/C Games Goals Assists Pts PIM
12 Wayne Weller Sophomore F Toronto, ON   31 24 23 47 28
14 Gary Milroy Sophomore C Toronto, ON   29 17 29 46 8
20 Al Holm Junior F Rossland, BC   31 20 21 41 32
9 Rick Yeo Junior F Port Arthur, ON   31 19 15 34 10
18 Colin Patterson Sophomore F Kimberley, BC   31 11 19 30 12
7 Bob Toothill Sophomore F Winnipeg, MB   30 14 13 27 23
15 Bob Wilson Sophomore F Toronto, ON   31 12 12 24 10
8 Steve Yoshino Sophomore F Winnipeg, MB   31 8 14 22 6
6 Pete Leiman Junior D Cranbrook, BC   29 5 15 20 71
3 Dennis Huculak Sophomore D Edmonton, AB   31 4 16 20 34
11 Fred Dart Senior F Lindsay, ON   23 9 9 18 8
4 Terry Ryan Junior D Kirkland Lake, ON   31 1 15 16 82
5 Bruce Riutta Sophomore D Hancock, MI   31 2 12 14 12
19 Ed Caterer Sophomore F Toronto, ON   31 4 2 6 14
11 Dave Confrey Sophomore F Winnipeg, MB   16 2 0 2 6
17 Bob Brooks Sophomore W Winnipeg, MB   4 1 0 1 0
16 Roy Heino Senior F Port Huron, MI   5 0 1 1 0
21 Tom Steele Sophomore D New Liskeard, ON   5 0 1 1 2
2 Mike Gorman Sophomore D Houghton, MI   16 0 1 1 16
10 Joe Galetto Sophomore F Laurium, MI   1 0 0 0 0
1 Rick Best Sophomore G Winnipeg, MB   14 – – – –
1 Tony Esposito Sophomore G Sault Ste. Marie, ON   17 – – – –
Total 153 218 371 374

[5]

Goaltending statistics

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No. Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
1 Tony Esposito 17 1021 – – – 40 415 1 .912 2.35
1 Rick Best 14 840 – – – 42 350 1 .893 3.00
Total 31 – 24 5 1 82 – 0 – –

1965 championship game

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E1 Boston College vs. W1 Michigan Tech

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March 20[6] Boston College 2 – 8 Michigan Tech Meehan Auditorium


Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st MTU Gary Milroy Weller 7:28 1–0 MTU
MTU Wayne Weller Milroy and Holm 13:12 2–0 MTU
MTU Bob Wilson – GW PP Leiman and Yeo 18:56 3–0 MTU
2nd MTU Colin Patterson Wilson and Yeo 22:13 4–0 MTU
MTU Fred Dart Yoshino and Toothill 23:37 5–0 MTU
MTU Gary Milroy – PP Riutta and Huculak 34:58 6–0 MTU
BC E. J. Breen – PP Toran 37:24 6–1 MTU
MTU Wayne Weller Milroy 39:26 7–1 MTU
3rd BC Jim Mullen Dyer and Dunniff 46:02 7–2 MTU
MTU Bob Wilson unassisted 57:58 8–2 MTU
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st MTU Terry Ryan Holding 6:00 2:00
BC John Moylan Cross–Checking 6:00 2:00
MTU Colin Patterson Cross–Checking 8:47 2:00
MTU Ed Caterer Tripping 10:52 2:00
BC Woody Johnson Elbowing 16:57 2:00
2nd BC Francis Kearns Interference 24:02 2:00
MTU Dennis Huculak Holding 32:04 2:00
BC Jim Mullen Illegal Check 34:23 2:00
MTU Gary Milroy Slashing 36:06 2:00
MTU David Confrey Charging 36:41 2:00
MTU Wayne Weller Tripping 39:32 2:00
MTU Al Holm Roughing 39:32 2:00
BC Woody Johnson Roughing 39:32 2:00
3rd BC Ralphy Toran Slashing 42:08 2:00
BC Francis Kearns Elbowing 50:47 2:00
MTU Dennis Huculak Slashing 50:47 2:00
MTU Terry Ryan Tripping 54:17 2:00

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Michigan Tech Hockey 2009-10 Media Guide". Michigan Tech Huskies. Retrieved February 9, 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ "North Dakota Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Julien, Connie. "MacNaughton Cup Winners". Copper Country Hockey History. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  4. ^ "WCHA Awards". College Hockey Historical Archive. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  5. ^ "Michigan Tech Huskies 1964-65 roster and statistics". EliteProspects. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  6. ^ "Michigan Tech 2009-10 Hockey Yearbook". Michigan Tech Huskies. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
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