Colorado College 13 - Michigan 6
CC Honors 1957 National Championship Team
50th Anniversary Today
(left) Bill "Red" Hay was a CC All-American in 1956 & '57.
Today is the 50th Anniversary 0f Colorado College's last national championship hockey team.
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Three weeks ago Colorado College honored a dozen of the 15 living members from Colorado College’s 1956-57 team at a reception at Cheyenne Mountain Resort .
The Tigers, who also won the national championship in 1950, defeated Michigan 13-6 in the ’57 title game at The Broadmoor Ice Palace. CC hasn’t won another national title.
The team’s captain, Don Wishart, and Bill “Red” Hay addressed the 110-person crowd, along with current athletic director Julie Soriero, coach Scott Owens and president Richard Celeste.
Other members of the 1956-57 team in attendance were Bob Southwood, Ron Villenueve, Murray Dea, Ron Raughlin, Bob McCusker, George deRappard, Gary Hughes, Gerry Capello, Harley Patterson and manager Peter Gazzola.
Owens marveled at the former Tigers’ ability to build upon a 6-4 second-period lead with seven third-period goals.
“You were really able to pour it on,” Owens said. CC, which advanced to the championship game with a 5-3 win against Clarkson, leaned on its offense that season, said Wishart, a defenseman.
“They only had to flood one end of the ice between periods,” added Hay, referring to the Clarkson game in which CC held a 60-21 shot advantage.
The majority of the team worked at the Ice Palace or a grocery store to supplement their scholarships, which were funded largely by financial contributions from the El Pomar Foundation and private citizens.
“We all thank CC for the education and general knowledge we gained while residing in Colorado Springs in the 1950s,” Wishart said. “All of us have been successful in our own chosen way.”
A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Hay recalled how he and McCusker, who had four goals and two assists in the championship game, hitchhiked to CC and arrived at the start of the 1956-57 school year.
McCusker still holds records for most goals (47) and hat tricks (seven) in a season, both established during the Tigers’ championship run. The 1956-57 team also was recognized with a standing ovation during the first intermission of Saturday’s game between the Tigers and Denver Pioneers.
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