DU Claims 1969 National Championship
From: University of Denver Magazine by Mike Flanagan
By 1969, DU owned college hockey. From Boston to the deep frozen ground of Minnesota, from the proud Ivy League to the barren landscape of North Dakota, the Pioneers were anticipated with appropriate dread. The Pioneers were coming for you.
Wonder coach Murray Armstrong was at the top of his game, his message resounding with authority and experience: As an individual player you might match up to your opponent, and then again, you might not. As a team, a true team, you could beat anyone.
Heading into the 1969 season, Armstrong was aiming for his ninth 20-win season.
"We had a great nucleus," recalls Tom Miller, BSCE '69, who played center. "Ten guys came in as freshmen and played all the way through. We went into games thinking we were going to win."
As juniors in 1967-68, they posted a 28-5-1 record, finishing first in the WCHA. From there, they were off to the NCAA tournament in Duluth, Minn., where they socked Boston College (4-1) and North Dakota (4-0) to win the national championship.
Repeating seemed a bit of a reach at the opening of the 1968-69 season, with the Pioneers dropping their first two encounters with North Dakota. Still, with standouts Keith Magnuson (defenseman), George Morrison (wing), Craig Patrick (wing), and goalie Gerry Powers, losing didn't become a habit.
In January, February and March of '69, the team went 19-3. The Pioneers finished second in the WCHA with a 14-6 conference record.
With four teams left in the final weekend of the NCAA tournament, Harvard shocked DU with a goal in the first thirty seconds, but in the second period DU unleashed hell on the Harvard goalie. The final score: DU 9, Harvard 2.
DU moved to the final battle for the NCAA title on March 15, facing Cornell, which had just beat Michigan Tech 4-3 in overtime.
DU wing Tom Gilmore popped one past Cornell's goalie in the first two minutes. The game was 1-1 after the first period. The second period quickly evolved into a contest of goaltending heroics. On a DU power play, Morrison pushed one into the corner of the goal. But, Cornell snuck one past Powers during a two-on-one break.
It was tied again (2-2) until the third period when center Bob Trembecky scored. Then, Miller delivered the knockout on a rebound. With less than two minutes left in the contest, Cornell scooted another goal past Powers. A Tim Gould rebound shot squirted past the Cornell defense, missing the empty net by inches. Denver was called for icing, the final ten seconds ticked off, and the game was over: DU 4, Cornell 3.
The victory fell on page seven of The Clarion, while draft-card burners made the front page. Another DU hockey championship was as normal as the Yankees in the World Series.
At 26-6, Armstrong had his 20 games and a few to spare.
Wonder coach Murray Armstrong was at the top of his game, his message resounding with authority and experience: As an individual player you might match up to your opponent, and then again, you might not. As a team, a true team, you could beat anyone.
Heading into the 1969 season, Armstrong was aiming for his ninth 20-win season.
"We had a great nucleus," recalls Tom Miller, BSCE '69, who played center. "Ten guys came in as freshmen and played all the way through. We went into games thinking we were going to win."
As juniors in 1967-68, they posted a 28-5-1 record, finishing first in the WCHA. From there, they were off to the NCAA tournament in Duluth, Minn., where they socked Boston College (4-1) and North Dakota (4-0) to win the national championship.
Repeating seemed a bit of a reach at the opening of the 1968-69 season, with the Pioneers dropping their first two encounters with North Dakota. Still, with standouts Keith Magnuson (defenseman), George Morrison (wing), Craig Patrick (wing), and goalie Gerry Powers, losing didn't become a habit.
In January, February and March of '69, the team went 19-3. The Pioneers finished second in the WCHA with a 14-6 conference record.
With four teams left in the final weekend of the NCAA tournament, Harvard shocked DU with a goal in the first thirty seconds, but in the second period DU unleashed hell on the Harvard goalie. The final score: DU 9, Harvard 2.
DU moved to the final battle for the NCAA title on March 15, facing Cornell, which had just beat Michigan Tech 4-3 in overtime.
DU wing Tom Gilmore popped one past Cornell's goalie in the first two minutes. The game was 1-1 after the first period. The second period quickly evolved into a contest of goaltending heroics. On a DU power play, Morrison pushed one into the corner of the goal. But, Cornell snuck one past Powers during a two-on-one break.
It was tied again (2-2) until the third period when center Bob Trembecky scored. Then, Miller delivered the knockout on a rebound. With less than two minutes left in the contest, Cornell scooted another goal past Powers. A Tim Gould rebound shot squirted past the Cornell defense, missing the empty net by inches. Denver was called for icing, the final ten seconds ticked off, and the game was over: DU 4, Cornell 3.
The victory fell on page seven of The Clarion, while draft-card burners made the front page. Another DU hockey championship was as normal as the Yankees in the World Series.
At 26-6, Armstrong had his 20 games and a few to spare.
2 comments:
The fourth team in the 69 NCAA's was Michigan Tech not Michigan State.
Thanks Anon. The readers of this blog have a sharp eye. :-)
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