Snoopy Senior Tourney Is Annual DU Reunion

(above) The championship winning DU Alumni Team will have plenty of bragging rights at DU Hockey's 60th Anniversary

Editor's Note: The final installment of LetsGoDU's four-part series focuses on the common bonds that exist between the upcoming 60th anniversary reunion of DU Hockey and the Snoopy Tournament. Included are thoughts from all of the alumni players from this year’s Snoopy team. Thanks again to DJ Powers who has given us this wonderful glimpse into DU's rich hockey tradition.

Exclusive to LetsGoDU
By DJ Powers
Staff Writer - NCAA
Hockey's Future (http://www.hockeysfuture.com)
Future Considerations (http://www.futureconsiderations.ca)

This October, the University of Denver will celebrate 60 years of Pioneers hockey. While this reunion celebration spans the entire history of the program and takes place about once every ten years, another DU hockey reunion takes place every July in Santa Rosa, CA. called the Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament (aka The Snoopy Tournament).

The commonality between the Pioneers hockey 60th anniversary reunion and the Snoopy Tournament are the many alumni involved. All of the alumni who participate in the Snoopy Tournament played under the legendary Murray Armstrong and some were even members of DU’s earliest NCAA Championship teams.

Of the 15 players who donned the crimson and gold jersey at the Snoopy Tournament this year, nine were DU alumni.

The Snoopy Tournament, in many ways, is an annual reunion to the men who participate in it each year. It is about being reunited with a fellow Pioneer and being with family. To understand just how close these men are, all you have to do is watch how they interact with one another – both on and off the ice. It is a fraternity that is unlike any other.

“This (Snoopy Tournament) for us is so special,” said Wayne Smith. “This is our group in our particular period, so we have great, close relationships within this particular group and so this almost serves as our annual get-together for a reunion.”

All nine alumni players gave their personal insights into what the 60th anniversary reunion means to them at last month’s Snoopy Tournament. While not all of them will be attending the October celebration, most will.

“Well we’re looking forward to the 2009 reunion,” Norm Kvern glowingly intoned. “It’s the 60th anniversary of DU hockey and we’re encouraging all alumni, their spouses, and their friends to please come out and have a great time because it’s going to be a wonderful reunion and be a lot of fun for everybody. We live in Denver, so we’ll host anybody and a cocktail party too. We’ll share a few cold beers at the Campus Lounge, the Stadium Inn and where ever else that may be required.”

“I’ll be there at the reunion and very much looking forward to it,” added Bill Pettinger. “I booked it about three months ago and just really looking forward to getting reacquainted with all of the guys.”

What makes reunions such as these so special are the many fascinating, humorous and heart-warming stories. Simply put, even the best writers in the world could never dream up most of this stuff. When you hear the stories, you also see the emotions too, whether it’s about the newest word that Murray Armstrong had put into their vocabulary or going back to the day that Keith Magnuson was taken from them.

“I think it’s wonderful that so many of the people are getting together again and having a lot of fun and recounting old tales, past glories and the humorous moments,” said Smith. “Whether I’ll be there or not, I don’t know right now, but we kind of think that we will be. We may make a special trip to Denver because that’s where our children and grandchildren are, so we may work something out depending on what our schedules are. We’d like to be there.”

Players such as Ron Grahame are even making it a family affair.

“I will be at the reunion with my wife, Charlotte and my son, Jason, who graduated in ’03. 60 years is pretty special. I’m hoping that there are a lot of DU alums that will come back and kind of get to get reacquainted with each other and find out what everybody is doing. I think it’ll feel like people never left and that they do come back. It would be very special if they would do that. I don’t think there are any real goals, other than the fact of trying to get alumni back to the campus who haven’t been there for a long time to see the campus and just to get reacquainted. I don’t think there’s anything that’s special about what the alumni in 60 years are trying to do for the current program, but it’s going to be nice because it’s during the season. They can see a game and see how the game has changed.”

The reality that this particular group will dwindle in the coming years is something that they have all accepted and try not to think about. And it is also an indication that these reunions in Denver will see fewer of the original Pioneers in the years to come as well.

““I think it’s great because when we get to this age, we get to see these eight or nine guys that we don’t get to see that don’t still play hockey,” said Wayne Wiste. “So going back there and seeing everybody for the last time will be great because we all have our health going down and it may have something working with me too. So that’s why I’m really anxious to be going back, to see some of those guys that I haven’t seen in a long time.”

“I hope to see a lot of people that I really don’t know like people from the 60’s to today and the people that were there before us, so I hope a lot of people will show up,” added John MacMillan. “It may cause a lot of camaraderie that may not be there simply because I don’t know anybody that played in the 70’s and might know some of the guys that played on the early teams, the really early teams, but I don’t know. A lot of those guys are gone or not doing well (health-wise). I think it could be a lot of fun, which may cause what Donny (Cameron) is trying to build here (at the Snoopy Tournament), and really support the team for Gwozdecky there.”

One player who will not be attending the 60th anniversary reunion is defenseman Bob Peers, but he also has a pretty good reason too.

“I think that’s great to have a program that is as strong as it has been over that period of time. I think Michigan is the one program that we look at record-wise that have achieved a similar thing, but Michigan is also a bigger school. I think the University of Denver on a whole, for a relatively small school to have national champions, a hockey scene and what they’ve had is a major accomplishment. I think the recognition that it’s getting is really great, but I’m not going. Dolli’s mother is having her 100th birthday that same weekend. So that’s important to both of us.”

All of the alumni on the DU Snoopy Tournament team know just how much work and how many people were involved in making the upcoming 60th anniversary reunion celebration possible, and players such as Jim Wiste and Don Cameron wanted to be sure to acknowledge some of them.

“There’s a lot to coordinate that people don’t realize that goes into it and yet it’s only for two or three days,” explained Wiste. “So I’m looking forward to it. Peg (Bradley-Doppes) has been so helpful and the school has been unbelievable. They should be thanked for it because they have spent so much for everything and have helped us so much. I think that should be put across. Ronnie Grahame has helped a lot and he’s with the university. George has given us ice time too. They could just say to us “do what you have to do,” but they’ve done more than that and I think that’s important. That’s also what makes us feel good and makes us want to do things for them as well.

"We’re going to see guys that we haven’t seen in a long time. I’m going to meet players that I’ve never met that played for DU. I think our tradition is there. Here at the Snoopy Tournament we’re known as the University of Denver team and 80 to 90 percent of our players are from DU. I was just talking with some people and I was telling them that I think what helps an organization is their tradition, whether it be pro or just college. The schools that seem to do well have good traditions and I think that’s so important down the line when you look at a Notre Dame or a Michigan."

"Michigan might be our rivals (at the Snoopy Tournament), but you have to respect them for their tradition. We have that too and we want to continue it. I’m from Saskatchewan, so the day that I came down here I was a young boy from a small town who was all of a sudden in Denver. I’ve made my home here and my life has changed. When you look back at it, Murray always said “things will never be the same for you because you’re going to change, whether it be hockey or your life or your style or things like that.” So I think these are things that we don’t have enough time to go over in every respect because you’re thinking about things like the friendships. I think the biggest thing is that you don’t see players in a long time and they’re like brothers. I think the DU tradition is one of the strongest in hockey. If not, we’re in the top five and we’re on the map. I think hockey put DU on the map.”

“I’m really looking forward to it, added Cameron. “The people behind it have worked really, really hard. Most of the alumni have been back at one time or another, but this one is covering a lot of years. So it’ll be interesting. They’ll be some things that I’m sure will happen, like the 60s teams will gather, and the teams before us and the teams after us will gather too. And then there will be times when we all will get together. One of the beauties about DU hockey is that it spans so many years. We certainly know the names of the guys from the 50s and we’ve met most of them. They would maybe able to relate to us a little bit. We would be able to relate to the guys after us and they relate back to us, so after awhile it’s just that same ‘ol thing. It’s that common bond and the pride of playing in a great program. You also get see everyone in person at DU. So when we have the reunion it will be quite nice.”

While the upcoming 60th anniversary reunion is sure to rekindle and even begin new friendships between the many generations of players who will be present, it will also remind us all of the importance of preserving a cherished and illustrious tradition that is known as DU hockey.

In some ways, the Snoopy Tournament serves as an endearing albeit little known testament to that tradition. And as long as DU continues to have teams in the tournament, the past will continue to live on and come to life with those who make the pilgrimage to California each summer to participate in this very unique hockey reunion.

Bob Peers: A True Denver Pioneer

(above) DU Alum Bob Peers with wife Dolli

Editors Note - The third chapter of our four-part series focuses on one of the more inimitable players on the DU's 60 year & over Alumni team – Bob Peers. The Manitoba native takes us through his life as a DU Pioneer and along the way, he shares his wonderfully entertaining stories about virtually everything from how he came to meet then marry his lovely wife, Dolli, to the notorious 1965-66 regular season game at Colorado College that almost caused a riot and a great story about Murray Armstrong's famous hats.

Exclusive to LetsGoDU
By DJ Powers
Staff Writer - NCAA
Hockey's Future (http://www.hockeysfuture.com)
Future Considerations (http://www.futureconsiderations.ca)

Defenseman and DU Alum Bob Peers is certainly one of a kind.

He is as volatile on the ice as he is pleasant off of it. And he has become a master of sorts of the one-line zingers.

Oh, and he’s quite proud of being a Denver Pioneer too.

Peers attended the University of Denver from 1962-1966, and began his DU playing career in his Sophomore year. He amassed 58 points (25 goals, 33 assists) in 84 career games, along with 114 penalty minutes. So just how did Peers come to play for DU?

“At the time when I was growing up, there was only one Junior “A” league across Canada. So I played my last two years of high school with the Manitoba Junior League with a team called the St. Boniface Canadiens. At that time it was also prior to the draft as well, so you’re owned by whatever (NHL) team that sponsored that junior team. At that time, St. Boniface was sponsored by Boston. You don’t have any choice as to who you belonged to. But the choices that you do have were you either go into their system or you could go to college. So as soon as I finished high school, I wanted to go to college for whatever reasons and there were a lot of things that just kind of went into that makeup. I wanted to go to college and I wanted to go to Denver, and I’m not sure why because you’re pretty unsophisticated at that time. There wasn’t back then what there is in recruiting today. I let it be known that I wanted to go there, so Murray Armstrong came up to Winnipeg and watched me play. He then came over to my house and sat down with my folks and everything and offered me a full ride the following year. So graduating from high school then going to college was just a really smooth transition for me. It was pretty good. We had a fairly large freshman class that year and we lived in the dorms. I had four roommates and one of them was Norm Kvern. He came out of Flin Flon. Then there was Andy Herrebout and Miles Gillard, who also played in Flin Flon, and Dave Paderski was from Flin Flon, but played in Estevan (Saskatchewan), and they were all three years older than I was. It was a transition. When you think about three years, it isn’t that big of a deal, but it is for a young kid. So I didn’t quite have the experience that they did. So that was the development of it. To play in a game back in those days, freshmen were ineligible for varsity sports. So you’re sitting out a year. And that’s very difficult for somebody who has played hockey all the time, especially in Denver because there wasn’t any other place to play because there was no other competition. You play until Christmas and it’s a wasted year really. So that’s kind of how I got down there.”

What was it like to play for Murray Armstrong?

“Murray was an exceptional motivator, and I’m going to bring a little bit more into the story. Dolli’s former husband, Tony Schneider was from Regina. Tony died in 1997 and he played junior hockey with the Regina Pats Canadians. So they were the power of Western Canada when Tony was playing for them, and their coach was Murray Armstrong. I think Murray actually tried to recruit Tony to go down to Denver, but he turned pro and played quite awhile in the pros with the Western Hockey League and the American Hockey League. So he was a premiere player. When I graduated from college, I ended up playing with the Calgary Spurs, which was a senior “A” team. When we played, it was very competitive hockey league. We played in the same league as the Canadian National Hockey team and the coach of that team was Tony Schneider. So there’s a history there when I look at Murray and Tony and Dolli and Joyce (Peers’ late wife) and myself. It’s really pretty impressive we go back a long time ago. I remember walking into the dressing room and the first time talking to Tony. He said, “You played for Murray.” And I said “yeah, what a guy.” And he was.

Murray developed more than hockey skills. He developed the will within people and he tried to advance the education, more than being just an athlete, which when you looked at it at the time, you really realized what was going on. He was developing young men and that was really what he was trying to do. He was very competitive and recruited good hockey players into a good program. When you back and look at the 1960s, the University of Denver was certainly the powerhouse in that decade.

The four years that I was there, we went to the Final Four in my freshman year, which I didn’t play. In my sophomore year, we went to the Final Four again. In my junior year, we didn’t go, but in my senior year we did get to the Final Four again. So three out of my four years at DU, we were there. Then in ’68 and ’69, they had won it (NCAA Championship), so the 60s were really, really powerful for the University of Denver. And it was because of Murray. He exposed us to a lot of things like business people in Denver and to meeting the right people and that type of thing. He advocated academic skills.

He would come in and say, “well, you guys should be taking some of these Dale Carnegie classes in how to present yourself or in how to do speed reading or stuff like that.” Then you’d kind of look at him and say, “I’m from Selkirk (Manitoba), what the hell do I know?” So Murray did those types of things and he would make you start thinking a little bit, which was good.”

“And that’s why we have the Dale Carnegie books at home,” added Peers’ wife, Dolli.

If you speak to anyone who has ever played for Murray Armstrong, the two things you always hear about are the new and often unusual words that he introduced to his players, and the sometime odd (and hilarious) situations that he and/or his players found themselves in. For Peers it was no different, and in the case of the latter, it involved a box of hats.

“Well 'precipitous' is the one (new word) that always come out. Murray would say, “You have to check very precipitously.” The guys would then be looking around and saying “Christ, we saw the names on the backs of the jerseys and he ain’t playing today.” (Laughs) So he did that and then he would tell us “you all have to expand yourselves.” So he would have us do things like going through the dictionary and learn a (new) word a day, which is an old story. Murray was uneducated and didn’t have a formal education at all. He grew up in Regina and became a hockey player, but he tried to improve himself all the time. He was an immaculate dresser, always had the suit and a little Biltmore cap on. And there’s a good story about the hats.

It was my freshman year and I had made a campus visit. There were three recruits out of Winnipeg that were also supposed to come down, and two of those guys ended up going to North Dakota that following year. So I went up to Winnipeg and was supposed to get on a train coming down to Denver. I showed up at the house of Brian Strimbiski and Bob Stoyko and they said, “We’re not going.” So I said, “what do you mean your not going?” Then they said, “Nope, we’re not going. We got a better offer from North Dakota for next year and we’re going to pass on Denver.” Then I said “your loss.” So anyway, Strimbiski had this box of hats. It was a cardboard box, and I asked him “what’s that?” He said “they’re Biltmore Stetsons.” And at that time Biltmores were made in Guelph, Ontario and they had a junior hockey team that had won a couple of times and they were called the Guelph Biltmores. And Murray was a Western distributor in Canada for Biltmore hats. So he was getting a bunch of these hats down to Denver to give to all of his cronies, friends and everything like that. So I inherited these hats and here I am a kid of 18 and didn’t know what the hell was going on. So I get on this train going down to Denver thinking that I was going with two buddies and ended up going all by myself. So they would check customs and immigration right on the train. So I’m sitting in the car and this guy comes by and asked me where I was going. I got out my student visa and then he asked “do you have any luggage?” and I said, “Yes, it’s back in the luggage compartment.” Then he asked if I had anything to declare. Being naïve I said “no, but I’ve got a bunch of hats.” He then asks “what kind of hats?” I said, “I don’t know. I’m taking them for the coach.” So then he says, “Oh, lets go down and have a look at those.” So I said ok and we walked down to the baggage car there and he opens up the box. Then he says “oh, they’re nice, expensive hats, but you can’t bring those in (to the US).” Then I said to him “but they’re not mine!” Then he says to me “when you get into the Denver, this guy that you’re talking about, this Murray Armstrong is going to have to pay duty on them.” So I said, “fine, I don’t care.” So the train gets into Union Station in Denver and Murray’s waiting there. So then Murray says to me “Bob, how was your trip down?” and I told him that it was great. Then Murray asks, “Did you bring my hats?” I said, “Yeah Murray, but I think there’s a problem.” He said, “What do you mean?” I said, “well, I got stopped and you’ve got some paperwork to do.” So then he says, “Well, we’ll see about that!” So Murray goes over to the clearinghouse area and everything. And Murray was quite loquacious. So the next thing I know, this guy at the baggage claim was saying to Murray “yes sir, yes sir, I’m sorry sir” and then he just gave him the hats! (Laughs) And I don’t know what the heck Murray had said to him, but he got his hats. So that was the first time that I knew this guy has something to offer. He’s obviously well known and articulate. He was able to finesse or whatever without being dishonest. He wasn’t dishonest, but I think he said that they were gifts. So by the code and everything, you can bring in gifts. He said, “I’m not reselling them or anything like that. I paid for them, so these are for my friends.” And I think that’s how he got around it. He’s quite a guy.”

Peers, like the many other players who played for Armstrong, has tremendous respect for his former coach that extends far beyond the confines of the hockey rink.

“I think that you learned the work ethic and to be honest to yourself’ from Murray. He taught us there are horizons beyond hockey. I think that’s what he had instilled in most of his players. As far as his coaching methods, I think Murray was ahead of his time. A lot of the innovations that he had and even the rules that he had were. The offside rule was changed about 20 years ago or something like that, but Murray used to use that back in the 60s. Then there were the tricks and all those types of things that are part of what they call “the little things of the game.” Murray was a strong believer in the fundamentals and he worked at that. So those are the things that I remember about Murray. He would instill things like work a little harder and be a little bit more dedicated. I think a lot of the skilled players that aren’t dedicated become easy players, and easy players never win. So those are the fundamentals and the little things that he instills in you and it carries over to the work ethic, whether it’s in the business world or at home or whatever. Be honest and talk to people about those things.”

One similar attribute that Peers sees in both Armstrong and current head coach George Gwozdecky is the great interest that both of these men have taken in their players.

“I don’t know George that well, but every time I’ve talked to him I’ve been impressed. So yeah, I’d say that. DU has gone through several types of coaches and I’ve never really got that close to any of them, but George certainly has the best record since Murray. I’ve talked to him and I think he’s dedicated. He takes great interest in his players and has them in the right frame of mind as Murray did. So what I know of him, I would say that he does. I think George has gone through a bit of a transformation too from when he first came on to the scene. From what I’ve heard, he used to be a bit introverted and didn’t get out much to the media nor came out to talk to the alums. But he does a very good job of that now. Whenever I’ve run into him, boy, he’s got time for you, and I think that’s important.”

A characteristic that is synonymous with DU hockey is the fierce rivalry with Colorado College. While many fascinating stories have emerged over the years between the two programs, one game that took place at the Broadmoor in February 1966 may go down as perhaps the most symbolic of this long-standing rivalry. And one of the players at the center of it all was Peers.

“Well, it was a black part I guess. “Badger” Bob Johnson was the first or second year coach at Colorado College at the time. This was a league game that took place before the playoffs. At the end of the second period of this game, there was an incident between myself and another (CC) player named Davey Palm. It broiled into one of those brouhahas and the I-did-you-did sort of thing, so I ended up getting a penalty and he didn’t. Really, it’s hard to explain but it makes you more mad because it should’ve been both of us off, but instead one guy gets penalized and the other doesn’t. I felt that he was laughing at me. Of course everything is subjective. So at the end of the period, I skated over and drilled him and he fell to the ice. I pummeled him and everything and then the crowd went crazy. They brought out the fire hoses and pushed people back into their seats, but we finished the game. The interesting thing, and it’s because all of these stories come out, is that we were all talking about it in the dressing room today when Murray always gave this little speech. And I’m a bit of a locker room talker, so somebody asked me “Peers, what was your most memorable thing about Murray?” and I said “well, the first one is he used to say you go out on the ice with a silent resolve, so that you don’t leave your game in the dressing room. You go out with the intent to win and play hard.” But then I said “actually the one game that I remember the most was after that DU-CC game down at the Broadmoor.” This incident happened at the end of the second period, so there was still a period to play. They didn’t know what to do. They finally restored order and Jim Eagle was throwing buckets of water up into the stands. So it was one of those things where it was almost out of control at that time. So I got a game misconduct. At that time, usually when you get one of those, you go to the dressing room, shower and go back out into the stands. So the team was going out to start the third and Murray hung back and he said to me “Bob, you know what? I think it would be best if you just kind of stayed in here for the whole period.” (Laughs) So I said ok.

The incident happened in 65-66 in my senior year, and anybody that I’ve ever talked to about it always says, “Oh, you’re the guy.” Anyway, DU and CC didn’t play against each other the following year. We did play them again in the playoffs and for that game, Davey Palm and myself weren’t allow to play. At the end of the season, they sat down and I think it was CC that wanted to make a statement. They said that because of this incident, they felt that there should have been some type of sanction on Denver. And the sanction was that they refused to play Denver in WCHA play for one season. So that’s kind of the story.”

One of the more charming recollections that Peers shared about his life was how he came to know his wife, Dolli, whom he married last summer. If the DU Pioneers ever had ultimate hockey couples, Bob and Dolli Peers would certainly be amongst them.

“Well, we’ve known each other since 1966, and Bob was playing for my first husband,” Dolli began. “We were a couple of friends that did a lot of social things together. Tony passed away in 1997 and (Bob’s former wife) Joyce passed away in 2003. So when we started, I was a little concerned about it because I had been through this and wanted to keep in touch with him and see how he was doing. So we started having coffee and coffee led to lunch and lunch led to supper. So it just kind of started out as a friendship and progressed into something more. Then last year, we got married last summer just before we came down here. The Snoopy Tournament was a part of our honeymoon. (Laughs) That’s what everyone said. They said “only a hockey player would take his wife to a tournament for their honeymoon.

We’ve been very fortunate because we’ve melded our families together and we know each other’s backgrounds and the history. I know that my family thought that it was great because they knew who Bob was.”

“It’s good a story really because we have a lot of mutual friends and a lot of mutual interests,” Peers added. “There are no surprises. Neither one of us were really looking for a relationship. We really weren’t. I think the friendship grew into something more. We said “hey, there’s a like here and why live by yourself?

“One of the interesting things is that my first husband was a little on the gruff side and he used to say to me that one of the people he really liked and admired was Bob,” said Dolli. “I’ve often said to the kids, “well, if your dad could’ve picked a husband for me, it would’ve probably been Bob because they both played the same type of hockey. The same style and they both played for Murray.”

“We both played for Murray and I can’t overemphasize that,” Peers added. “We were the same type of individuals that he (Murray) had developed. We had the same outlook on life. We’re both volatile on the ice, which I think is not the way we are off the ice either.”

Prior to getting married, Peers was thrown a stag party, and as Dolli explains there were plenty of laughs to go around courtesy of her soon-to-be husband.

“They were going to have a stag for him for our wedding and one of his best friends got this thing organized. There was this local fellow that was a comedian and quite well known. So Bob’s friend hired him to come in and put on this little show. And I’m hearing this secondhand of course because I wasn’t there. Anyway this guy is trying to perform and whatever he said, Bob’s got an answer. And, my sons-in law said, “Oh my God, he far, far outperformed this comedian.”

“Yeah, but I’d been drinking,” interjected Peers.

“So that was sort of the talk,” continued Dolli. “So they said “oh yeah, it was quite the stag too.” And this guy (comedian) finally gave up and just said, “Ok, you win. You’re funnier than me, so I’ll just sit.” (Laughs) So Bob does have a very good sense of humor. He is just one of the really nice guys and that’s what people say about him.”

Peers and his wife have a combined five children and 11 grandchildren between them.

“I think when we talk about what we’ve brought to each other in this marriage, Bob often says to me “well, you’ve brought me a family” because I come from a large family,” said Dolli. “I’m one of eight children and have all of these grandchildren. Bob doesn’t have all of that, so one of the things that he’s said to me is that you brought a family to me. So it’s nice. The nice thing about my grandchildren too is that only one was born before my first husband had passed away. So the other seven only know Bob as their grandfather because they don’t know Tony. And the same goes with his family. They (Bob’s grandchildren) were born after Joyce died. Bob loves to tell everybody that he has 11 grandkids.”

Peers’ other family, the DU hockey family, is also very close to his heart. So what is his fondest DU memory?

“I’m going to give the hokey answer and that is having had the opportunity to go there. Having that opportunity to attend, be educated and play something that I love would be the high mark.”

Whether it is his comical side off the ice or his heated exchanges on the ice or both that he’ll be best remembered for, there will never again be a player quite like Bob Peers. He is, after all, a DU Pioneers Original.

Photos Of DU's Championship Alumni Hockey Team

(above) The boys celebrate bringing home the Gold Medal in the 60 & Over "A" Division at the Snoopy Senior Hockey Tournament

Front Row: Peter Markle and Wayne Wiste
Back Row: Norm Kvern, Bill Pettinger, Bob Brawley, Jim Wiste, Wayne
Smith, Marv Hall (the guy who gave away the free beer!), Randy
Harper, Bill Caton, Don Cameron, and John MacMillan

(above) The ladies show off the Championship Trophy

(pictured left to right):
Barbara Jo (BJ) Smith - Wayne Smith's wife
Sandy Halas - Pat Halas' wife
Joanie Cunningham - Jim Wiste's girlfriend
Joline MacMillan - John MacMillan's wife
Dolli Peers - Bob Peers' wife
Mary Jo Kvern - Norm Kvern's wife
Marie Harrison - Don Cameron's wife
Gail Pettinger - Bill Pettinger's wife

(above) The Gold Medal

(above) A close-up of the Trophy

(above) The ladies pose with DU's 1964 WCHA Championship Banner

DU's Boys Of Summer Whip Michigan; Win Tourney

First row: Norm Kvern, Peter Markle, Pat Halas, Bob Peers (laying down) and Don Cameron
Standing: Jim Wiste, Bob Brawley, Jim Fieldy, Bill Pettinger, Wayne Wiste, Randy Harper, Ron Grahame, Bill Caton, John MacMillan and Wayne Smith

Proving that DU's five National Championships in the 1960's were no fluke. DU's Alumni team defeated the University of Michigan Alumni 3-1 today in the Snoopy Senior Hockey Tournament. For the second straight year DU won the 60 & Older "A" Division.

DU Alums Win 2nd Game At Snoopy Tournament

(left) Ron Grahame seen here during his playing days at the University of Denver in the early Seventies

Editor's Note: DJ Powers of Hockey's Future is in California this weekend covering the Snoopy Senior World Hockey Tournament. For the third straight year she agreed to write a series of articles for LetsGoDU about the DU Pioneers, an alumni team made up of former DU players from the Murray Armstrong era. We can't thank DJ enough for her outstanding commitment to this event.

Article by: DJ Powers
Staff Writer - NCAA
Hockey's Future
Future Considerations

The spectacular goaltending of Ron Grahame highlighted a terrific game that went down to the wire on Monday afternoon as DU hung on to beat the surging Calgary Old Buffaloes 3-2 in their second game in the Snoopy Tournament.

Calgary came into game fresh off of a 4-2 upset over the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday night.

The pace was rather cautious to begin with, but things would get going quickly as the game wore on.

DU drew first blood as Bill Pettinger opened the scoring at the 1:57 mark with a shot that slipped in between the Calgary goaltender’s pads.

Grahame was tested early as Calgary displayed some excellent puck movement.

The Old Buffaloes drew the first power play of the contest when defenseman Randy Harper was called for a hook at the 3:42 mark. DU’s outstanding penalty killing continued and the Pioneers did an excellent job of keeping many of Calgary’s shots to the outside.

Near the halfway point of the period, the Old Buffaloes nearly tied the game when the rolling puck was headed in the open net. Grahame would come up with one of his many sensational saves when he lunged back to grab the puck just before it was about to cross the goal line.

As the opening period began to go into its latter stages, the Pioneers found themselves on their heels a bit as Calgary applied some great pressure in the offensive zone. And at the 16:17 mark, that effort would pay off when Steve Richardson put in the equalizer that snuck in just inside the near post. The goal also ended Grahame’s shutout streak at just over 76 minutes.

About a minute and half later, Calgary would get the opportunity to take their first lead of the game when John MacMillan was called for a hook at the 17:43 mark.

The second period began with DU shorthanded with 46 seconds left on MacMillan’s hooking call. While DU successfully killed their second penalty of the game, it did little to slow the Old Buffaloes momentum. Calgary continued to test Grahame, and the DU netminder put on a clinic with some acrobatic saves.

The Pioneers would regain the lead once again at the 2:54 mark when Norm Kvern potted a nice goal off of a rebound chance.

DU would get an opportunity to extend their lead further on their first power play of the tournament. That came at 4:15 when Calgary’s Jeff Bowles was called for body checking. [Note: The Snoopy Tournament is a non-checking tournament].

While the Pioneers enjoyed success on the penalty kill, the same couldn’t be said for their power play. Calgary’s great defensive coverage allowed DU little time and space to setup their power plays. That resulted in some good shorthanded opportunities for the Old Buffaloes as well.

As the game reached the midway point of the period, the game had opened up considerably, but both teams were also guilty of giving the other some odd-man chances as the period entered the latter half.

One odd-man situation led to the Pioneers’ next goal at the 15:48 mark. MacMillan, who got together on the play with Pettinger, finished it with a terrific wrist shot that beat the Calgary netminder for the 3-1 score.

With the period winding down, Calgary would get into some penalty trouble giving DU another chance to extend their lead yet again. This time, it would be a five-on-three opportunity. At the 17:08 mark, the Old Buffaloes’ Bob Bridger was called for a slash. Two minutes and ten seconds later at the 19:18 mark, Bowles would be called for an elbow.

The final stanza began with DU on a five-on-three for seven seconds and another 2:10 on the man-advantage. Once again, DU struggled to get their power play together and their golden opportunity to potentially put the game out of Calgary’s reach was squandered.

After successfully killing off a five-on-three Pioneers power play, Calgary stepped things up and would go on to dominate DU in the period.

At the 2:00 mark, Harper was called for interference, giving the Old Buffaloes their third power play of the game. DU once again killed off the penalty, thanks in large part to some great saves by Grahame.

As the period wore on, the intensity was slowly being ratcheted up as things were beginning to get heated between the two teams.

Nearing the midway point of the period, the many whistles that were suddenly so prevalent effectively killed whatever momentum each team had established to that point. And the resulting frustration of both teams was quite visible. When the many whistles subsided, DU once again found themselves back on their heels as Calgary was applying some outstanding pressure once more. The pressure would again pay off for the Old Buffaloes as defenseman Bob Brawley was called for body checking at the 12:27 mark after drilling a Calgary player. On the ensuing power play, Calgary would notch their second goal of the game at the 14:51 mark when Rick Schillington’s shot snuck under a sprawling Grahame and into the net.

And it wouldn’t get any easier for the Pioneers either.

DU’s parade to the sin bin continued at 18:20 when defenseman Bob Peers was called for interference. Down a goal and with time winding down, the Old Buffaloes pulled their goaltender for a six-on-four power play. Calgary relentlessly threw everything they had at the DU net to tie the game again. And in the waning seconds of regulation time, Grahame made his best save of the game with an unbelievable toe-save to give DU the win. It was a fantastic finish to a fantastic game.

DU went 0-for-3 on the power play. Calgary went 1-for-5 on the power play.

Next up, the University of Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday.

Box Score

First Period:
DU 1-0 Bill Pettinger (1:57) [John MacMillan]
Calgary 1-1 Steve Richardson (16:17) [Ron Wright]

Second Period:
DU 2-1 Norm Kvern (2:54) [Peter Markle]
DU 3-1 John MacMillan (15:48) [Bill Pettinger] (GWG)

Third Period:
Calgary 3-2 Rick Schillington (14:51) [Steve Richardson, Harry Poon]

DU Hockey Alumni Snoopy Tournament Preview

Editor's Note: DJ Powers of Hockey's Future will be in California this weekend covering the Snoopy Senior World Hockey Tournament. For the third straight year she agreed to write a series of articles for LetsGoDU about the DU Pioneers, an alumni team made up of former DU players from the Murray Armstrong era. We can't thank DJ enough for her outstanding commitment to this event.

Article by: DJ Powers
Staff Writer - NCAA
Hockey's Future
Future Considerations

The reigning Marcie (60A) Division gold medalists Denver Pioneers will be looking to successfully defend their title when the 34th annual Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament gets underway on Saturday in Santa Rosa, CA.

This year’s Marcie Division is shaping up to be one of the best in recent years.

Unlike in previous years, DU opens and wraps up play in the first half of the tournament this year. The Pioneers open Marcie Division play for the second consecutive year against the Reno Aces on Sunday, July 12. Reno, the Marcie Division bronze medalists, took DU to overtime last year before falling 4-5.

The Pioneers next opponent is the Calgary Old Buffaloes on Monday, July 13. The Old Buffaloes, who are making a return to the Snoopy Tournament this year, is one of four teams representing the city of Calgary in the tournament.

DU concludes tournament play on Wednesday, July 15 when they face-off against their tournament nemesis, the University of Michigan. This is the game that both teams circle on their respective calendars when the tournament schedule is released every year. It is by far one of the best and most hotly contested matches of the entire tournament. The Red Berenson-led Wolverines will be looking to exact some revenge on the Pioneers after a 2-3 loss in last year’s Marcie Division championship game. And if the recent Snoopy Tournament matches between these two storied teams are any indication, this year’s contest will certainly have no shortage of excitement and fireworks.

Most of last year’s team remains intact with a few changes (see roster listing below). Ron Grahame returns in goal, while long-time regular Bill Goodacre will not play due to injury. However, he may make the trip with the team.

Also missing from this year’s roster are DU’s top scorer in last year’s tournament Tom Miller, and defensemen Blake Emery and Peter McEwen due to other commitments.

The Pioneers will welcome two new defensemen to this year’s squad in Bill Caton and Randy Harper. Both players hail from Red Deer, Alberta.

2009 DU Pioneers Snoopy Tournament schedule (all times are PST)

Game #1: Sunday, July 12 @ 9:10am vs. Reno Aces
Game #2: Monday, July 13 @ 12:20pm vs. Calgary Old Buffaloes
Game #3: Wednesday, July 15 @ 7:45am vs. University of Michigan Wolverines

2009 DU Pioneers Snoopy Tournament Roster
Goaltender
Ron Grahame (DU 1970-1973)

Defensemen
Wayne Smith (DU 1963-66)
Bob Peers (DU 1963-66)
Bob Brawley (Michigan State 1964-67)
Bill Caton
Randy Harper

Forwards
Wayne Wiste (DU 1965-67)
Don Cameron (DU 1964-67)
Jim Wiste (DU 1966-68)
John MacMillan (DU 1957-60)
Bill Pettinger (DU 1969-71)
Norm Kvern (DU 1964-65)
Pat Halas

DU 11 Hodgepodge Elite 0 at Snoopy Tourney

The Denver Pioneers vs. The Hodgepodge Elite

Special to Lets Go DU

By DJ Powers

The second game of the Snoopy Tournament for the Denver Pioneers became a one-sided affair against the Hodgepodge Elite. Bill Pettinger and Pat Halas each tallied four goals as the Pioneers crushed the Elite11-0 in the early Saturday morning contest.

The Hodgepodge Elite, made up of a mish-mash of players from other teams in the tournament, had a somewhat different lineup versus Denver than they did in their contest against the University of Michigan 60s on Wednesday.

While the slow pace to start the game was not unexpected, considering the 6am start time, the Pioneers would get things going quickly. It also didn’t take long before the Pioneers got on the board. Just 3:24 in, Halas would get Denver on the board going top-shelf on the Elite goaltender for the score. Norm Kvern drew the lone assist.

Throughout the game, the Pioneers got great goaltending from Tom Jones. While Jones did not see as much rubber as his counterpart at the other end, he did make a number of quality saves when he had to.

Denver’s next goal came at the 7:17 mark, when Pettinger’s shot snuck in underneath the Elite netminder to extend their lead. Tom Miller drew the lone assist.

One of the things that frustrated the Elite throughout the game was the Pioneers’ control of the neutral zone and the blueline. While the Elite did manage to get into Denver’s zone at various times throughout the game, they weren’t able to sustain any real pressure for an extended period of time the way the Pioneers were able to do.

Pettinger and Miller would figure once again on Denver’s next goal at the 15:06 mark. The goal was the result of a nice two-on-one play between the two linemates with Pettinger finishing the play by tucking the puck behind the Elite netminder. Miller and defenseman Bob Peers drew the assists.

One of the few quality opportunities for the Elite came about two minutes after Denver’s third goal on a two-on-one play that was stopped by Jones.

The second period proved to be slightly better for the Elite, but they had nothing to show for it. Denver, meanwhile, came out of the gate strong and notched their next goal just one minute in when Halas got his second of the game. He banged home the loose puck that the Elite goaltender had trouble corralling with traffic in front of him. The goal was unassisted.

Halas would complete the hat trick on Denver’s next goal at the 4:17 mark when his shot went in just inside the post for the score. Miller and John “Johnny Mac” MacMillan would draw the assists.

The Pioneers continued to apply good pressure in the offensive zone, but the Elite would get their chances.

The first came at the 7:20 mark when defenseman Peter McEwen was called for interference, giving the Elite the game’s first man-advantage. However, they wouldn’t get the full power play time as one of their players was called for a hold at the 9:43 mark.

Both teams successfully killed of their penalties and Denver was back to business and controlling the game.

At the 14:52 mark, defenseman Wayne Smith would push the Pioneers’ lead to 6-0. Smith jumped into the play to create an odd-man situation with Halas and with the Elite goaltender out of position, Smith tucked home the shot into the empty side for the score. Halas and defenseman Blake Emery would draw the assists.

Around the 16-minute mark, the Elite would have a partial breakaway opportunity, but Emery did an excellent of job of staying with the puck carrier and prevented him from getting a shot on goal.

The Elite however, would get another crack at the Pioneers at the 16:17 mark when Don Cameron would be sent off for a trip.

Denver once again successfully killed off the penalty, but the Elite managed to get a few quality chances, only to have Jones shut the door on them.

The final stanza became the Denver Pioneers show and the fatigue factor began to really set in on the Elite. The Pioneers dictated nearly every facet of the game and area of the ice.

In the five-goal outburst of the period, Halas got things started at the 9:13 mark with his fourth tally of the game. Halas tapped in a rebound just inside the post for the score. Smith and Bill Goodacre drew the assists.

Just under two minutes later at the 11:54 mark, Pettinger completed Denver’s second hat trick after slipping the loose puck underneath the Elite netminder for the score. Miller drew the lone assist.

The Pioneers would score again under a minute later at the 12:36 mark off of the stick of MacMillan and Pettinger would make it 10-0 at the 18:26 mark.

Perhaps the best goal of the game came on Denver’s final tally at the 18:42 mark. Miller posted his first goal of the Tournament on a beautiful wraparound to put the frosting on the cake for the Pioneers. Pettinger and MacMillan drew the assists.

Tom Miller led Denver in scoring in the contest with six points (one goal, five assists). Pat Halas and Bill Pettinger each posted five points (four goals, one assist) and John MacMillan posted four points (one goal, three assists).

The Pioneers went 0-for-1 on the power play while the Elite went 0-for-2 on the power play.

Next up: “The Clash of the Titans II” versus the University of Michigan Wolverines 60s on Sunday.

- DJ Powers Staff Writer - NCAA

Hockey's Future (http://www.hockeysfuture,com/)

Future Considerations (http://www.futureconsiderations.ca/)

[And your humble DU Snoopy Tournament correspondent]

DU Beats Reno Aces In OT In Snoopy Tourney

Denver Pioneers 5 Reno Aces 4 OT

Special to LetsGoDU by DJ Powers

The opening game for the Denver Pioneers in the Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament on Thursday night needed overtime to be decided. Jim Wiste tallied two goals, including the game winner.

The Pioneers were without regulars Cliff Koroll and Ron Grahame this year due to prior commitments.

While the game started off a bit slow for Denver, they quickly established some good pressure in the Reno end.

At the 3:28, the Pioneers would draw the first penalty of the game when defenseman Wayne Smith was called for a hold. Denver successfully killed off the penalty.

At about the six and a half minutes into the period, Tom Miller gave Denver a glorious scoring opportunity when he went in on a breakaway but lost control of the puck by the time he had the chance to shoot.

The Pioneers continued to pressure and another great scoring opportunity came again about a minute later when Bill Goodacre was unable to get the puck by the Aces netminder.

While Denver had most of the scoring opportunities approaching the halfway point of the period, it would be Reno that would get on the board first. The Aces scored at the 9:50 mark when with a shot fired from the slot beat Pioneers goaltender Tom Jones.

Denver would continue to get some excellent scoring opportunities, but were unable to capitalize on them.

At the 13:45 mark, the Aces would be called for a hook, giving the Pioneers their first power play of the game. Exactly one minute into Reno’s penalty, defenseman Blake Emery would tally the unassisted equalizer for Denver when his shot bounced off of the Aces netminder’s pad and into the net.

As the period progressed the game began to open up a bit as Denver continued to dictate the tempo of the game.

At the 18:01 mark, Reno would once again take the lead when a high shot beat Jones for the score.

Denver came out with some good pressure to start the second period. About a minute and a half into the middle stanza, John MacMillan’s relentless drive to the net would draw Reno’s next penalty. The holding call came at the 1:53 mark, giving the Pioneers their second power play of the game.

Denver did an excellent job in moving the puck during this power play and it would pay off at the 5:08 mark. Jim Wiste tied the game after poking home the loose puck amid the mass of humanity in front of the Reno netminder. Don Cameron and defenseman Bob Peers would be credited with the assists.

One of the things that the Pioneers did very well throughout the game was having their defensemen involved in the offensive play. After Wiste’s goal, Denver continued to dominate both territorially and in puck possession.

At the 9:01 mark, Reno would once again regain the lead when a rebound was shot past Jones from just inside the right faceoff circle. The score was now 3-2 Reno.

The Aces nearly extended their lead at about the 10-minute mark when a bad Pioneers turnover led to a two-on-none situation. Fortunately for Denver, the puck looked to have rolled off of the stick of the Reno puck carrier before he could get a shot off.

At the 14:22 mark, Denver would once again knot things up with a goal by Pat Halas. The goal came as a result of a beautiful feed by Goodacre, who found Halas in the slot. Halas’ shot beat the Aces netminder just inside the near post for the score. Goodacre drew the lone assist.

At the 17:12 mark, Smith made his second trip to the penalty box when he was called for hold. One of the best power play opportunities came in the waning seconds of the period when a Reno player was attempting to fight off the coverage by Bill Pettinger. Pettinger did an outstanding job of tying up the stick of the Reno player to prevent him from getting at the loose puck.

The third period opened with Denver short-handed for the remaining 51 seconds of Smith’s holding call. While still shorthanded, the Pioneers generated a couple of good scoring chances. The best of which came just as the penalty was about to expire. Tom Miller fired a low shot through traffic that ended up going off of the post.

Denver stepped their pressure in the Reno zone after killing off the penalty. And their efforts would once again be rewarded at the 2:51. Wayne Wiste gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game when he tipped home Peter McEwen’s shot from the slot for the score, making it 4-3 Denver.

The Pioneers did an excellent job of maintaining puck control and in their forechecking in this period. And it would be two things that would frustrate the Aces for much of the remainder of the game.

At the 8:21 mark, Denver would get the opportunity to extend their lead when Reno was called for a trip. After successfully cashing in on their previous two opportunities, this time around the Pioneers had trouble getting their power play working, mainly due to passes not quite connecting.

The remaining 17 seconds of Denver’s power play would be negated when Pettinger would be called for a hook at the 11:32 mark.

The penalty would prove to be costly for the Pioneers. At the 14:04 mark, Reno tallied their first and only power play goal of the game off of a shot flipped up and over Jones for the score.

The Aces were given a chance to take the lead once again when Halas was called for a hook at the 15:04 mark. Denver would once again successfully kill of the Aces power play.

As the period and regulation time winded down, both team had some glorious opportunities that came in odd-man situation but neither was successful in finishing the plays.

At the 19:35 mark, McEwen nearly gave the Pioneers win but couldn’t beat the sprawling Reno netminder.

With the score tied a 4-4; the game went to overtime with no penalties carried over.

Denver came out as hard as they had finished regulation time. The Reno goaltender was clearly the busier of the two netminders in the extra session.

Jim Wiste would become the hero of the game at the 2:05 mark when he picked up the rebound and proceeded to flip a backhanded over the Aces netminder for the game-winner. Halas drew the lone assist.

Denver went 2-for-3 on the power play, while Reno went 1-for-4 on the power play.

Next up: Denver Pioneers vs. the Hodgepodge Elite on Saturday.


Official 2008 Denver Pioneers Roster (revised and updated)

Goaltender
#1 Tom Jones

Defensemen
#2 Wayne Smith (DU 1963-66)
#3 Bob Peers (DU 1963-66)
#4 Blake Emery
#5 Bob Brawley (Michigan State 1964-67)
#6 Peter McEwen

Forwards
#8 Tom Miller (DU 1967-69)
#9 Bill Goodacre (Colorado College 1958-62)
#11 Wayne Wiste (DU 1965-67)
#12 Don Cameron (DU 1964-67)
#14 Jim Wiste (DU 1966-68)
#15 Pat Halas
#16 John MacMillan (DU 1957-60)
#18 Bill Pettinger (DU 1969-71)
#19 Norm Kvern (DU 1964-65)

- DJ Powers Staff Writer - NCAA

Hockey's Future (http://www.hockeysfuture,com/)

Future Considerations (http://www.futureconsiderations.ca/)

[And your humble DU Snoopy Tournament correspondent]

DU Snoopy Roster

2008 University of Denver Pioneers roster for the 32nd annual Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament

Special to LetsGoDU
By DJ Powers

The Denver Pioneers are expected to field a complete team at this year’s Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament that is already underway in Santa Rosa, CA. Last year, the Pioneers captured the Silver Medal in the 60A “Marcie” Division with a depleted lineup. They will be looking to capture their division’s gold medal when they make their first tournament appearance of the year on Thursday evening against the Reno Aces.

Below is the expected roster for this year’s tournament. 10 of the 15 players on the announced squad are University of Denver alumni. At press time, the goaltending information was not available, and it is not presently known if Ron Grahame (DU 1969-73) will be participating with the team this year.

The notable returnees to the DU lineup after last year’s absence are Jim Wiste, Wayne Wiste and John MacMillan. The three players were unavailable for last year’s tournament due to injury or prior commitments.

Defensemen
#1 Blake Emery*
#2 Wayne Smith* (DU 1963-66)
#3 Bob Peers* (DU 1963-66)
#4 Peter McEwen*
#5 Bob Brawley* (Michigan State University 1964-67)
#6 Pat Halas

Forwards
#7 Jim Wiste (DU 1966-68)
#8 John MacMillan (DU 1957-60)
#9 Bill Goodacre* (Colorado College 1958-62)
#10 Cliff Koroll* (DU 1965-68)
#11 Wayne Wiste (DU 1965-67)
#12 Don Cameron* (DU 1964-67)
#14 Tom Miller (DU 1967-69)
#15 Norm Kvern (DU 1964-65)
#16 Bill Pettinger (DU 1969-71)

Goaltenders
TBA

* - Indicates member of the 2007 tournament team

DJ Powers cover the NCAA for two online hockey prospects magazines. In the United States DJ covers Hockey's Future (http://www.hockeysfuture.com/). DJ also covers NCAA hockey for the Canadian-based publication called Future Considerations (http://www.futureconsiderations.ca/).