1959–60 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season

The 1959–60 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey team represented University of Denver in college ice hockey. In its 4th year under head coach Murray Armstrong the team compiled a 27–4–3 record and reached the NCAA tournament for the second time. The Pioneers defeated Michigan Tech 5–3 in the championship game at the Boston Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Denver set a record for the most wins by a team in one season, breaking the previous high of 25 set by Colorado College in 1956–57.

1959–60 Denver Pioneers
men's ice hockey season
National champion
WCHA, champion
WCHA Tournament, co-champion
NCAA Tournament, champion
Conference1st WCHA
Home iceDU Arena
Record
Overall27–4–3
Conference17–4–1
Home15–2–2
Road9–2–1
Neutral3–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachMurray Armstrong
Captain(s)John MacMillan[1]
Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey seasons
« 1958–59 1960–61 »

Season

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After Denver was left out of the 1959 NCAA Tournament despite having the best record of any NCAA team at 22-5-1, the Pioneers knew they had to make changes. First, the argument between Denver and Minnesota over recruiting practices (teenage Americans vs. overage Canadians) was not settled but was put to the side. As part of a compromise between the two Minnesota would agree to rejoin with the 4 former WIHL schools so long as they did not have to schedule Denver during the season. The deal was eventually struck where they would play the Pioneers during the 1959–60 season but were not required to afterwards (Minnesota would not play Denver outside of playoff meetings until 1972).[1] That settlement allowed all seven schools to rejoin in the new WCHA which improved upon the previous conference principally by introducing the first official conference tournament in college hockey history. The second improvement came from counting all league games equally in the standings; rather than have a total of four points available between each pair of teams. The WCHA sorted their unbalanced schedule based on winning percentage.

Being in a conference once more also settled the second problem Denver had faced the year before; playing away games. Denver had only once left Colorado the year before and lost both games on the road. For 1959–60 they began the season with a compressed road trip where they played six games over a nine-day period. The trip started out well with Denver tying Minnesota 4–4 in the team's only overtime game all season before winning the following night. Two days later they were hosted by Michigan Tech and dropped both games to a very strong team. With no time to lick their wounds the Pioneers got one day off to travel to North Dakota and take on the defending national champion Fighting Sioux. The Pioneers redeemed themselves by winning both games comfortably and pulling back above .500.

After a 9-day break Denver opened its home schedule and thoroughly dominated the previous year's runner-up Michigan State by a combined score of 21-1. Those two games could have set the tone for the rest of Denver's season but the very next week they invited Michigan Tech to Denver and after winning the first game easily they lost their third game of the year to the Huskies and slipped to 6–3–1 in the WCHA. Similar to their last series against MTU, Denver got one day off before hosting Minnesota and avenged their loss with two 5-goal wins over the Golden Gophers. After winning two games against a visiting senior team Denver ended the first half of their conference schedule by splitting a pair of games against North Dakota. Denver found themselves sitting atop the WCHA at the end of January with a 9-4-1 record and were in prime position to earn the top seed in the WCHA tournament.

Denver began February playing a series of games against several national teams who were preparing to play in the Olympics at the end of the month along with Colorado College. After starting with a non-conference win over CC Denver defeated the eventual gold medalist US National Team and then tied them the following day. Two days later they tied the powerhouse Soviet National Team before defeating both West Germany and Sweden.

Once the Olympics began Denver returned to its conference schedule, winning both games of a home-and-home against Colorado College before hitting the road for a second time. On this trip they ended up playing two series in five days against Michigan and Michigan State and won all four games. After returning home and winning a second series against the CC Tigers Denver ended with a 23-4-3 record and won the inaugural WCHA championship.

Denver received the top seed in the WCHA Tournament which, rather than acting as a traditional tournament, had two 2-game series played between the top four teams to determine the two WCHA co-champions. The two series were total goal affairs rather than being best-of contests so when Denver opened against Colorado College with a 9–2 victory they would have to lose the succeeding game by 8 goals to miss out on the NCAA tournament. Unsurprisingly it was a much more defensive effort from the regular season champions and the Pioneers scored only three times on the night but was still able win the game and were joined by Michigan Tech as the inaugural WCHA Tournament co-champions.

As the better of the two teams Denver was given the top western seed in the NCAA tournament and opened against Boston University who were playing in their home building. Despite the mostly partisan crowd rooting them on, BU was unable to overcome the best offense in the nation and surrendered six goals to Denver who advanced to their second championship game. Denver was met in the final by their nemesis Michigan Tech and began the game at a conservative pace. Denver scored the first goal of the game just after the 10-minute mark and took another 22 minutes before the got their second. With the Pioneers holding a 2-0 advantage the Huskies came to life at the end of the second and scored three times in under five minutes to take their first lead of the game. After George Konik tied the game two and a half minutes into the third Denver was able to quell the MTU offense for the remainder of the period, holding the Huskies to only six shots. The Pioneers continued firing the puck at George Cuculick and with just over a minutes to go in regulation team captain John MacMillan scored the winning goal in his final college game. Just for good measure he added an empty-net goal 50 seconds later that sealed the game for Denver and sent the Pioneers to the top of the podium for the second time.

Because the entire tournament had been played fairly evenly the voters could not decide on one person to win the MOP so for the first (and only as of 2018) time the award was split, going to three players but none of whom belonged to the national champion. Instead Denver had to settle for only two of the six spots on the All-Tournament first team in the form of Marty Howe and George Konik while John MacMillan and goaltender George Kirkwood were placed on the second team.

Howe, Konik and Bill Masterton were named to the AHCA All-American West Team while Kirkwood, Howe and Masterton received All-WCHA First Team nods. While Konik and MacMillan found themselves on the WCHA second team Kirkwood was named as the top sophomore in the WCHA (along with MTU's Lou Angotti) and set the record for more wins a season by a goaltender with 27.

Standings

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Conference Overall
GP W L T PCT GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Denver†* 22 17 4 1 .795 128 55 34 27 4 3 204 88
Michigan Tech* 22 15 6 1 .705 107 72 32 21 10 1 152 107
North Dakota 22 14 7 1 .659 93 80 32 19 11 2 157 115
Colorado College 20 8 12 0 .400 72 101 26 8 17 1 87 146
Michigan 18 7 11 0 .389 63 71 24 12 12 0 97 81
Minnesota 24 8 15 1 .354 102 109 27 9 16 2 111 121
Michigan State 24 4 18 2 .208 54 130 24 4 18 2 54 130
Championship: Michigan Tech, Denver
indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion

Schedule

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Date Opponent Site Result Record
Exhibition
November 28 vs. DU Hilltoppers* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 14–6 
Regular Season
December 4 at Minnesota Williams ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota T 4–4 OT 0–0–1 (0–0–1)
December 5 at Minnesota Williams ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota W 5–4  1–0–1 (1–0–1)
December 8 at Michigan Tech Dee StadiumHoughton, Michigan L 3–6  1–1–1 (1–1–1)
December 9 at Michigan Tech Dee StadiumHoughton, Michigan L 3–5  1–2–1 (1–2–1)
December 11 at North Dakota Winter Sports BuildingGrand Forks, North Dakota W 6–3  2–2–1 (2–2–1)
December 12 at North Dakota Winter Sports BuildingGrand Forks, North Dakota W 5–2  3–2–1 (3–2–1)
December 21 vs. Michigan State DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 10–1  4–2–1 (4–2–1)
December 22 vs. Michigan State DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 11–0  5–2–1 (5–2–1)
December 29 vs. Michigan Tech DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 9–4  6–2–1 (6–2–1)
December 30 vs. Michigan Tech DU ArenaDenver, Colorado L 3–5  6–3–1 (6–3–1)
January 1 vs. Minnesota DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 6–1  7–3–1 (7–3–1)
January 2 vs. Minnesota DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 7–2  8–3–1 (8–3–1)
January 8 vs. Warroad Lakers* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 9–1  9–3–1 (8–3–1)
January 9 vs. Warroad Lakers* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 9–2  10–3–1 (8–3–1)
January 26 vs. North Dakota DU ArenaDenver, Colorado L 5–6  10–4–1 (8–4–1)
January 27 vs. North Dakota DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 8–1  11–4–1 (9–4–1)
February 2 vs. Colorado College* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 10–4  12–4–1 (9–4–1)
February 5 vs. US National Team* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 7–5  13–4–1 (9–4–1)
February 6 vs. US National Team* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado T 5–5  13–4–2 (9–4–1)
February 8 vs. Soviet National Team* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado T 2–2  13–4–3 (9–4–1)
February 13 vs. West German National Team* Broadmoor World ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado W 6–1  14–4–3 (9–4–1)
February 15 vs. Swedish National Team* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 5–3  15–4–3 (10–4–1)
February 19 vs. Colorado College DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 6–2  16–4–3 (10–4–1)
February 20 at Colorado College Broadmoor World ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado W 4–1  17–4–3 (11–4–1)
February 26 at Michigan State Demonstration HallEast Lansing, Michigan W 5–0  18–4–3 (12–4–1)
February 27 at Michigan State Demonstration HallEast Lansing, Michigan W 5–1  19–4–3 (13–4–1)
February 29 at Michigan Weinberg ColiseumAnn Arbor, Michigan W 8–1  20–4–3 (14–4–1)
March 1 at Michigan Weinberg ColiseumAnn Arbor, Michigan W 4–2  21–4–3 (15–4–1)
March 4 vs. Colorado College DU ArenaDenver, Colorado W 5–2  22–4–3 (16–4–1)
March 5 at Colorado College Broadmoor World ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado W 6–2  23–4–3 (17–4–1)
WCHA Tournament
March 11 vs. Colorado College* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado (WCHA Final Game 1) W 9–2  24–4–3 (17–4–1)
March 12 vs. Colorado College* DU ArenaDenver, Colorado (WCHA Final Game 2) W 3–1  25–4–3 (17–4–1)
NCAA Tournament
March 18 vs. Boston University* Boston ArenaBoston, Massachusetts (National Semifinal) W 6–4  26–4–3 (17–4–1)
March 19 vs. Michigan Tech* Boston ArenaBoston, Massachusetts (National championship) W 5–3  27–4–3 (17–4–1)
*Non-conference game.
Source:[1]

Roster and scoring statistics

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No. Name Year Position Hometown S/P/C Games Goals Assists Points PIM
1 George Kirkwood Sophomore G Edmonton, AB   34
2 George Konik Junior D Flin Flon, MB   34 13 28 41 50
4 Norb Kemp Junior G Regina, SK  
5 Ray Hamlin Senior D Lloydminster, AB  
5 Marty Howe Junior D Regina, SK   13 21 34
6 Grant Munro Junior D Regina, SK   34 5 13 18 28
7 Terry Lomnes Junior LW Camrose, AB  
8 Ken Williamson Sophomore C Winnipeg, MB  
9 Bill Masterton Junior C Winnipeg, MB   34 21 46 67 2
10 Con Collie Senior RW Regina, SK  
11 Jerry Walker Junior F Regina, SK   34 31 19 50
12 Paul Josephson Junior C Saskatoon, SK   42
13 Trent Beatty Sophomore RW Kerrobert, SK  
14 Murray MacDonald Sophomore LW Regina, SK  
15 Max Geisthardt Junior LW Regina, SK  
16 Bruce Walker Senior RW Meadow Lake, SK  
17 John MacMillan Senior RW Lethbridge, AB   34 30 25 55 34
18 Al Barnhill Senior D Wetaskiwin, AB  
20 Paul DiNapoli Sophomore G Belmont, MA  
Dick Jacob Sophomore F Crescent City, CA  
Total
  • Dick Jabob was a member of the team but did not participate in any of their games and was not awarded a jersey number.

[2]

Goaltending Statistics

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No. Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
1 George Kirkwood 34 27 4 3 2 .900 2.50
4 Norb Kemp
20 Paul DiNapoli
Total 34 27 4 3 2

W1 Denver vs. W2 Michigan Tech

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March 19[3] Denver 5 – 3 Michigan Tech Boston Arena Recap


Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DEN Jerry Walker Masterton and Collie 10:51 1–0 DEN
2nd DEN Grant Munro Geisthardt 32:42 2–0 DEN
MTU Paul CoppoPP Kosiancic 34:17 2–1 DEN
MTU Jerry Sullivan Pascht and Angotti 36:27 2–2
MTU Gerald Fabbro Kosiancic and Angotti 39:02 3–2 MTU
3rd DEN George Konik unassisted 42:30 3–3
DEN John MacMillanGW Howe 58:57 4–3 DEN
DEN John MacMillanEN Walker 59:48 5–3 DEN

Notes

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After graduating in 1960, John MacMillan was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs and became the first Denver alumnus to play in the NHL. Though his career was short he would end up winning two Stanley cups. several years after MacMillan's retirement George Konik and Bill Masterton would make their NHL debuts in the 1967–68 season. While Konik would play 51 games for Pittsburgh before returning to the minors, Masterton became the only player in the history of professional North American sports to die as a direct result of injuries sustained in a game.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Denver Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Pioneers. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Denver Pioneers 1959-60 roster and statistics". EliteProspects. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  3. ^ "Denver Pioneers 2007-08 Hockey Yearbook" (PDF). Denver Pioneers. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2017.