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1939–40 Duquesne Dukes men's ice hockey season

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1939–40 Duquesne Dukes
men's ice hockey season
ConferencePenn-Ohio League
Home iceDuquesne Gardens
Record
Overall9–8–1
Conference9–2–1
Home2–2–0
Road2–5–1
Neutral5–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachLouis A. Dietrich
Captain(s)Walter McGill
Bill Vance
Duquesne Dukes men's ice hockey seasons
« 1938–39  

The 1939–40 Duquesne Dukes men's ice hockey season was the 3rd season of play for the program.

Season

[edit]

Before the season even began, Duquesne got unwelcome news when their biggest rival and the only team to defeat them all of last year, Pittsburgh, terminated their hockey program.[1] While their withdrawal would make it easier for the Dukes as far as winning games, the still-young program had bigger concerns. The Loss of Pitt meant that the team would have to travel to Cleveland more often, increasing the cost of running the team, and it would likely damper interest in the sport from locals. On top of those problems, what did it say about the league when one of the best teams for the first two seasons (Pitt had made the conference final both years) just quit before the season was to begin? In spite of the troubles, the remaining 6 teams and the rink operators decided to continue with the league and set down the schedule in early December.[2]

The Dukes got off to a good start, winning their first five games and sitting atop league standings with John Carroll. The program went on its first non-conference road trip in mid-January, playing three non-conference team in a swing through upstate New York. While it wasn't a surprise to lose to Clarkson, getting embarrassed by the tune of 10–0 was not what the Dukes were hoping for. To make matters worse, they team lost the other two games by sizable margins and made it look like the team had been living in a too-comfortable bubble with the Penn-Ohio League.[3] Despite the losses, Duquesne did achieve its main goal by introducing itself to other programs and hoped that they would be able to schedule further games in the future.

Duquesne sat out the rest of the semester for examinations and came back at the beginning of February. The team met John Carroll for a home-and-home series with league bragging right on the line. The powerhouse Blue Streaks took both games to make it nearly impossible for Duquesne to repeat as regular season champions, but the Dukes could still make the playoffs as long as they took care of business.[4] The Dukes recovered from their losing streak with three consecutive wins and guaranteed themselves a second-place finish despite having two games remaining.[5]

In the playoff series against John Carroll, Duquesne played the undefeated Blue Streaks about as well as could be expected. They lost a close affair in the first game and then pushed JCU into overtime in the rematch. Unfortunately, Duquesne wasn't able to tie the series and fell 5–6.[6]

The loss was the last for the program as both Duquesne and Carnegie Tech suspended their ice hockey teams after the year. The Penn-Ohio League would continue for one more season with 4 schools before dissolving in 1941.

Doug Wells served as team manager

Roster

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No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team
2 John Liebgot F
3 Ontario Bill Vance (C) Senior F
5 Harry Foster Senior F
14 Walter McGill (C) Senior F
Fran Fogarty Senior
Jim Hansberry F
George McMillen G
Steve Olah Junior D
Frank Rushman
Pennsylvania Dick Scully Junior F Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Frank Sweeney Sophomore D
Jim Unger Junior D

Standings

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Conference Overall
GP W L T PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
John Carroll †* 13 13 0 0 26 72 16 15 15 0 0 82 23
Duquesne 12 9 2 1 19 44 28 18 9 8 1 58 64
Western Reserve
Case
Carnegie Tech 12 4 8 0
Fenn
indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion

Schedule and Results

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Date Opponent Site Result Record
Regular Season
December 9 vs. Carnegie Tech Duquesne GardensPittsburgh, Pennsylvania W 4–3  1–0–0 (1–0–0)
December 13 at Fenn Cleveland ArenaCleveland, Ohio W 5–0  2–0–0 (2–0–0)
December 15 at Case Cleveland ArenaCleveland, Ohio W 4–2 OT 3–0–0 (3–0–0)
December 20 vs. Western Reserve Duquesne GardensPittsburgh, Pennsylvania W 5–1  4–0–0 (4–0–0)
January 2 vs. Carnegie Tech Duquesne GardensPittsburgh, Pennsylvania W 5–4  5–0–0 (5–0–0)
January 10 at Clarkson* Ives ParkPotsdam, New York L 0–10  5–1–0
January 12 at Hamilton* Clinton, New York L 1–5  5–2–0
January 13 at Army* Smith RinkWest Point, New York L 3–6  5–3–0
February 1 vs. John Carroll Duquesne GardensPittsburgh, Pennsylvania L 1–3  5–4–0 (5–1–0)
February 6 at John Carroll Cleveland ArenaCleveland, Ohio L 2–7  5–5–0 (5–2–0)
February 13 vs. Carnegie Tech Duquesne GardensPittsburgh, Pennsylvania W 4–1  6–5–0 (6–2–0)
February 19 vs. Case Duquesne GardensPittsburgh, Pennsylvania W 5–1  7–5–0 (7–2–0)
February 22 vs. Carnegie Tech Duquesne GardensPittsburgh, Pennsylvania W 3–1  8–5–0 (8–2–0)
February 24 vs. Pittsburgh All-Stars* Shaffer Ice PalaceJohnstown, Pennsylvania L 3–5  8–6–0
March ? at Western Reserve Cleveland ArenaCleveland, Ohio T 4–4  8–6–1 (8–2–1)
March 16 vs. Carnegie Tech Duquesne GardensPittsburgh, Pennsylvania W 2–1  9–6–1 (9–2–1)
Penn-Ohio League Playoffs
March 20 at John Carroll* Cleveland ArenaCleveland, Ohio (Championship Game 1) L 2–4  9–7–1
March 29 vs. John Carroll* Duquesne GardensPittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Championship Game 2) L 5–6 OT 9–8–1
Duquesne Lost Series 0–2
*Non-conference game.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Pitt Skaters Cut Pittsburgh Division from Hockey Picture". The Duquesne Duke. November 16, 1939. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  2. ^ "Hockey Team Meets Tartans Saturday in Season's Opener". The Duquesne Duke. December 7, 1939. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "Hockey Squad Rest After Long Jaunt". The Duquesne Duke. January 18, 1940. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "Icers Lose Twice to Carroll". The Duquesne Duke. February 8, 1940. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Icers Sure of Position in Playoffs". The Duquesne Duke. February 29, 1940. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  6. ^ "John Carroll Downs Icemen in Playoffs, 6-5". The Duquesne Duke. April 4, 1940. Retrieved March 11, 2021.