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1947–48 St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey season

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1947–48 St. Cloud State Huskies
men's ice hockey season
Minnesota State Tournament, Champion
ConferenceIndependent
Home iceJ. C. Brown Athletic Field
Record
Overall12–4–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachRoland Vandell
Captain(s)Sergio Gambucci
St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey seasons
« 1946–47 1948–49 »

The 1947–48 St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey season was the 14th season of play for the program but 1st under NCAA oversight. The Huskies represented St. Cloud State Teachers College and were coached by Roland Vandell in his 2nd season.

Season

[edit]

St. Cloud produced one of the best seasons the program had ever seen in 1948. Led by star forward Sergio Gambucci, the Huskies got off to a tremendous start, winning their first five games of the year.[1] Though they got a fight from St. John's, the Huskies largely controlled both ends of the ice which was highlighted by a 14–2 demolition of Bemidji State.

The Huskies ran into a rough patch in the middle of the season. After losing to a semi-pro outfit (Eagle River), St. Cloud met Michigan Tech on their home ice and swamped by the powerful engineers. The Huskies recovered afterwards and put up two more victories to keep their record spotless against Minnesota outfits.[2]

After the second game against Duluth, one of the cars that was transporting players to the Eveleth game crashed into a bus. In the accident, Mel Janski banged up his knee while Cobby Saatzer was felled by a leg injury that would keep him out for the rest of the year.[3] The hamstrung Huskies did what they could to win the match that night but they ended up losing 3–5 without two of their starting players.

The following week the team attended the Minnesota Winter Carnival and were still reeling from the injuries. Janski gutted through the pain and saw some ice time but it was up to the alternates to fill in for their afflicted comrades. While the reserves did their best, it was lineup regulars Gambucci, Strand and Braga who turned in stellar performances. After shutting out St. Thomas in the opening game, St. Cloud was able to just edge out St. John's for the third time that season and make the championship match. In the final game, St. Cloud peppered the St. Olaf cage with shots but the opposing netminder turned in a stirling performance to keep his team in the match. The Oles tied the game in the third and then stubbornly refused to let up in overtime. Two 5-minute periods elapsed without a goal, leading to a sudden-death session. In the third overtime, Jerry Adamic collected the game-winner on a pass from George Sachen to capture the championship.[4]

After winning the title, St. Cloud had a bit of a letdown in their next game and barely escaped from Bemidji State with a 1–0 win. The team ended its season with a return match against Eveleth Junior College and avenged their earlier loss. The win left the team with a stellar record and a claim as the best college team in Minnesota other than the Golden Gophers.[5]

Roster

[edit]
No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team
Minnesota Gerald Adamic Sophomore Chisholm, Minnesota
Larry Armstrong
Al Braga Senior G
Charles Cedarholm Freshman
Minnesota Sergio Gambucci (C) F 1923-01-11 Eveleth, Minnesota
Bob Gill D
Bill Grimes
Minnesota Mel Janski Sophomore D St. Cloud, Minnesota
Blake Jaskowiak
John Rosequist G
Minnesota Rudy Saatzer Sophomore F St. Cloud, Minnesota
George Sachen
Minnesota Robert W. Strand Senior F Eveleth, Minnesota

[6]

Standings

[edit]
1947–48 NCAA Independent ice hockey standings
Intercollegiate Overall
GP W L T Pct. GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Army 16 11 4 1 .719 78 39 16 11 4 1 78 39
Bemidji State 5 0 5 0 .000 13 36 10 2 8 0 37 63
Boston College 19 14 5 0 .737 126 60 19 14 5 0 126 60
Boston University 24 20 4 0 .833 179 86 24 20 4 0 179 86
Bowdoin 9 4 5 0 .444 45 68 11 6 5 0 56 73
Brown 14 5 9 0 .357 61 91 14 5 9 0 61 91
California 10 2 8 0 .200 45 62 17 5 12 0 87 89
Clarkson 12 5 6 1 .458 67 39 17 10 6 1 96 54
Colby 8 2 6 0 .250 28 41 8 2 6 0 28 41
Colgate 10 7 3 0 .700 54 34 13 10 3 0 83 45
Colorado College 14 9 5 0 .643 84 73 27 19 8 0 207 120
Cornell 4 0 4 0 .000 3 43 4 0 4 0 3 43
Dartmouth 23 21 2 0 .913 156 76 24 21 3 0 156 81
Fort Devens State 13 3 10 0 .231 33 74 – – – – – –
Georgetown 3 2 1 0 .667 12 11 7 5 2 0 37 21
Hamilton – – – – – – – 14 7 7 0 – –
Harvard 22 9 13 0 .409 131 131 23 9 14 0 135 140
Lehigh 8 0 8 0 .000 8 95 10 0 10 0 12 108
Massachusetts 2 0 2 0 .000 1 23 3 0 3 0 3 30
Michigan 18 16 2 0 .889 105 53 23 20 2 1 141 63
Michigan Tech 19 7 12 0 .368 87 96 20 8 12 0 91 97
Middlebury 14 8 5 1 .607 111 68 16 10 5 1 127 74
Minnesota 16 9 7 0 .563 78 73 21 9 12 0 100 105
Minnesota–Duluth 6 3 3 0 .500 21 24 9 6 3 0 36 28
MIT 19 8 11 0 .421 93 114 19 8 11 0 93 114
New Hampshire 13 4 9 0 .308 58 67 13 4 9 0 58 67
North Dakota 10 6 4 0 .600 51 46 16 11 5 0 103 68
North Dakota Agricultural 5 3 2 0 .600 27 28 6 4 2 0 37 29
Northeastern 19 10 9 0 .526 135 119 19 10 9 0 135 119
Norwich 9 3 6 0 .333 38 58 13 6 7 0 56 70
Princeton 18 8 10 0 .444 65 72 21 10 11 0 79 79
St. Cloud State 12 10 2 0 .833 55 35 16 12 4 0 73 55
St. Lawrence 9 6 3 0 .667 65 27 13 8 4 1 95 50
Suffolk – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Tufts 4 3 1 0 .750 17 15 4 3 1 0 17 15
Union 9 1 8 0 .111 7 86 9 1 8 0 7 86
Williams 11 3 6 2 .364 37 47 13 4 7 2 – –
Yale 16 5 10 1 .344 60 69 20 8 11 1 89 85

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date Opponent Site Result Record
Regular Season
December 18 St. John's* J. C. Brown Athletic Field • St. Cloud, Minnesota W 3–0  1–0–0
January 7 Minnesota–Duluth* J. C. Brown Athletic Field • St. Cloud, Minnesota W 5–1  2–0–0
January 8 at St. John's* St. Joseph, Minnesota W 5–4  3–0–0
January 16 at Grand Rapids* Grand Rapids, Minnesota W 5–2  4–0–0
January 18 at Bemidji State* Bemidji Sports Arena • Bemidji, Minnesota W 14–2 †  5–0–0
January 22 at Eagle River* Eagle River, Wisconsin L 4–10  5–1–0
January 23 at Michigan Tech* Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan L 1–9  5–2–0
January 24 at Michigan Tech* Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan L 3–9  5–3–0
January 28 at North Dakota Agricultural* Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan W 6–4 OT 6–3–0
January 30 at Minnesota–Duluth* Duluth Curling and Skating Club • Duluth, Minnesota W 6–0 †  7–3–0
January 31 at Eveleth J. C.* Eveleth, Minnesota L 3–5  7–4–0
Minnesota State Tournament
February 5 vs. St. Thomas* Saint Paul, Minnesota W 3–0  8–4–0
February vs. St. John's* Saint Paul, Minnesota W 3–2  9–4–0
February vs. St. Olaf* Saint Paul, Minnesota (Championship) W 5–4 3OT 10–4–0
Regular Season
February ‡ at Bemidji State* J. C. Brown Athletic Field • St. Cloud, Minnesota W 1–0  11–4–0
February 22 Eveleth J. C.* J. C. Brown Athletic Field • St. Cloud, Minnesota W 6–3  12–4–0
*Non-conference game.

† Bemidji State records the score of the game as 12–2 for St. Cloud. Duluth records have the score as 6–1 for the Huskies.
‡ No mention of this game appears in Bemidji State's records.
[7]

Scoring statistics

[edit]
Name Position Games Goals Assists Points
Sergio Gambucci F 16 28 10 38
Bob Strand F 16 8 12 20
Mel Janski D 13 6 8 14
George Sachen 16 8 1 9
Cobby Saatzer F 10 5 3 8
Jerry Adamic 16 5 3 8
Blake Jaskowiak 16 3 5 8
Bob Gill D 16 5 2 7
Larry Armstrong 14 4 2 6
Bill Grimes 14 1 0 1
Al Braga G - 0 0 0
John Rosequist G - 0 0 0
Total 73 46 119

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Unbeaten Hockey Squad Heads North; Cagers Face Dangerous Duluth Five". The College Chronicle. January 16, 1948. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Puck.men on Third Trip of Season; Lose to Fast Clubs on Last Jaunt". The College Chronicle. January 30, 1948. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "Talahi Yearbook 1948". St. Cloud State. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "Ped Icemen Grab_St. Paul Winter Carnival Title". The College Chronicle. February 13, 1948. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Puckmen Lose Only Four As Hockey Season Ends". The College Chronicle. February 27, 1948. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "St. Cloud State Univ". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ^ "2022-23 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). St. Cloud State Huskies. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
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