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

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.

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 »

Season

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

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

Intercollegiate Overall
GP W L T Pct. GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Army161141.71978391611417839
Bemidji State5050.0001336102803763
Boston College191450.7371266019145012660
Boston University242040.8331798624204017986
Bowdoin9450.4444568116505673
Brown14590.3576191145906191
California10280.20045621751208789
Clarkson12561.45867391710619654
Colby8260.250284182602841
Colgate10730.70054341310308345
Colorado College14950.6438473271980207120
Cornell4040.0003434040343
Dartmouth232120.9131567624213015681
Fort Devens State133100.2313374
Georgetown3210.667121175203721
Hamilton14770
Harvard229130.409131131239140135140
Lehigh8080.00089510010012108
Massachusetts2020.0001233030330
Michigan181620.8891055323202114163
Michigan Tech197120.36887962081209197
Middlebury14851.6071116816105112774
Minnesota16970.5637873219120100105
Minnesota–Duluth6330.500212496303628
MIT198110.4219311419811093114
New Hampshire13490.3085867134905867
North Dakota10640.600514616115010368
North Dakota Agricultural5320.600272864203729
Northeastern191090.526135119191090135119
Norwich9360.3333858136705670
Princeton188100.444657221101107979
St. Cloud State121020.83355351612407355
St. Lawrence9630.6676527138419550
Suffolk
Tufts4310.750171543101715
Union9180.1117869180786
Williams11362.364374713472
Yale165101.34460692081118985

Schedule and results

DateOpponentSiteResultRecord
Regular Season
December 18 St. John's* J. C. Brown Athletic FieldSt. Cloud, Minnesota W 3–0  1–0–0
January 7 Minnesota–Duluth* J. C. Brown Athletic FieldSt. 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 ArenaBemidji, 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 StadiumHoughton, Michigan L 1–9  5–2–0
January 24 at Michigan Tech* Dee StadiumHoughton, Michigan L 3–9  5–3–0
January 28 at North Dakota Agricultural* Dee StadiumHoughton, Michigan W 6–4 OT 6–3–0
January 30 at Minnesota–Duluth* Duluth Curling and Skating ClubDuluth, 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 FieldSt. Cloud, Minnesota W 1–0  11–4–0
February 22 Eveleth J. C.* J. C. Brown Athletic FieldSt. 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

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points
Sergio GambucciF16281038
Bob StrandF1681220
Mel JanskiD136814
George Sachen16819
Cobby SaatzerF10538
Jerry Adamic16538
Blake Jaskowiak16358
Bob GillD16527
Larry Armstrong14426
Bill Grimes14101
Al BragaG-000
John RosequistG-000
Total7346119

References

  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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