1955–56 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season

Sports season March 2026 August 2023 color:white; background:#00274C; a #FFCB05 2px white white Michigan Wolverines white 1955–56 Michigan Wolverines logo.svg Michigan Wolverines men WIHL 1st 20–2–1 11–1–1 7–1 2–0 Vic Heyliger Bill MacFarland Michigan Coliseum National championWIHL champion NCAA Tournament champion 1954–55 1956–57 Michigan Wolverines #FFFFFF background:#eeeeee; The 1955–56 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team represented the University of Michigan in college ice hockey. In its 12th year under head coach Vic Heyliger, the team compiled a 20–2–1 record, outscored opponents 109 to 49, and won the 1956 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The Wolverines defeated St. Lawrence 2–1 in overtime in the first round of the Frozen Four. They then defeated Michigan Tech by a 7–5 score in the championship game at Broadmoor Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 1956 championship was Michigan's sixth NCAA hockey championship in nine years. Goalie Lorne Howes was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player and was also named Most Valuable Player in the 1956 NCAA Tournament. Team captain Bill MacFarland was the team's leading scorer with 19 goals, 28 assists, and 47 total points in 23 games. Howes, MacFarland, and defenseman Bob Schiller were all named to the All-American college hockey team.Another NCAA Championship: Hockey Team Wins Sixth National Crown In The Last Nine Years The Michigan Alumnus April 14, 1956 304 https://books.google.com/books?id=XRhYAAAAMAAJ Standings UM Schedule Conference games against Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Minnesota were only worth 1 point in the standings. no |- !colspan=12 style="Michigan Wolverines #FFFFFF;" | Regular season December 3 w yes no McGill Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 5–3 1–0–0 no December 9 w yes 1955–56 men North Dakota Fighting Sioux North Dakota Winter Sports Building Grand Forks, North Dakota 5–1 2–0–0 1–0–0 no December 10 l yes 1955–56 men North Dakota Fighting Sioux North Dakota Winter Sports Building Grand Forks, North Dakota 2–4 2–1–0 1–1–0 no December 13 t yes 1955–56 men Denver Pioneers Denver Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 3–3 OT 2–1–1 1–1–1 no December 14 w yes 1955–56 men Denver Pioneers Denver Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 6–2 3–1–1 2–1–1 no January 6 w yes 1955–56 men Michigan State Spartans Michigan State Demonstration Hall East Lansing, Michigan 5–2 4–1–1 3–1–1 no January 7 w no 1955–56 men Michigan State Spartans Michigan State Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 3–1 5–1–1 4–1–1 no January 13 w no 1955–56 men Minnesota Golden Gophers Minnesota Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 2–0 6–1–1 5–1–1 no January 14 w no 1955–56 men Minnesota Golden Gophers Minnesota Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 2–1 7–1–1 6–1–1 no January 20 w yes 1955–56 men Michigan State Spartans Michigan State Demonstration Hall East Lansing, Michigan 3–2 OT 8–1–1 7–1–1 no January 21 w no 1955–56 men Michigan State Spartans Michigan State Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 7–1 9–1–1 8–1–1 no February 7 l no 1955–56 men Colorado College Tigers Colorado College Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 3–6 9–2–1 8–2–1 no February 8 w no 1955–56 men Colorado College Tigers Colorado College Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 7–2 10–2–1 9–2–1 no February 17 w yes 1955–56 men Minnesota Golden Gophers Minnesota Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota 5–3 11–2–1 10–2–1 no February 18 w yes 1955–56 men Minnesota Golden Gophers Minnesota Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota 6–2 12–2–1 11–2–1 no February 24 w yes no Montreal Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 5–2 13–2–1 11–2–1 no February 25 w yes no Montreal Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 10–1 14–2–1 11–2–1 no March 2 w yes 1955–56 men Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Tech Dee Stadium Houghton, Michigan 5–2 15–2–1 12–2–1 no March 3 w yes 1955–56 men Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Tech Dee Stadium Houghton, Michigan 6–3 16–2–1 13–2–1 no March 9 w no 1955–56 men Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Tech Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 5–1 17–2–1 14–2–1 no March 10 w no 1955–56 men Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Tech Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 5–1 18–2–1 15–2–1 no |- !colspan=12 style="Michigan Wolverines #FFFFFF;" | #FFFFFF NCAA Tournament March 16 w yes yes 1955–56 men St. Lawrence Saints St. Lawrence Broadmoor World Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado National semifinal 2–1 OT 19–2–1 15–2–1 no March 17 w yes yes 1955–56 men Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Tech Broadmoor World Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado National championship 7–5 20–2–1 15–2–1 no no Source:Through the Years: Season-By-Season Results https://s3.amazonaws.com/mgoblue.com/documents/2016/9/20/ihm-throughtheyears.pdf Michigan Wolverines December 6, 2018 August 31, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200831135249/https://s3.amazonaws.com/mgoblue.com/documents/2016/9/20/ihm-throughtheyears.pdf dead Regular season McGill: Dec. 3, 1955 On December 3, 1955, the Wolverines opened their season with a 5-3 victory over McGill in front of a sellout crowd of 3,700 at the Coliseum in Ann Arbor. Dick Dunnigan scored two goals for Michigan. Bill MacFarland, Ed Switzer, and Wally Maxwell scored one each. Team captain MacFarland sustained "a severe ankle sprain" after colliding with the boards in the third period. The Michigan Daily praised the play of the newest Wolverine, Wally Maxwell: "His scoring punch and sharp passing should make him one of Michigan's leading offense threats."Wolverines Stun McGill, 5-3, With Second Period Strength; MacFarland Injured In Game The Michigan Daily December 4, 1955 1, 3 At North Dakota: December 9–10, 1955 The Wolverines next played a Friday/Saturday series against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux on December 9 and 10, 1955, at Grand Forks, North Dakota. Michigan won the first game, 5-1, before a "violently partisan" crowd of 3,800 at Grand Forks. Michigan's goals were scored by Dick Dunnigan, Ed Switzer, Tom Rendall, Jay Goold, and Wally Maxwell. Goalie Lorne Howes made 23 saves.'M' Puck Squad Beats Sioux, 5-1: Wolverines Notch First WIHL Win; Five Players Share Scoring Honors The Michigan Daily December 10, 1955 1 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aGxtzYPGyQEC&dat=19551210&printsec=frontpage&hl=en The Wolverines lost the second game to North Dakota by a 4-2 score. Michigan goalie Lorne Howes was struck by the puck above his left eye at the start of the third period and sustained a gash. The game was delayed while Howes had the wound stitched. Ed Switzer and Bernie Hanna scored Michigan's goals. South Dakota's final goal came late in the third period after Michigan coach Vic Heyliger pulled the goalie for an extra skater.Nodaks Stun Icers, 4-2: Howes Gets Minor Injury, Needs Stitches, But Finishes The Michigan Daily December 11, 1955 3 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aGxtzYPGyQEC&dat=19551211&printsec=frontpage&hl=en Denver: December 13 and 14, 1955 The Wolverines returned home for a Tuesday/Wednesday series against the Denver Pioneers on December 13 and 14, 1955. In the Tuesday night game, the teams played to a 3-3 tie before a crowd of 2,500 at the Coliseum in Ann Arbor. Michigan held a 3-1 lead with five minutes left in the game, but the Pioneers scored twice, including a tying goal with 49 second remaining. Neither team scored in the 10-minute overtime period, and the game ended in a tie. Wally Maxwell scored two goals in the game, and Ed Switzer scored one. With the tie, Michigan fell to 1-1-1 in three WIHL games.Denver Icers Rally To Tie Wolverines: 'M' Blows 3-1 Lead As Pioneers Score Twice in Last Five Minutes Dave Grey The Michigan Daily December 14, 1955 1 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aGxtzYPGyQEC&dat=19551214&printsec=frontpage&hl=en Michigan won the Wednesday night game by a 6-2 score in front of a crowd of 2,700 at the Coliseum. Defenseman Bob Pitts was the star of the game with two goals and a strong defensive performance. Team captain Bill MacFarland also scored twice. Michigan's remaining goals were scored by Ed Switzer and Tom Rendall. Denver's second goal came on an errant effort by Michigan to clear the zone. A Michigan defender inadvertently passed the puck backward into the net. After the game, Michigan coach Vic Heyliger said, "When these boys want to play hockey, they can really get out there and play. This is what we've been waiting for."Icers Trounce Denver Sextet, 6-2; Pitts Stars Dave Rorabacher The Michigan Daily December 15, 1955 1 Ineligible Players On February 7 the Big Ten ruled that Mike Buchanan and Wally Maxwell were ineligible to play due to having accepted expense money from outside sources while playing in high school.Big Ten Bars Buchanan, Maxwell https://digital.bentley.umich.edu/midaily/mdp.39015071756386/8 The Michigan Daily February 21, 1956 February 10, 2018 While the ruling ended the college careers of both players, no action was taken against Michigan as the violations occurred prior to either player entering college. Furthermore, Michigan was not required to forfeit any games in which either player had participated (including the 1955 national championship in which Buchanan had played). 1956 NCAA championship After compiling an 18–2–1 record and winning the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (WIHL) championship, Michigan was invited to participate in the Frozen Four for the ninth consecutive year. The 1956 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was held at Broadmoor Arena at The Broadmoor, a luxury hotel located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. St. Lawrence University (from Canton, New York) and Boston College were invited from the East and Michigan and Michigan Technological University (from Houghton, Michigan) were invited from the West. Semifinal vs. St. Lawrence On March 16, 1956, the Wolverines faced the St. Lawrence Saints in the opening round. Neither team scored in the first period, as Michigan goalie Lorne Howes made 11 saves and the Wolverines were held to five shots on goal. St. Lawrence took a 1–0 lead with an unassisted goal by McKinnon with less than a minute remaining in the second period. St. Lawrence goalie Whittier had 15 saves in the second period. At the 3:59 mark in the third period, Michigan tied the score at 1–1 as Ed Switzer scored a goal with assists by Neil McDonald and Bob Pitts. Howes made 13 saves in the third period (30 saves in the game), and the third period ended in a tie. In the overtime period, Tom Rendall scored the winning goal at the 1:21 mark with an assist from Don McIntosh.Michigan Skaters Gain: Wolverines Beat St. Lawrence in Overtime Game, 2–1 The New York Times March 17, 1956 https://www.nytimes.com/1956/03/17/archives/michigan-skaters-gain-wolverines-beat-st-lawrence-in-overtime-game.html Championship vs. Michigan Tech. On March 17, 1956, the Wolverines faced the Michigan Tech Huskies in the championship game. The Wolverines and Huskies had played four times in the regular season with Michigan winning all four games by a combined score of 21–7. In the championship game, Michigan struck first with a goal by Ed Switzer, assisted by Neil McDonald, only 23 seconds into the game. The period ended with Michigan ahead 4–3. Michigan's remaining goals in the first period were scored by Neil McDonald (assist by Bob Schiller at 9:22), Aubrey (unassisted at 11:04), and Schiller (assist by McDonald at 13:11). Michigan goalie Lorne Howes made 19 saves in the first period. In the second period, Michigan Tech took a 5–4 lead, scoring two goals in the opening 7:15. The Wolverines tied the score at 5–5 on a goal by Ed Switzer, assisted by Bernie Hanna at 7:58. Michigan then took the lead, scoring two goals within 11 seconds of the other. Switzer scored at the 14:38 mark (assist by Dick Dunnigan), and Neil McDonald followed with an unassisted goal at 14:49. The third period was scoreless as Howes tallied 19 more saves. Switzer's third goal of the game gave him a hat trick.Michigan Topples Michigan Tech, 7–5: Takes Second Straight Title in College Hockey as Switzer Excels The New York Times March 18, 1956 https://www.nytimes.com/1956/03/18/archives/michigan-topples-michigan-tech75-takes-second-straight-title-in.html (W1) Michigan vs. (W2) Michigan Tech Michigan Michigan Tech Broadmoor Ice Palace March 17Team History https://mgoblue.com/documents/2016/9/20/ihm-team-history.pdf Michigan Wolverines December 9, 2018 7 – 5 1 Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st UMEd SwitzerMcDonald 00:23 1–0 UM MTUDick WilsonJ. McManus 02:42 1–1 UMNeil McDonaldSchiller 09:22 2–1 UM UMDon McIntoshRendall 10:14 3–1 UM MTUPete Aubryunassisted 11:04 3–2 UM UMBob SchillerMcDonald 13:11 4–2 UM MTUDick Wilsonunassisted 19:45 4–3 UM 2nd MTUTom KennedyWilson 24:47 4–4 MTUPete Aubry – PPWilson 27:25 5–4 MTU UMEd SwitzerHanna 27:58 5–5 UMEd Switzer – GW PPDunnigan 34:28 6–5 UM UMNeil McDonaldunassisted 34:49 7–5 UM 3rd None Shots by period Team 1 2 3 T Michigan Tech 22 10 10 42 Michigan 14 14 11 39 Goaltenders Team Name Saves Goals against Time on ice MTU Bob McManus 32 7 UM Lorne Howes 37 5 All-Tournament Team Michigan goalie Lorne Howes, who totaled 46 saves in the championship game, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. Michigan players also took five of six first-team spots on the Associated Press All-Tournament Team. The Michigan players so honored were Howes, defensemen Bob Pitts and Bob Schiller, center Tom Rendall, and wing Ed Switzer.Michigan Hockey Record Book University of Michigan 17 http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/mich/sports/m-hockey/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/ihm-recordbook-pre-2012-13.pdf 2013-09-06 2013-05-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20130516090050/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/mich/sports/m-hockey/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/ihm-recordbook-pre-2012-13.pdf deadMichigan Captures NCAA Hockey Title Hopkinsville Kentucky New Era March 19, 1956 14 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S-IrAAAAIBAJ&pg=1097,5226545&dq=lorne-howes&hl=en Shortly after winning the championship, the members of the Michigan hockey team selected Bob Pitts as captain of the 1956–57 Michigan hockey team.Pitts Selected As Ice Captain St. Joseph, Mo., Gazette March 20, 1956 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rrdiAAAAIBAJ&pg=5326,4441449&dq=bob-pitts+hockey&hl=en Roster and scoring statistics Fourteen players received varsity letters for the 1955–56 Michigan hockey team. Those 14 players are listed in bold below. Richard T. Brown received the Manager's "M".Athletic Awards for 1955–56 Winter Sports The Michigan Alumnus April 14, 1956 305 https://books.google.com/books?id=XRhYAAAAMAAJ 2 Michigan Wolverines No. Name Year Position Hometown unsortable S/P/C Games Goals Assists Pts #FFFFFF PIM 1 Lorne Howes Senior G Kirkland Lake, ON Ontario – – – – – 2 Mike Buchanan ice hockey Junior D Ottawa, ON Ontario – – – – – 3 Bob Shiller Bob Shiller (ice hockey) Junior D Riverside, ON Ontario – – – – – 4 Bernie Hanna Junior D Calgary, AB Alberta – – – – – 5 Bob Pitts Junior D Castlegar, BC British Columbia – – – – – 6 Dick Dunnigan Junior RW Edmonton, AB Alberta – – – – – 7 Bill MacFarland Senior LW Toronto, ON Ontario 23 19 28 47 45 8 Jerry Karpinka Junior LW Edmonton, AB Alberta – – – – – 9 Jay Goold Senior RW Kirkland Lake, ON Ontario – – – – – 10 Wally Maxwell Sophomore F Toronto, ON Ontario – 7 4 11 8 11 Neil Buchanan Neil Buchanan (ice hockey) Junior D Ottawa, ON Ontario – – – – – 12 Tom Rendall Junior C Winnipeg, MB Manitoba – – – – – 14 Don McIntosh Don McIntosh (ice hockey) Sophomore C Toronto, ON Ontario – – – – – 15 Neil McDonald Neil McDonald (ice hockey) Sophomore C Preston, ON Ontario – – – – – 16 Morley Chin Sophomore F Toronto, ON Ontario – – – – – 17 Ed Switzer Sophomore LW Preston, ON Ontario – – – – – Baden Cosby Junior F Gravenhurst, ON Ontario – – – – – Total Univ. of Michigan 1955-56 roster and statistics https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/803/univ.-of-michigan/1955-1956?tab=stats EliteProspects 2018-10-24 See also 1956 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament List of NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament champions References 50em Category:Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey seasons Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan