1968–69 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season

Collegiate team season August 2023 December 2025 color:white; background:#862633; a #866d4b 2px white white Denver Pioneers white 1968–69 Denver Pioneers (old) logo.svg 200 Denver Pioneers men WCHA 1st 26–6–0 14–6–0 16–2–0 6–4–0 4–0–0 Murray Armstrong Keith MagnusonTom MillerCraig PatrickDenver Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide https://s3.amazonaws.com/denverpioneers.com/documents/2018/10/10/Media_Guide_2.pdf Denver Pioneers January 14, 2019 DU Arena National championWCHA Tournament, co-champion NCAA Tournament champion 1967–68 1969–70 color:white; background:#862633; a #866d4b 2px background:#eeeeee; The 1968–69 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey team represented University of Denver in college ice hockey. In its 13th year under head coach Murray Armstrong the team compiled a 26–6–0 record and reached the NCAA tournament for the eighth time. The Pioneers defeated Cornell 4–3 in the championship game at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This was Denver's second consecutive championship and fifth in eleven years. Senior goaltender Gerry Powers tied the all-time NCAA career record of 76 wins in the championship match against the record-holder Ken Dryden. Season Denver was hoping to be the first team to defend its National Title since the 1961 Denver squad. With only three players leaving (due to graduation) Murray Armstrong's team had a good chance to repeat. Unfortunately, the team stumbles out of the gate, losing both games in its opening series at North Dakota. The Pioneers returned to Colorado for a home-and-home series against a weak Colorado College team before going back on the road. In Houghton Denver lost its third road game to Michigan Tech before finally managing a win the following night to pull their record back to even. Denver then took two games against still-building Minnesota–Duluth and ended the first part of its schedule against two national teams with the Broadmoor World Tournament. The Pioneers were able to defeat a non-olympic US Team handily before tying the Czech Team two days later (though the game was called for Denver). The Pioneers began the new year with a series against Colgate and dominated the eastern team in both contests. After earning a road split with Michigan Denver returned to Colorado and didn't have to leave the state for the remainder of the year. Denver went 12–2 down the stretch, playing only 1 road game at Colorado College but its loss to Michigan Tech on February 1 cost the Pioneers their chance to win the Conference championship. Denver finished as the top western seed for the WCHA Tournament and after dropping the league's poorest team (UMD) in the first game they were given a gift from Colorado College who had knocked off North Dakota in the regional semifinal. Denver's defense continued its strong play and earned the Pioneers their second consecutive WCHA title and a trip to the 1969 NCAA Tournament. Despite having finished second in the WCHA, Denver possessed a better record and the defending national champions were given the top western seed, placing them in the semifinal against Harvard. Denver easily dispatched the Crimson 9–2, leaving only the 27–1 Cornell Big Red standing in their way. Cornell was both the top offensive and defensive team in 1968–69 and were led by the NCAA's all-time wins leader Ken Dryden.Cornell Men's Hockey Media Guide History & Records https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornellbigred.com/documents/2008/10/23/59-88.pdf Cornell Big Red March 26, 2019 Denver, however, was able to reply with Gerry Powers, who had only one fewer wins than the future Hall of famer. The two titans clashed in one of the more anticipated national championships in history and early on it was apparent that Denver had come to play when Tom Gilmore deflected the puck past Dryden less than three minutes in. Cornell tied the game a little over 10 minutes later and the two teams ended the first ties 1-all. Both goalies continued to stymie the opposition until a Cornell penalty allowed Denver to pull ahead once more but this time it only took the Big Red two minutes to tie the game for a third time. Denver's withering attack continued to pressure Dryden and two more pucks got past the Cornell netminder to give Denver a late 2-goal edge. The drama of the contest was not finished, however, and after coincidental minors left the teams at 4-on-4, Cornell scored with the extra space then pulled Dryden to effectively give their team a power play in the final minute but Powers stood firm and allowed Denver to keep their lead and win the championship. Keith Magnuson led the team's offence from the blueline in the title game and his three assists won him the tournament MOP. He was joined by teammates Tom Miller, Bob Trembecky and Gerry Powers on the All-Tournament first team.NCAA Frozen Four Records http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/frozen_4/2009/f4recs.pdf NCAA.org 2013-06-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20120817163005/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/frozen_4/2009/f4recs.pdf 2012-08-17 live Powers joined a very select group of goaltenders who won consecutive national titles and was the last to do so until Hunter Shepard in 2019. Magnuson and George Morrison were named to both the AHCA All-American West Team and All-WCHA First Team while Powers and Miller made the Conference Second Team. Morrison, for leading Denver in both goals and points, won the WCHA Sophomore of the Year Award.WCHA Awards http://www.augenblick.org/chha/wcha_awd.html College Hockey Historical Archives May 19, 2013 Standings DEN Schedule yes |- !colspan=12 style="color:white; background:#862633; a #866d4b 2px" | Exhibition November 8 w yes no DU Hilltoppers DU Arena Denver, Colorado 4–0 - November 10 w yes no DU Hilltoppers DU Arena Denver, Colorado 12–4 - |- !colspan=12 style="color:white; background:#862633; a #866d4b 2px" | Regular Season November 15 l yes 1968 men North Dakota Fighting Sioux North Dakota Winter Sports Building Grand Forks, North Dakota 3–4 0–1 0–1 Powers November 16 l yes 1968 men North Dakota Fighting Sioux North Dakota Winter Sports Building Grand Forks, North Dakota 5–7 0–2 0–2 Powers November 22 w no 1968 men Colorado College Tigers Colorado College DU Arena Denver, Colorado 7–0 1–2 1–2 Powers November 23 w yes 1968 men Colorado College Tigers Colorado College Broadmoor World Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado 4–2 2–2 2–2 Powers November 30 w yes no DU Hilltoppers DU Arena Denver, Colorado Exhibition 11–2 2–2 2–2 - December 6 l yes 1968 men Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Tech Dee Stadium Houghton, Michigan 1–3 2–3 2–3 Powers December 7 w yes 1968 men Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Tech Dee Stadium Houghton, Michigan 5–1 3–3 3–3 Powers December 20 w yes 1968 men Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs Minnesota–Duluth Duluth Arena Auditorium Duluth, Minnesota 4–3 4–3 4–3 Powers December 21 w yes 1968 men Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs Minnesota–Duluth Duluth Arena Auditorium Duluth, Minnesota 7–4 5–3 5–3 Powers December 27 w yes no US National Team Broadmoor World Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado Broadmoor World Tournament 6–0 6–3 5–3 Powers December 29 w yes no Czech National Team Broadmoor World Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado Broadmoor World Tournament 2–2† 7–3 5–3 Powers January 3 w yes no 1968 men Colgate Red Raiders Colgate DU Arena Denver, Colorado 9–1 8–3 5–3 Powers January 4 w yes no 1968 men Colgate Red Raiders Colgate DU Arena Denver, Colorado 13–3 9–3 5–3 Powers January 10 l yes 1968 men Michigan Wolverines Michigan Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 4–5 OT 9–4 5–4 Powers January 11 w yes 1968 men Michigan Wolverines Michigan Weinberg Coliseum Ann Arbor, Michigan 5–3 10–4 6–4 Powers January 17 w no 1968 men Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs Minnesota–Duluth DU Arena Denver, Colorado 8–2 11–4 7–4 Powers January 18 w no 1968 men Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs Minnesota–Duluth DU Arena Denver, Colorado 8–2 12–4 8–4 Powers January 24 w no 1968 men Colorado College Tigers Colorado College DU Arena Denver, Colorado 6–0 13–4 9–4 Powers January 25 w yes 1968 men Colorado College Tigers Colorado College Broadmoor World Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado 2–1 14–4 10–4 Powers January 31 w no 1968 men Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Tech DU Arena Denver, Colorado 3–0 15–4 11–4 Powers February 1 l no 1968 men Michigan Tech Huskies Michigan Tech DU Arena Denver, Colorado 2–4 15–5 11–5 Powers February 4 w no 1968 men North Dakota Fighting Sioux North Dakota DU Arena Denver, Colorado 6–0 16–5 12–5 Powers February 7 w no 1968 men North Dakota Fighting Sioux North Dakota DU Arena Denver, Colorado 4–3 17–5 13–5 Powers February 14 w no 1968 men Michigan State Spartans Michigan State DU Arena Denver, Colorado 9–4 18–5 14–5 Powers February 15 l no 1968 men Michigan State Spartans Michigan State DU Arena Denver, Colorado 1–2 18–6 14–6 Powers February 21 w yes no Canadian National Team DU Arena Denver, Colorado 5–3 19–6 14–6 Powers February 22 w yes no Canadian National Team DU Arena Denver, Colorado 3–2 20–6 14–6 Powers February 18 w yes no 1968 men Alberta Golden Bears Alberta DU Arena Denver, Colorado 5–1 21–6 14–6 Powers March 1 w yes no 1968 men Alberta Golden Bears Alberta DU Arena Denver, Colorado 3–2 22–6 14–6 Powers |- !colspan=12 style="color:white; background:#862633; a #866d4b 2px" | #FFFFFF WCHA Tournament March 6 w yes yes 1968 men Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs Minnesota–Duluth DU Arena Denver, Colorado WCHA First Round 4–1 23–6 14–6 Powers March 8 w yes yes 1968 men Colorado College Tigers Colorado College DU Arena Denver, Colorado WCHA Second Round 3–1 24–6 14–6 Powers |- !colspan=12 style="color:white; background:#862633; a #866d4b 2px" | #FFFFFF NCAA Tournament March 13 w yes yes 1968 men Harvard Crimson Harvard Broadmoor World Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado National Semifinal 9–2 25–6 14–6 Powers March 15 w yes yes 1968 men Cornell Big Red Cornell Broadmoor World Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado National championship 4–3 26–6 14–6 Powers Source: † game called 1–0 for Denver. Denver Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide https://s3.amazonaws.com/denverpioneers.com/documents/2018/10/10/Media_Guide_2.pdf Denver Pioneers January 14, 2019 Roster and scoring statistics No. Name Year Position Hometown S/P/C Games Goals Assists Points #FFFFFF PIM 16 George Morrison George Morrison (ice hockey) Sophomore LW Toronto, ON Ontario 32 40 18 58 12 8 Tom Miller Tom Miller (ice hockey) Senior F Kitchener, ON Ontario 30 13 33 46 14 13 Don Thiessen Junior F Saskatoon, SK Saskatchewan – – – 35 - 15 Bob Trembecky Senior C Drumheller, AB Alberta 32 13 22 35 - 2 Keith Magnuson Senior D Saskatoon, SK Saskatchewan 32 7 27 34 48 14 Lynn Powis Sophomore C Saskatoon, SK Saskatchewan 30 17 12 29 21 9 Al Genovy Junior C Flin Flon, MB Manitoba 30 8 19 27 19 12 Tom Gilmore Tom Gilmore (ice hockey) Junior F Flin Flon, MB Manitoba 31 11 13 24 28 4 Randy Ward Senior D Calgary, AB Alberta – – – 19 – 17 Craig Patrick Junior RW Detroit, MI Michigan 17 7 8 15 6 6 Dale Zeman Senior D Saskatoon, SK Saskatchewan – 2 11 13 54 3 Tim Gould Tim Gould (ice hockey) Senior D Saskatoon, SK Saskatchewan 32 3 10 13 32 7 Gerry Jonasson Junior F Winnipeg, MB Manitoba – – – 11 – 19 Bill Pettinger Sophomore D Edmonton, AB Alberta 22 – – 10 – 11 Rich Blanche Junior F Hamilton, ON Ontario – – – 7 – 5 Ed Hamilton Ed Hamilton (ice hockey) Junior D Winnipeg, MB Manitoba – – – 5 – - John Saville John Saville (ice hockey) Sophomore D Weston, ON Ontario – – – 3 – 18 Terry Leifson Senior F Leinan, SK Saskatchewan – – – 0 – - Dan Helm Sophomore D Saskatoon, SK Saskatchewan – – – 0 – 1 Frank Daly Frank Daly (ice hockey) Senior G Reading, MA Massachusetts 1 – – – – 1 Gerry Powers Senior G Brampton, ON Ontario 32 – – – – Total Denver Pioneers 1968-69 roster and statistics https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/2034/univ.-of-denver/1968-1969?tab=stats EliteProspects May 1, 2019 Goaltending statistics No. Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals against Saves Shut outs #FFFFFF SV % #FFFFFF GAA 1 Gerry Powers 32 – 26 6 0 – – 5 .915 2.23 1 Frank Daly Frank Daly (ice hockey) 1 – 0 0 0 – – 0 1.000 0.00 Total 32 – 26 6 0 – – 5 – – 1969 championship game (W1) Denver vs. (E1) Cornell Denver Cornell Broadmoor World Arena March 15Denver men's hockey 2017-18 media guide https://s3.amazonaws.com/denverpioneers.com/documents/2018/6/6/prospectus.pdf Denver Pioneers 2018-08-27 4 – 3 1 Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st DENTom GilmorePowis and Magnuson 2:41 1–0 DEN CORDan LodboaPattison 13:09 1–1 2nd DENGeorge Morrison - PPMiller and Magnuson 30:25 2–1 DEN CORBrian CornellTufford 33:31 2–2 3rd DENBob Trembecky - PPMagnuson and Patrick 44:17 3–2 DEN DENTom Miller - GWZeman 51:50 4–2 DEN CORGordon LoweGiullani 58:40 4–3 DEN Shots by period Team 1 2 3 T Cornell 12 9 15 36 Denver 9 9 7 25 Goaltenders Team Name Saves Goals against Time on ice COR Ken Dryden 21 4 DEN Gerry Powers 33 3 Players drafted in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft Round Pick Player NHL team 6 68 Lynn Powis Montreal Canadiens 1969 NHL Amateur Draft http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl1969a.html Hockey DB June 20, 2019 References 50em Category:Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey seasons Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver