1947–48 Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey season

March 2026 August 2023 color:white; background:#8C2232; a #DBCCA4 2px white white Boston College Eagles white 1947–48 Boston College Eagles wordmark.svg 250 Boston College Eagles men New England Intercollegiate Hockey League NEIHL 2nd 14–5–0 9–1–0 5–0–0 1–2–0 8–3–0 John "Snooks" Kelley John CorcoranBob Mason Boston Arena NEIHL Tournament, Champion NCAA Tournament Semifinal 1946–47 1948–49 Boston College Eagles #FFFFFF background:#eeeeee; The 1947–48 Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey season was the 26th season of play for the program but first under the oversight of the NCAA. The Eagles represent Boston College and were coached by John "Snooks" Kelley, in his 12th season. Season With the NCAA instituting a college hockey tournament for the first time, BC had high hopes of being one of the two eastern teams invited to participate. Unfortunately, the Eagles had to contend with the absence of several key players early in the season. Star center Warren Lewis came down with an illness before the first game was played and was out of the lineup for their opening game against cross-town rival Harvard. His scoring touch was missed as BC fell to the Crimson 3–4.Eagles Lose to Harvard in Ice Opener, 4-3 https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=bcheights19471205.2.40&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- The Heights December 15, 1947 February 4, 2023 After two less-than-comfortable wins over Fort Devens State and MIT, the team lost their top two defensemen when Butch Songin and John Gallagher were injured in a car accident just before Christmas.Kelleymen Chalk Up 2 More Wins Furing Vacation https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=bcheights19480109.2.48&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- The Heights January 9, 1948 February 4, 2023 However, by that time Warren Lewis had recovered and was back in the lineup. Filling in for the missing players were new additions Frank Shellenback and Ed Clasby but they could not make up for the missing defensive prowess. Over the succeeding five weeks, BC posted a mediocre 3–3 record and surrendered an average of 5 goals per game. It was only though the exploits of Mason, Lewis and Corcoran that allowed BC to remain in contention for the national tournament. Their biggest game during that stretch was against perennial powerhouse Dartmouth when they handed the Indians their first loss of the season. Songin returned just in time for the match against the green and was vital in keeping the high-powered Indians away from Bernie Burke and the BC cage.Eagle Pucksters Hand Dartmouth Second Loss in 3 Years at Arena https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=bcheights19480116.2.4&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- The Heights January 15, 1948 February 4, 2023 The reprieve was short-lived, however, as Songin missed several of the following games. The three-game losing skid had BC in a precarious position, however, Ed Songin returned healthy in time for the game against New Hampshire, rejoining the team along with Gallagher. The result was an overwhelming victory over the Wildcats which began a streak of dominating play that would last until the end of the regular season.Eagles Out on Top Again as They Down Wildcats 9-2; Lewis Star of the Night-Songin Back on Ice. https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=bcheights19480220.2.37&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- The Heights February 20, 1948 February 4, 2023 After slicing through the Georgetown Hoyas, BC shutout Fort Devens State in the rematch with both Burke and backup Norm Dailey getting a turn in the crease.Ealges Shutout Devens to Clinch Playoff Spot https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=bcheights19480227.2.4&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- The Heights February 27, 1948 February 4, 2023 BC ended the regular season with revenge wins over Harvard and Boston University in overwhelming fashion. In doing so they finished second in the NEIHL and appeared in the conference's first postseason tournament. They met Bowdoin in the Semifinal and eviscerated the Polar Bears 10–1 with a total team effort. In the championship game BC faced off against Northeastern, who had upset the top-seeded Terriers. The Eagles relied heavily on Burke to keep them in the game and their BC netminder faced a withering array of shots. He was up to the task and BC entered the third down just a goal. After the Huskies increased their lead to 2, BC rallied to score four consecutive goals in just over 6 minutes of game time to capture the championship.Ealges Clinch New England Intercollegiate Title in Playoffs https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=bcheights19480312&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- The Heights March 12, 1948 February 4, 2023 The title, along with their stellar overall record, enabled BC to earn the second eastern bid for the inaugural NCAA tournament. They travelled to Colorado Springs and faced a powerful Michigan squad. The two teams proved to be the equal of one another as BC got three separate 1-goal leads only to see Michigan tie the score each time. The Wolverines earned their first lead of the match in the third period and jealously held on to the advantage as time ticked away. With under a minute to play, and Burke sitting on the bench in favor of a sixth skater, Jim Fitzgerald tied the game and sent the match into overtime. The NCAA rules at the time followed the original college hockey format that allowed for all 20 minutes of an overtime period to be played regardless of how many goals were scored. This meant that when Wally Gacek scored just 18 seconds into the extra period, BC still had a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, the Wolverines played a stingy defensive game for the rest of the contest and the Eagles were unable to tie the game. Instead, Gacek added a second marker with 30 seconds left in the 4th period, leaving the final score 4–6 in favor of Michigan. Because the NCAA changed the rules afterwards to mirror the more modern sudden-death rules, this was the only game in NCAA tournament history where more than one overtime goal was scored.Sextet Tops Eagles 6-4 https://digital.bentley.umich.edu/midaily/mdp.39015071756238/243 The Michigan Daily 1948-03-20 2017-06-08Boston College Sextet Bows to Michigan, 6-4 Wolverines to Play Dartmouth In Finals Tonight https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/212603943/ Battle Creek Enquirer 1948-03-20 2017-06-08 Roster no yes Bernard M. Burke Jr. Bernie Burke so G 1925 5 27 Massachusetts Newton, Massachusetts yes Edward M. Clasby so F Massachusetts Natick, Massachusetts yes John E. Corcoran sr F Massachusetts Newton, Massachusetts yes C Norman F. Dailey so G Massachusetts Lexington, Massachusetts yes Walter F. DeLorey so F 1924 10 9 Massachusetts Watertown, Massachusetts yes William H. Dowd sr F Massachusetts Stoneham, Massachusetts yes Walter A. Falvey Jr. fr Massachusetts Belmont, Massachusetts yes James W. Fitzgerald jr F Massachusetts Cambridge, Massachusetts yes John E. Gallagher so D Massachusetts Brighton, Massachusetts yes Vincent Harding D yes E. Paul Kelley jr F Massachusetts Dorchester, Massachusetts yes Jerome M. Leonard jr F Massachusetts Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts yes G. Warren Lewis Warren Lewis (ice hockey) so F Massachusetts Arlington, Massachusetts yes John G. Mahler Jr. fr F Massachusetts Belmont, Massachusetts yes Robert T. Mason sr F Massachusetts Wollaston, Massachusetts yes C Joseph P. McCusker so D Massachusetts Waltham, Massachusetts yes John J. McIntyre so F 1925 1 10 Massachusetts Medford, Massachusetts yes John P. McMahon jr F Massachusetts Lynn, Massachusetts yes Frank V. Shellenback Jr. fr D 1927 6 24 Massachusetts Newton, Massachusetts yes Edward F. Songin Butch Songin so D 6 2 190 1924 5 11 Massachusetts Walpole, Massachusetts yes William J. Talbot so F Massachusetts Belmont, Massachusetts yes Giles E. Threadgold fr F Massachusetts Auburndale, Massachusetts yes Note: Boston College did not use numbers on their jerseys at this time.Note: Clasby, Dowd, Falvey and Shellenback are listed as being members of the team for at least part of the season, however, it's unclear whether any of the four played in any games.https://archive.org/details/subturriundertow1948bost Sub Turri 1948 Boston College February 4, 2023 Standings BC BC Schedule and results no |- !colspan=12 style="Boston College Eagles #FFFFFF;" | Regular Season December 3 l yes yes no Harvard Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 3–4 0–1–0 December 15 w no Fort Devens State Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 4–2 1–1–0 1–0–0 December 22 w yes no MIT Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 6–4 2–1–0 2–0–0 January 5 w yes no Northeastern Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 7–6 3–1–0 3–0–0 January 12 w yes no Dartmouth Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 4–3 4–1–0 January 27 w yes no Northeastern Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 8–5 5–1–0 4–0–0 January 29 l yes yes no Dartmouth Davis Rink Hanover, New Hampshire 4–6 5–2–0 February 3 l yes no Boston University Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 3–5 5–3–0 4–1–0 February 10 l yes yes no Princeton Hobey Baker Memorial Rink Princeton, New Jersey 4–5 5–4–0 February 16 w no New Hampshire Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 9–2 6–4–0 5–1–0 February 20 w yes yes no Georgetown Crystal Ice Palace Norwalk, Connecticut 8–1 7–4–0 February 23 w yes no Fort Devens State Skating Club of Boston Rink Allston, Massachusetts 7–0 8–4–0 6–1–0 February 25 w yes yes no Harvard Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 6–1 9–4–0 February 27 w yes no MIT Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 9–2 10–4–0 7–1–0 March 1 w no Middlebury Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 15–1 11–4–0 8–1–0 March 3 w yes no Boston University Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts 9–2 12–4–0 9–1–0 |- !colspan=12 style="Boston College Eagles #FFFFFF;" | NEIHL Tournament March 8 w yes no Bowdoin Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts NEIHL Semifinal 10–1 13–4–0 March 9 w yes yes no Northeastern Boston Arena Boston, Massachusetts NEIHL Championship 6–4 14–4–0 |- !colspan=12 style="Boston College Eagles #FFFFFF;" | #FFFFFF NCAA Tournament March 19 l yes yes no Michigan Broadmoor Ice Palace Colorado Springs, Colorado NCAA Semifinal 4–6 OT 14–5–0 no no Note: The NCAA had not yet instituted sudden death overtime, allowing more than one goal to be scored during the full extra period. Boston College men's Hockey 2017-18 Record Book https://bceagles.com/documents/2017/9/20/2017_18_BC_Hockey_Media_Guide_PDF.pdf Boston College Eagles 2018-08-28 Scoring statistics 2 Boston College Eagles Name Position Games Goals Assists Points #FFFFFF PIM Bob Mason 1 C - 21 19 40 - John McIntyre 1 C/RW - 15 18 33 - Warren Lewis 1 C/LW - 16 16 32 - Joe McCusker 1 D - 13 12 25 - Jim Fitzgerald 1 F - 9 16 25 - John Corcoran 1 LW/RW - 11 12 23 - Giles Threadgold 1 RW - 10 11 21 - Butch Songin 1 D - 9 7 16 - Paul Kelley 1 F - 8 5 13 - John Gallagher 1 D - 5 6 11 - John Mahler 1 LW - 2 4 6 - Walt DeLorey 1 F - 3 0 3 - Bill Talbot 1 F - 0 2 2 - John McMahon 1 D - 1 0 1 - Jerry Leonard 1 F - 0 1 1 - Vern Harding 1 D - 0 1 1 - Bernie Burke 1 G - 0 0 0 - Norm Dailey 1 G - 0 0 0 - Total 123 130 253 - Note: 3 goals are unaccounted for. Additionally, the assist total is likely incomplete. Boston College 1947-48 roster and statistics https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/911/boston-college/1947-1948?tab=stats EliteProspects 2018-10-25 Goaltending statistics 2 Boston College Eagles Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs #FFFFFF SV % #FFFFFF GAA Bernie Burke 1 19 56 0 Norm Dailey 1 6 4 0 Total 19 1160 14 5 0 60 1 3.10 Note: Burke and Dailey shared the shutout on February 23. Awards and honors 2 Boston College Eagles Player Award Ref Butch Songin AHCA First Team All-American Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_icehockey_rb/2013/MIH%20awards%20for%202013.pdf NCAA.org June 18, 2013 Bernie Burke AHCA Second Team All-American Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_icehockey_rb/2013/MIH%20awards%20for%202013.pdf NCAA.org June 18, 2013 Bernie Burke NCAA All-Tournament First Team NCAA Division I Awards https://www.augenblick.org/chha/ncaa_awd.html College Hockey Historical Archives 2013-07-17 Butch Songin NCAA All-Tournament Second Team NCAA Division I Awards https://www.augenblick.org/chha/ncaa_awd.html College Hockey Historical Archives 2013-07-17 References 50em External links Category:Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey seasons Boston College Boston College Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey season Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey season Category:1940s in Boston