1939–40 Duquesne Dukes men's ice hockey season

March 2026 August 2023 color:white; background:#041E42; a #BA0C2F 2px white white Duquesne Dukes white 1939–40 Duquesne Dukes.svg 90 Duquesne Dukes men Penn-Ohio Intercollegiate Hockey League Penn-Ohio League 9–8–1 9–2–1 2–2–0 2–5–1 5–1–0 Louis A. Dietrich Walter McGillBill Vance Duquesne Gardens 1938–39 Duquesne Dukes #FFFFFF background:#eeeeee; The 1939–40 Duquesne Dukes men's ice hockey season was the 3rd season of play for the program. Season Before the season even began, Duquesne got unwelcome news when their biggest rival and the only team to defeat them all of last year, Pittsburgh, terminated their hockey program.https://digital.library.duq.edu/digital/collection/cdm-duke/id/2085 Pitt Skaters Cut Pittsburgh Division from Hockey Picture The Duquesne Duke November 16, 1939 March 11, 2021 While their withdrawal would make it easier for the Dukes as far as winning games, the still-young program had bigger concerns. The Loss of Pitt meant that the team would have to travel to Cleveland more often, increasing the cost of running the team, and it would likely damper interest in the sport from locals. On top of those problems, what did it say about the league when one of the best teams for the first two seasons (Pitt had made the conference final both years) just quit before the season was to begin? In spite of the troubles, the remaining 6 teams and the rink operators decided to continue with the league and set down the schedule in early December.https://digital.library.duq.edu/digital/collection/cdm-duke/id/1855 Hockey Team Meets Tartans Saturday in Season's Opener The Duquesne Duke December 7, 1939 March 11, 2021 The Dukes got off to a good start, winning their first five games and sitting atop league standings with John Carroll. The program went on its first non-conference road trip in mid-January, playing three non-conference team in a swing through upstate New York. While it wasn't a surprise to lose to Clarkson, getting embarrassed by the tune of 10–0 was not what the Dukes were hoping for. To make matters worse, they team lost the other two games by sizable margins and made it look like the team had been living in a too-comfortable bubble with the Penn-Ohio League.https://digital.library.duq.edu/digital/collection/cdm-duke/id/2145 Hockey Squad Rest After Long Jaunt The Duquesne Duke January 18, 1940 March 11, 2021 Despite the losses, Duquesne did achieve its main goal by introducing itself to other programs and hoped that they would be able to schedule further games in the future. Duquesne sat out the rest of the semester for examinations and came back at the beginning of February. The team met John Carroll for a home-and-home series with league bragging right on the line. The powerhouse Blue Streaks took both games to make it nearly impossible for Duquesne to repeat as regular season champions, but the Dukes could still make the playoffs as long as they took care of business.https://digital.library.duq.edu/digital/collection/cdm-duke/id/2135 Icers Lose Twice to Carroll The Duquesne Duke February 8, 1940 March 11, 2021 The Dukes recovered from their losing streak with three consecutive wins and guaranteed themselves a second-place finish despite having two games remaining.https://digital.library.duq.edu/digital/collection/cdm-duke/id/2115 Icers Sure of Position in Playoffs The Duquesne Duke February 29, 1940 March 11, 2021 In the playoff series against John Carroll, Duquesne played the undefeated Blue Streaks about as well as could be expected. They lost a close affair in the first game and then pushed JCU into overtime in the rematch. Unfortunately, Duquesne wasn't able to tie the series and fell 5–6.https://digital.library.duq.edu/digital/collection/cdm-duke/id/2160 John Carroll Downs Icemen in Playoffs, 6-5 The Duquesne Duke April 4, 1940 March 11, 2021 The loss was the last for the program as both Duquesne and Carnegie Tech suspended their ice hockey teams after the year. The Penn-Ohio League would continue for one more season with 4 schools before dissolving in 1941. Doug Wells served as team manager Roster yes 2 John Liebgot F yes 3 Bill Vance sr F Ontario yes C 5 Harry Foster sr F yes 14 Walter McGill sr F yes C Fran Fogarty sr yes Jim Hansberry F yes George McMillen G yes Steve Olah jr D yes Frank Rushman yes Dick Scully jr F USA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania yes Frank Sweeney so D yes Jim Unger jr D yes Standings DUQ Schedule and results no |- !colspan=12 style="Duquesne Dukes #FFFFFF;" | Regular Season December 9 w yes no Carnegie Tech Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4–3 1–0–0 1–0–0 December 13 w yes no Fenn Cleveland Arena Cleveland, Ohio 5–0 2–0–0 2–0–0 December 15 w yes no Case Cleveland Arena Cleveland, Ohio 4–2 OT 3–0–0 3–0–0 December 20 w no Western Reserve Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 5–1 4–0–0 4–0–0 January 2 w yes no Carnegie Tech Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 5–4 5–0–0 5–0–0 January 10 l yes yes no Clarkson Ives Park Potsdam, New York 0–10 5–1–0 January 12 l yes yes no Hamilton Russell Sage Rink Clinton, New York 1–5 5–2–0 January 13 l yes yes no Army Smith Rink West Point, New York 3–6 5–3–0 February 1 l no John Carroll Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1–3 5–4–0 5–1–0 February 6 l yes no John Carroll Cleveland Arena Cleveland, Ohio 2–7 5–5–0 5–2–0 February 13 w yes no Carnegie Tech Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4–1 6–5–0 6–2–0 February 19 w no Case Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 5–1 7–5–0 7–2–0 February 22 w yes no Carnegie Tech Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 3–1 8–5–0 8–2–0 February 24 l yes yes no Pittsburgh All-Stars Shaffer Ice Palace Johnstown, Pennsylvania 3–5 8–6–0 March ? t yes no Western Reserve Cleveland Arena Cleveland, Ohio 4–4 8–6–1 8–2–1 March 16 w yes no Carnegie Tech Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2–1 9–6–1 9–2–1 |- !colspan=12 style="Duquesne Dukes #FFFFFF;" | Penn-Ohio League Playoffs March 20 l yes yes no John Carroll Cleveland Arena Cleveland, Ohio Championship Game 1 2–4 9–7–1 March 29 l yes no John Carroll Duquesne Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Championship Game 2 5–6 OT 9–8–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" |colspan=12|Duquesne Lost Series 0–2 no no References 50em Category:Duquesne Dukes men's ice hockey seasons Duquesne Duquesne Duquesne