1947–48 Norwich Cadets men's ice hockey season

1947–48 Norwich Cadets
men's ice hockey season
Conference8th NEIHL
Home iceSabine Field Rink
Record
Overall6–7–0
Conference2–5–0
Home4–2–0
Road2–5–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachGerard Derosier
Captain(s)Sterling Melendy
Norwich Cadets men's ice hockey seasons
« 1946–47 1948–49 »

The 1947–48 Norwich Cadets men's ice hockey season was the 14th season of play for the program but first under the oversight of the NCAA. The Cadets represented Norwich University and were coached by Gerard Derosier in his 1st season.

Season

Norwich entered the season with an ambitious 12-game schedule and a new head coach to lead the team. Boston University grad, Gerard Derosier took over the club and was looking to provide a bit of permanence for a program that had been playing off and on for the past 40 years. The biggest trouble early on was getting ice time as the Cadets still were relying on an outdoor rink. Fortunately, the weather consented to allowing the surface on Sabine Field to freeze in time for the opening match with Vermont. However, A lack of practice time led to the Cadets getting shutout despite inspired play from team captain Sterling Melendy.[1]

The team was able to get in a significant amount of practice time over the next three weeks as they played just 2 more games in January. While Norwich lost both matched, the team was trending upwards and were finally able to get into the win column in the rematch with Vermont.[2] The team took control of the game early and stayed ahead, eventually building a 7–2 lead. Vermont had a furious attempt to tie the game late but the Cadets were able to hold off their opponents for the victory.

After a second win, the team travelled south for a swing through Boston. The trip could have hardly started worse with a 6–18 defeat to Northeastern. While the two subsequent games were much closer, Norwich lost both matches and had no chance of making the conference postseason.[3] Despite the futility of their situation, the team rallied once they got back home and reeled off four straight wins to bright themselves up to an even record. Though they were still well out of the NEIHL playoffs, the Cadets had a chance at a winning record if they could take down Colgate. The Red Raiders were one of the top teams that season but that didn't deter Norwich. The Cadets found themselves down 5–2 early in the third period before attempting to stage a comeback. Norwich scored three goals in the third, unfortunately the Red Raiders were able to slip one more past Switzer to escape with a win.[4]

Roster

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team
Sam Adams RW
Finigan
Vermont Louis Gomez Barre, Vermont
Janiak
Massachusetts Richard Jordan G Medford, Massachusetts
Dave Lamson RW/D
McIntire C/LW
McWilliams LW
Sterling Melendy (C) C/LW
Massachusetts Robert Reagan Medford, Massachusetts
Sweeney
Dana Switzer G
Weiler D
Wharton D
Wheeler
Massachusetts Richard Wilkins LW/RW Newton, Massachusetts
Wright

[5]

Standings

1947–48 NCAA Independent ice hockey standings
Intercollegiate Overall
GP W L T Pct. GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Army 16 11 4 1 .719 78 39 16 11 4 1 78 39
Bemidji State 5 0 5 0 .000 13 36 10 2 8 0 37 63
Boston College 19 14 5 0 .737 126 60 19 14 5 0 126 60
Boston University 24 20 4 0 .833 179 86 24 20 4 0 179 86
Bowdoin 9 4 5 0 .444 45 68 11 6 5 0 56 73
Brown 14 5 9 0 .357 61 91 14 5 9 0 61 91
California 10 2 8 0 .200 45 62 17 5 12 0 87 89
Clarkson 12 5 6 1 .458 67 39 17 10 6 1 96 54
Colby 8 2 6 0 .250 28 41 8 2 6 0 28 41
Colgate 10 7 3 0 .700 54 34 13 10 3 0 83 45
Colorado College 14 9 5 0 .643 84 73 27 19 8 0 207 120
Cornell 4 0 4 0 .000 3 43 4 0 4 0 3 43
Dartmouth 23 21 2 0 .913 156 76 24 21 3 0 156 81
Fort Devens State 13 3 10 0 .231 33 74 – – – – – –
Georgetown 3 2 1 0 .667 12 11 7 5 2 0 37 21
Hamilton – – – – – – – 14 7 7 0 – –
Harvard 22 9 13 0 .409 131 131 23 9 14 0 135 140
Lehigh 8 0 8 0 .000 8 95 10 0 10 0 12 108
Massachusetts 2 0 2 0 .000 1 23 3 0 3 0 3 30
Michigan 18 16 2 0 .889 105 53 23 20 2 1 141 63
Michigan Tech 19 7 12 0 .368 87 96 20 8 12 0 91 97
Middlebury 14 8 5 1 .607 111 68 16 10 5 1 127 74
Minnesota 16 9 7 0 .563 78 73 21 9 12 0 100 105
Minnesota–Duluth 6 3 3 0 .500 21 24 9 6 3 0 36 28
MIT 19 8 11 0 .421 93 114 19 8 11 0 93 114
New Hampshire 13 4 9 0 .308 58 67 13 4 9 0 58 67
North Dakota 10 6 4 0 .600 51 46 16 11 5 0 103 68
North Dakota Agricultural 5 3 2 0 .600 27 28 6 4 2 0 37 29
Northeastern 19 10 9 0 .526 135 119 19 10 9 0 135 119
Norwich 9 3 6 0 .333 38 58 13 6 7 0 56 70
Princeton 18 8 10 0 .444 65 72 21 10 11 0 79 79
St. Cloud State 12 10 2 0 .833 55 35 16 12 4 0 73 55
St. Lawrence 9 6 3 0 .667 65 27 13 8 4 1 95 50
Suffolk – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Tufts 4 3 1 0 .750 17 15 4 3 1 0 17 15
Union 9 1 8 0 .111 7 86 9 1 8 0 7 86
Williams 11 3 6 2 .364 37 47 13 4 7 2 – –
Yale 16 5 10 1 .344 60 69 20 8 11 1 89 85
1947–48 New England Intercollegiate Hockey League standings
Conference Overall
GP W L T PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Boston University † 13 12 1 0 .923 86 40 24 20 4 0 179 86
Boston College * 10 9 1 0 .900 77 29 19 14 5 0 126 60
Northeastern 14 8 6 0 .571 108 79 19 10 9 0 135 119
Bowdoin 6 3 3 0 .500 32 38 11 6 5 0 56 73
MIT 14 5 9 0 .357 62 87 19 8 11 0 93 114
Middlebury 6 2 4 0 .333 27 48 16 10 5 1 127 74
New Hampshire 10 3 7 0 .300 42 56 13 4 9 0 58 67
Norwich 7 2 5 0 .286 25 50 13 6 7 0 56 70
Fort Devens State 11 3 8 0 .273 30 55 – – – – – –
Colby 5 1 4 0 .200 17 27 8 2 6 0 28 41
† indicates conference champion
* indicates conference tournament champion

Schedule and results

Date Opponent Site Result Record
Regular Season
January 10 Vermont †* Sabine Field Rink • Northfield, Vermont L 0–2  0–1–0
January 16 at Middlebury McCullough Arena • Middlebury, Vermont L 3–9  0–2–0 (0–1–0)
January 28 at New Hampshire UNH Ice Rink • Durham, New Hampshire L 5–7  0–3–0 (0–2–0)
February 4 at Vermont †* Burlington, Vermont W 7–5  1–3–0
February 7 Fort Devens State Sabine Field Rink • Northfield, Vermont W 3–2  2–3–0 (1–2–0)
February 9 at Northeastern Boston Arena • Boston, Massachusetts L 6–18  2–4–0 (1–3–0)
February 10 at Boston University Boston Arena • Boston, Massachusetts L 3–7  2–5–0 (1–4–0)
February at Fort Devens State Skating Club of Boston Rink • Allston, Massachusetts L 2–5  2–6–0 (1–5–0)
February 13 Middlebury Sabine Field Rink • Northfield, Vermont W 3–2  3–6–0 (2–5–0)
February 24 Vermont †* Sabine Field Rink • Northfield, Vermont W 4–3  4–6–0
February 28 at Paul Smith's College* Olympic Stadium • Lake Placid, New York W 7–2  5–6–0
March 2 Saint Michael's* Sabine Field Rink • Northfield, Vermont W 6–2  6–6–0
March 5 Colgate* Sabine Field Rink • Northfield, Vermont L 5–6  6–7–0
*Non-conference game.

† Vermont fielded a club team at this time
Note: Some accounts have Norwich with a record of 7–7 for 1948, however, contemporary accounts have the team finishing on March 5 with a 6–7 record.
[5]

References

  1. ^ "The Vermont Game". Norwich University Record. February 6, 1948. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Vermont Game". Norwich University Record. February 20, 1948. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Hockey". Norwich University Record. March 5, 1948. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  4. ^ "Hockey Players Bow By Single Goal to Power Colgate". Norwich University Record. April 2, 1948. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Norwich University Record Archive". Norwich University. Retrieved May 15, 2023.