Bryan Cleaver

Bryan Cleaver
Born 1956
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Center
Shot Left
Played for Clarkson
Playing career 1977–1981

Bryan Cleaver is a Canadian retired ice hockey center who was an All-American for Clarkson.[1]

Career

Cleaver began attending Clarkson University in the fall of 1977, after using up his final year of junior hockey eligibility. He played mot of his freshman year with the team but produced rather paltry numbers. His play improved significantly as a sophomore and Cleaver more than doubled his point total while playing in every game. Prior to his junior year, Bill O'Flaherty was brought in as the new head coach. Cleaver's numbers decreased slightly but he was still a key contributor for the best offensive squad in ECAC Hockey.

Cleaver was named team co-captain for his senior year, along with Ed Small, and he led Clarkson to its best regular season in almost 20 years.[2] The Golden Knights finished the season atop their conference standings With Cleaver leading the top offense in the east with 68 points. He finished tied for 9th in the nation and was named as an All-American, one of three Clarkson players so homered in 1981.[3] Unfortunately, Cleaver could not shake the Golden Knights out of their postseason doldrums; After escaping with a narrow victory in the quarterfinals, Providence ended their championship bid with a 3–4 overtime loss. Clarkson, however, did have some good news as the NCAA tournament had been expanded to 8 teams that season and the Golden Knights received an at-large bid.

In the quarterfinals, the NCAA had decided on a in a two-game, total-goal series for each matchup. In the first game against Wisconsin, Clarkson fell by a 2–3 margin but had plenty of opportunities to even the ledger in game 2. Clarkson scored 6 goals but it was their defense, which had been so strong all season long, that failed them. The two teams ended with a 6–6 tie and the Badgers skated away with the victory.[4]

Cleaver's playing career ended after his graduation and he went on to a work as a consultant. He eventually worked his way up to being the CEO at BMC Consulting before his retirement in 2019.[5]

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1976–77 Toronto Nationals OPJHL 40 44 36 80 53
1977–78 Clarkson ECAC Hockey 23 8 10 18 20
1978–79 Clarkson ECAC Hockey 31 20 20 40 38
1979–80 Clarkson ECAC Hockey 34 17 18 35 56
1980–81 Clarkson ECAC Hockey 37 24 44 68 38
NCAA totals 125 69 92 161 152

Awards and honors

Award Year
All-ECAC Hockey First Team 1980–81 [6]
AHCA East All-American 1980–81 [1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  2. ^ "Clarkson Men's Hockey 2017-18 Media Guide". Clarkson Golden Knights. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  3. ^ "1980-81 NCAA Division I Statistics". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
  4. ^ "Golden Knights Finish Outstanding Season". Clarkson Integrator. March 24, 1981. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  5. ^ "Bryan Cleaver". Linked In. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  6. ^ "ECAC All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.