1967–68 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season

1967–68 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season


National champion WCHA, champion WCHA Tournament, co-champion NCAA Tournament, champion

Conference	1st WCHA
Home ice	DU Arena
Record
Overall	28–5–1
Conference	15–3–0
Home	19–0–0
Road	6–3–0
Neutral	3–2–1
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Murray Armstrong
Captain(s)	Jim Wiste Cliff Koroll
Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey seasons « 1966–67 1968–69 »

The 1967–68 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey team represented University of Denver in college ice hockey. In its 12th year under head coach Murray Armstrong the team compiled a 28–5–1 record and reached the NCAA tournament for the seventh time. The Pioneers defeated North Dakota 4–0 in the championship game at the Duluth Arena Auditorium in Duluth, Minnesota, the third championship meeting between he two teams. Gerry Powers recorded the first shutout in the championship game and tied the record for lowest tournament goals against average (0.50).

Season

Denver opened their season looking for revenge against North Dakota who had ended their campaign the year before. After earning a split on the road the Pioneers went east, winning a game against Minnesota–Duluth before continuing onto Houghton to take on perennial power Michigan Tech. The Huskies stymied Denver in both games, holding the Pioneers to single goal in each and putting Denver under .500 both overall and in conference. Denver returned home and began to climb out the hole the following week with a pair of wins over Michigan followed by an easy win over NAIA Bemidji State.

Denver spent their winter holiday playing in the Broadmoor World Tournament against four different national teams who were gearing up for the 1968 Winter Olympics. Denver went 1–2–1 in the series but acquitted themselves well against strong competition. The experience against the national teams helped the Pioneers go on a streak unparalleled in the history of the program. Denver won two games against the visiting Alberta Golden Bears before returning to their conference schedule and began to run roughshod over the opposition. Denver's offence, which had played well over the first part of the season, exploded after the new year and would score no fewer than 3 goals in their remaining 22 contests. The defense too buckled down and the Gerry Powers would only surrender more than three goals once in their remaining contests.

Denver would spend the final five weeks of the regular season at home and use that to their advantage by winning 17 straight games to enter the WCHA playoffs as the top seed, having defeated North Dakota and Michigan Tech by a combined 27–6 to guarantee their WCHA championship. Denver opened the conference tournament at home against UMD and dispatched the bulldogs 11–4 before hosting Minnesota in the second round. This was the first meeting between the two all season due to the Gopher's continued refusal to play Denver because of their recruiting conflict but the lack of familiarity didn't hamper Denver in the slightest and the Pioneers won the series 16–3.

With another WCHA championship under their belt Denver was given the top western seed in the 1968 NCAA Tournament and opened against Boston College at the Duluth Arena Auditorium. Powers showed up to play in the National Tournament and held BC to a single goal, ensuring that Denver's 4 goals would send the program to its 6th title game. In the final Denver met North Dakota once more and two western powers battled for the championship. Powers and his counterpart Mike Curran both kept the game scoreless through two periods of play but Bob Trembecky broke the tie with a power play marker early in the third. Denver kept its attack going, firing a total of 14 shots in the final frame with three more finding the back of the net, while North Dakota faltered and was unable to score. Denver's 4–0 win was their fourth championship and the first time that any team was shutout in the title game. The win was also Denver 22nd straight victory, a program record both overall and for one season.

For tying the NCAA record by allowing only 1 goal in the tournament, Gerry Powers won the tournament MOP and was named to the All-Tournament first team along with Keith Magnuson and Trembecky. Tim Gould, Jim Wiste and Tom Gilmore made the second team. Magnuson and Wiste were named to the AHCA All-American West Team and the All-WCHA First Team while Powers and Cliff Koroll made the All-WCHA Second Team. Magnuson was named as the WCHA Most Valuable Player while Murray Armstrong won his second WCHA Coach of the Year award.

Standings

1967–68 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings v t e
	Conference							Overall
	GP	W	L	T	PCT	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Denver†*	18	15	3	0	.833	84	32	34	28	5	1	183	65
Michigan Tech	20	15	5	0	.750	76	47	32	22	9	1	131	82
North Dakota*	22	13	8	1	.614	78	57	33	20	10	3	113	80
Michigan	18	11	7	0	.611	83	60	27	18	9	0	152	84
Minnesota	22	13	9	0	.591	98	71	31	19	12	0	132	109
Michigan State	20	6	13	1	.325	57	82	29	11	16	2	92	111
Colorado College	20	4	16	0	.200	40	106	29	9	20	0	84	108
Minnesota-Duluth	24	4	20	0	.167	54	109	28	5	23	0	71	144
Championship: North Dakota, Denver † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Record
Exhibition
November 10	vs. DU Hilltoppers*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 11–1
November 11	vs. DU Hilltoppers*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 11–2
Regular Season
November 17	at North Dakota	Winter Sports Building • Grand Forks, North Dakota	W 5–1	1–0 (1–0)
November 18	at North Dakota	Winter Sports Building • Grand Forks, North Dakota	L 1–3	1–1 (1–1)
November 20	at Minnesota–Duluth	Duluth Arena Auditorium • Duluth, Minnesota	W 6–1	2–1 (2–1)
December 1	at Michigan Tech	Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan	L 1–6	2–2 (2–2)
December 2	at Michigan Tech	Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan	L 1–4	2–3 (2–3)
December 8	vs. Michigan	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 5–2	3–3 (3–3)
December 9	vs. Michigan	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 2–1	4–3 (4–3)
December 16	vs. Bemidji State*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 12–0	5–3 (4–3)
December 26	vs. Finnish National Team*	Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Broadmoor World Tournament)	T 2–2	5–3–1 (4–3)
December 28	vs. US National Team*	Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Broadmoor World Tournament)	L 4–5	5–4–1 (4–3)
December 29	vs. Italian National Team*	Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Broadmoor World Tournament)	W 5–2	6–4–1 (4–3)
December 30	vs. Soviet National Team*	Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Broadmoor World Tournament)	L 1–8	6–5–1 (4–3)
January 5	vs. Alberta*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 4–2	7–5–1 (4–3)
January 6	vs. Alberta*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 8–0	8–5–1 (4–3)
January 12	at Michigan State	Demonstration Hall • East Lansing, Michigan	W 3–2	9–5–1 (5–3)
January 13	at Michigan State	Demonstration Hall • East Lansing, Michigan	W 3–1	10–5–1 (6–3)
January 15	at Minnesota–Duluth	Duluth Arena Auditorium • Duluth, Minnesota	W 5–1	11–5–1 (7–3)
January 19	vs. Colorado College	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 3–1	12–5–1 (8–3)
January 20	at Colorado College	Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado	W 6–0	13–5–1 (9–3)
January 26	at Minnesota Nationals*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 5–2	14–5–1 (9–3)
January 27	at Minnesota Nationals*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 10–3	15–5–1 (9–3)
January 31	vs. Wisconsin*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 7–1	16–5–1 (9–3)
February 9	vs. Minnesota–Duluth	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 10–2	17–5–1 (10–3)
February 10	vs. Minnesota–Duluth	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 6–1	18–5–1 (11–3)
February 16	vs. North Dakota	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 7–0	19–5–1 (12–3)
February 17	vs. North Dakota	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 8–2	20–5–1 (13–3)
February 23	vs. Michigan Tech	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 7–2	21–5–1 (14–3)
February 26	vs. Michigan Tech	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 5–2	22–5–1 (15–3)
March 1	vs. Saskatchewan*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado	W 6–0	23–5–1 (15–3)
WCHA Tournament
March 5	vs. Minnesota–Duluth*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado (WCHA First Round)	W 11–4	24–5–1 (15–3)
March 8	vs. Minnesota*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado (WCHA Second Round Game 1)	W 9–0	25–5–1 (15–3)
March 9	vs. Minnesota*	DU Arena • Denver, Colorado (WCHA Second Round Game 2)	W 7–3	26–5–1 (15–3)
NCAA Tournament
March 14	vs. Boston College*	Duluth Arena Auditorium • Duluth, Minnesota (National Semifinal)	W 4–1	27–5–1 (15–3)
March 16	vs. North Dakota*	Duluth Arena Auditorium • Duluth, Minnesota (National championship)	W 4–0	28–5–1 (15–3)
*Non-conference game. Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. Source:

Roster and scoring statistics

No.	Name	Year	Position	Hometown	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM
14	Jim Wiste	Senior	C	Moose Jaw, SK	34	21	36	57	25
15	Bob Trembecky	Junior	C	Drumheller, AB	29	24	30	54	-
17	Craig Patrick	Sophomore	RW	Detroit, MI	34	23	26	49	12
8	Tom Miller	Junior	F	Kitchener, ON	34	20	27	47	16
10	Cliff Koroll	Senior	RW	Canora, SK	34	18	22	40	55
16	Jim Shires	Senior	LW	Edmonton, AB	34	15	23	38	43
12	Tom Gilmore	Sophomore	F	Flin Flon, MB	–	8	20	28	-
9	Al Genovy	Sophomore	C	Flin Flon, MB	–	12	11	23	-
3	Tim Gould	Junior	D	Saskatoon, SK	34	4	18	22	56
2	Keith Magnuson	Junior	D	Saskatoon, SK	34	5	15	20	59
13	Don Thiessen	Sophomore	F	Saskatoon, SK	–	4	6	10	-
11	Steve Keeler	Sophomore	RW	Toronto, ON	5	0	0	0	7
4	Randy Ward	Junior	D	Calgary, AB	22	6	–	–	–
6	Dale Zeman	Junior	D	Saskatoon, SK	–	0	–	–	76
7	Gerry Jonasson	Sophomore	F	Winnipeg, MB	–	–	–	–	–
5	Ed Hamilton	Sophomore	D	Winnipeg, MB	–	–	–	–	–
11	Rich Blanche	Sophomore	F	Hamilton, ON	–	–	–	–	–
18	Terry Leifson	Junior	F	Leinan, SK	–	–	–	–	–
1	Frank Daly	Junior	G	Reading, MA	0	–	–	–	–
1	Gerry Powers	Junior	G	Brampton, ON	34	–	–	–	–
Total

Goaltending statistics

No.	Name	Games	Minutes	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals Against	Saves	Shut Outs	SV %	GAA
1	Gerry Powers	34	–	28	5	1	–	–	7	.919	1.91
1	Frank Daly	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Total		34	–	28	5	1	–	–	7	–	–

1968 championship game

(W1) Denver vs. (W2) North Dakota

March 16

Denver

4 – 0

North Dakota

Duluth Arena Auditorium

Scoring summary
Period	Team	Goal	Assist(s)	Time	Score
1st	None
2nd	None
3rd	DEN	Bob Trembecky – GW PP	Wiste and Magnuson	42:44	1–0 DEN
	DEN	Bob Trembecky	Patrick	53:16	2–0 DEN
	DEN	Al Genovy	Gilmore	58:06	3–0 DEN
	DEN	Tom Gilmore	unassisted	58:25	4–0 DEN

Shots by period
Team	1	2	3	T
North Dakota	12	3	7	22
Denver	6	8	14	28

Goaltenders
Team	Name	Saves	Goals against	Time on ice
UND	Mike Curran	24	4
DEN	Gerry Powers	22	0

References

^ "Denver Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Pioneers. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
"2009-10 WCHA Yearbook 129-144" (PDF). WCHA. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
"Denver Pioneers 1967-68 roster and statistics". EliteProspects. Retrieved January 14, 2019.

v t e NCAA Division I men's ice hockey champions
1948 Michigan 1949 Boston College 1950 Colorado College 1951 Michigan 1952 Michigan 1953 Michigan 1954 RPI 1955 Michigan 1956 Michigan 1957 Colorado College 1958 Denver 1959 North Dakota 1960 Denver 1961 Denver 1962 Michigan Tech 1963 North Dakota 1964 Michigan 1965 Michigan Tech 1966 Michigan State 1967 Cornell 1968 Denver 1969 Denver 1970 Cornell 1971 Boston University 1972 Boston University 1973 Wisconsin 1974 Minnesota 1975 Michigan Tech 1976 Minnesota 1977 Wisconsin 1978 Boston University 1979 Minnesota 1980 North Dakota 1981 Wisconsin 1982 North Dakota 1983 Wisconsin 1984 Bowling Green 1985 RPI 1986 Michigan State 1987 North Dakota 1988 Lake Superior State 1989 Harvard 1990 Wisconsin 1991 Northern Michigan 1992 Lake Superior State 1993 Maine 1994 Lake Superior State 1995 Boston University 1996 Michigan 1997 North Dakota 1998 Michigan 1999 Maine 2000 North Dakota 2001 Boston College 2002 Minnesota 2003 Minnesota 2004 Denver 2005 Denver 2006 Wisconsin 2007 Michigan State 2008 Boston College 2009 Boston University 2010 Boston College 2011 Minnesota–Duluth 2012 Boston College 2013 Yale 2014 Union 2015 Providence 2016 North Dakota 2017 Denver 2018 Minnesota–Duluth 2019 Minnesota Duluth 2020 No tournament 2021 UMass 2022 Denver 2023 Quinnipiac 2024 Denver

NCAA Division I men's ice hockey champions

1948: Michigan
1949: Boston College
1950: Colorado College
1951: Michigan
1952: Michigan
1953: Michigan
1954: RPI
1955: Michigan
1956: Michigan
1957: Colorado College
1958: Denver
1959: North Dakota
1960: Denver
1961: Denver
1962: Michigan Tech
1963: North Dakota
1964: Michigan
1965: Michigan Tech
1966: Michigan State
1967: Cornell
1968: Denver
1969: Denver
1970: Cornell
1971: Boston University
1972: Boston University
1973: Wisconsin
1974: Minnesota
1975: Michigan Tech
1976: Minnesota
1977: Wisconsin
1978: Boston University
1979: Minnesota
1980: North Dakota
1981: Wisconsin
1982: North Dakota
1983: Wisconsin
1984: Bowling Green
1985: RPI
1986: Michigan State
1987: North Dakota
1988: Lake Superior State
1989: Harvard
1990: Wisconsin
1991: Northern Michigan
1992: Lake Superior State
1993: Maine
1994: Lake Superior State
1995: Boston University
1996: Michigan
1997: North Dakota
1998: Michigan
1999: Maine
2000: North Dakota
2001: Boston College
2002: Minnesota
2003: Minnesota
2004: Denver
2005: Denver
2006: Wisconsin
2007: Michigan State
2008: Boston College
2009: Boston University
2010: Boston College
2011: Minnesota–Duluth
2012: Boston College
2013: Yale
2014: Union
2015: Providence
2016: North Dakota
2017: Denver
2018: Minnesota–Duluth
2019: Minnesota Duluth
2020: No tournament
2021: UMass
2022: Denver
2023: Quinnipiac
2024: Denver

v t e Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey
Playing venues	DU Arena (1948–1997) Magness Arena (1999–present)
Head coaches	Vern Turner (1949–1951) Neil Celley (1951–1956) Murray Armstrong (1956–1977) Marshall Johnston (1977–1981) Ralph Backstrom (1981–1990) Frank Serratore (1990–1994) George Gwozdecky (1994–2013) Jim Montgomery (2013–2018) David Carle (2018–)
Seasons	1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	WCHA (1951–1958, 1959–2013) NCHC (2013–present)
Rivalries	Colorado College Tigers (Battle for the Gold Pan) North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Culture & lore	Denver Cup
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders Dallas Gaume (266 Points) Rick Berens (94 Goals) Ron Grahame / Tanner Jaillet (82 Wins)
National championships	1958 1960 1961 1968 1969 2004 2005 2017 2022 2024
Frozen Four appearances	1958 1960 1961 1963 1964 1966 1968 1969 1971 1972 1973 1986 2004 2005 2017 2022 2024
NCAA Tournament appearances	1958 1960 1961 1963 1964 1966 1968 1969 1971 1972 1973 1986 1995 1997 1999 2002 2004 2005 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2022 2023 2024
Conference Tournament titles	WCHA: 1960 1961 1963 1964 1966 1968 1969 1971 1972 1973 1986 1999 2002 2005 2008 NCHC: 2014 2018 2024
Hobey Baker winners	Matt Carle (2006) Will Butcher (2017)
Mike Richter winners	Tanner Jaillet (2017)
University of Denver Denver, CO

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