1947–48 St. Lawrence Saints men's ice hockey season

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1947–48 St. Lawrence Saints
men's ice hockey season
ConferenceIndependent
Record
Overall8–4–1
Home0–1–1
Road8–3–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachPaul Patten
Captain(s)Jack Klemens
St. Lawrence Saints men's ice hockey seasons
« 1946–47 1948–49 »

The 1947–48 St. Lawrence Saints men's ice hockey season was the 11th season of play for the program but 1st under NCAA oversight. The Saints represented St. Lawrence University and were coached by Paul Patten in his 1st season.

Season[edit]

While the program made its return following World War II the year before, the school took the club seriously by bringing in Paul Patten to take over as coach from team captain Jack Klemens. This was necessary not only to help the club to move forward but also because Klemens was absent early in the year. The defensive stalwart was attending the training camp of the United States men's national ice hockey team in the hope of appearing at the upcoming Winter Olympics.[1] While Klemens was away, another defensive player came to the fore when Gene DelVeccio, the team goaltender made a name for himself in the exhibition season.

After returning from the winter break, with Klemens back in a Saints uniform, the Larries opened against Westchester of the Amateur Hockey League and posted a solid victory. The next game was a prestige match against Princeton and the relatively inexperienced Saints managed to overcome one of the top teams in the nation. As if to demonstrate that the outcome wasn't a fluke, St. Lawrence then trounced Paul Smith's College 15–0, though it was only the second year of existence for the opposing college.[2]

St. Lawrence fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in the next game but the team had put itself in a hole early by getting down 0–3 to Colgate early. They followed a similar pattern versus Clarkson and lost by an identical score. Needing to arrest their slide, the Saints got the jump on Williams at the end of the month shot into the lead. They never relinquished their advantage and managed to build a 5–1 edge in the third before two late goals made the score closer than the game was. The Larries followed that game with a tight defensive battle against Army with Klemens spotting the team a lead early in the first. Unfortunately, the Saints were unable to add to their lead and, despite DelVeccio's efforts, could not keep the Cadets from tying the game late. An interference call in overtime gave Army a penalty shot and they were able to capitalize and send St. Lawrence packing.

The ire at how that game ended boiled over into the next match which saw SLU hammer Union 17–0. Tom Gerard paced the team with 5 goals and 4 assists, tying two programs records that still stand as of 2023.[3] The Larries continued their high-scoring pace in a tie with Cornwall and then avenged their earlier loss to Clarkson, hanging a 7–5 win over the Knights after being down 2–5 with just 15 minutes left in the match.[4] Unfortunately, there was a bit of melancholy amidst the wins. Because Jack Klemens graduated after the fall session, he was no longer on the team and the Saints would have to soldier on without their top defender.

Doing his best to take over the leadership role, Gerard had another outstanding game against the Clinton Hockey Club. In what was a wild affair, both he and Ed Garbers scored 4 goals apiece while Gerard added 3 assists. The team's hot streak ended with a loss to Cornwall when they surrendered 4 goals in the final frame.[5] After a rematch with Colgate was cancelled on an account of warm weather, S. Lawrence finished out their season with a win over Hamilton as the team got contributions from up and down the lineup.[6]

The team was able to post the first winning season in program history despite not having a home rink. The Saints were forced to play on the road for most of the year and, aside from the temporary skating rink used during the Winter Carnival, they had to play any 'home' games at the Clarkson Arena.

Hal Schulley served as team manager.

Roster[edit]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team
New York (state) William F. Andes Freshman F 1927-04-01 Brooklyn, New York
New York (state) Robert M. Borab Freshman F Brooklyn, New York
New York (state) Edward W. Crutchley Senior Brooklyn, New York
New York (state) Eugene C. Del Veccio Freshman G Brooklyn, New York
New York (state) Edward J. Garbers Sophomore F 1926-03-07 Brooklyn, New York
Virginia Thomas I. Gerard Sophomore F 1927-08-17 Fort Myer, Virginia
New York (state) Thomas Green Senior F Islip, New York
New York (state) Edward L. Gunthrope Freshman 1926-05-30 Brooklyn, New York
New York (state) John F. Klemens (C) Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1921-12-28 Brooklyn, New York New York Rovers (EHL)
New York (state) Jack D. Moten Sophomore D Astoria, New York
New York (state) Michael F. Nardello Sophomore F Astoria, New York
Robert J. Tobin
New York (state) James J. Weeden F 1925-06-22 Brooklyn, New York
New York (state) John P. Weeden Sophomore F Brooklyn, New York
New York (state) Douglas G. Westerberg Freshman 1925-10-23 Brooklyn, New York
Massachusetts Robert A. Yeaton Sophomore Framingham, Massachusetts

[7]

Standings[edit]

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

Schedule and results[edit]

Date Opponent Site Result Record
Exhibition
December 6 at Cornwall Calumets* Cornwall, Ontario (Exhibition) L 2–4 
December 13 at Canadian Army* Cornwall, Ontario (Exhibition) W 15–2 
Regular Season
January 2 at Westchester* Playland Arena • Rye, New York W 8–3  1–0–0
January 3 † at Princeton* Hobey Baker Memorial Rink • Princeton, New Jersey W 6–3  2–0–0
January 9 at Paul Smith's College* Olympic Stadium • Lake Placid, New York W 15–0  3–0–0
January 16 Colgate* Clarkson Arena • Potsdam, New York L 4–5  3–1–0
January 22 at Clarkson* Clarkson Arena • Potsdam, New York (Rivalry) L 4–5  3–2–0
January 30 at Williams* Cole Field House Pond • Williamstown, Massachusetts W 5–3  4–2–0
January 31 at Army* Smith Rink • West Point, New York L 1–2 OT 4–3–0
February 2 at Union* Schenectady, New York W 17–0  5–3–0
February 6 Cornwall Calumets* Potsdam, New York (Winter Carnival) T 5–5  5–3–1
February 7 at Clarkson* Clarkson Arena • Potsdam, New York (Rivalry) W 7–5  6–3–1
February 10 at Clinton Hockey Club* Clinton, New York W 13–9  7–3–1
February at Cornwall Calumets* Cornwall, Ontario L 4–6  7–4–1
February 21 at Hamilton* Russell Sage Rink • Clinton, New York W 6–4  8–4–1
*Non-conference game.

† Princeton and St. Lawrence records disagree on the date of the game with the match being held on either January 3 or 5.
[8]

Scoring statistics[edit]

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points
Tom Gerard F 15 23 19 42
Bill Andes F - - - -
Bob Borab F - - - -
Bud Crutchley F - - - -
Ed Garber F - - - -
Tom Green F - - - -
Ed Gunthrope - - - -
Jack Klemens D - - - -
Jack Moten D - - - -
Mike Nardello F - - - -
Bob Tobin - - - -
Jim Weeden F - - - -
Jack Weeden F - - - -
Doug Westerberg - - - -
Bob Yeaton - - - -
Gene Del Veccio G - - - -
Total

Note: St. Lawrence records include the totals from the two exhibition games.

Goaltending statistics[edit]

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Gene Del Veccio 14 803:50 - - - 52 - 2 - 3.88

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hockey Highlights". The Hill. December 10, 1947. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Scarlet Skaters Will..." The Hill. January 14, 1948. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "Saint Hockey Record Book 2015-16" (PDF). St. Lawrence Saints. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  4. ^ "Scarlet Pucksters Split 7-Game Series, Downing Clarkson in Thriller of Season". The Hill. February 11, 1948. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  5. ^ "Scarlet Pucksters Split 7-Game Series, Downing Clarkson in Thriller of Season". The Hill. February 18, 1948. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  6. ^ "Scarlet Pucksters Split Conquer Hamilton". The Hill. February 25, 1948. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  7. ^ "St. Lawrence Univ". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  8. ^ "Gridiron 1948". St. Lawrence University. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
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