1919–20 Harvard Crimson
men's ice hockey season
Intercollegiate Champion
Triangular Hockey League, Champion
Conference1st Triangular League
Home icePavilion Rink
Record
Overall10–3–0
Conference4–0–0
Home6–1–0
Neutral4–2–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachWilliam Claflin
Captain(s)Norman Walker
Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey seasons
« 1918–19 1920–21 »

The 1919–20 Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey season was the 22nd season of play for the program.

Season

After a successful return in 1919, the hockey team had high hopes for a return to glory in the first full season since the end of World War I. First, however, they would have to overcome a few difficulties. Alfred Winsor, the coach who had instilled a tremendous defensive system and led the team to 7 intercollegiate championships, would not return to the program. The team decided to hire another Crimson grad with William Henry Claflin Jr. becoming the second coach in team history.[1] Secondly, with the Boston Arena still undergoing repairs due to a fire, the university would have to find a new home for the year. With the St. Nicholas Rink now closed for hockey and the opening of the Philadelphia Ice Palace delayed, Harvard was able to secure the small Cambridge Ice Pavilion for many of its early games.[2]

Due to the small size of the rink, all games that took place there were restricted to six players on each side, rather than the normal seven for college games. Additionally, many of the game were played using three 15-minute periods rather than two 20-minute halves. The changes known well ahead of time but the team may still have been put off by the strangeness in their games because the Crimson lost the first three games of their season. Fortunately, none were to other colleges and when they opened the inaugural Triangular Hockey League season against Yale, Harvard was able to overcome a 3-goal middle frame from the Elis with one of their own in the third to win the game 5–4.[3] The next game against the Dartmouth Club saw a return to 20-minute halves, but the match progressed similarly with the opponents building a multi-goal lead that Harvard was just able to overcome and claim victory.[4]

Three nights later Harvard downed the official team from Dartmouth and were beginning to get used to the style of play necessitated by the size of the Pavilion. By the time Harvard played Tufts they had rounded into form and dominated the Jumbos 8–0 while using their alternates for most of the game.[5] The offensive heart of the team, Edward Bigelow, returned from an injury just in time for the first game against Princeton. After the Tigers opened the scoring, Bigelow tied the game and set up an offensive deluge that resulted in a 4–1 lead after the first period. The teams played tighter in the final two frames but Harvard's defense was up to the task and the Crimson responded to every Tiger goal to take the game by a final score of 6–3.[6]

A 5-goal game from Bigelow paced the team in their 8–0 win over MIT[7] But the team was far more impressive in their 4–3 win over the Boston All Stars. Even with several fluky goals, and a bit of controversy over the game-winner,[8] Harvard was able to run their winning streak to 7 games at the end of the most strenuous stretch of their season. Harvard won one more home game before preparing to head south and play Yale at the Philadelphia Ice Palace.

With the game played on a surface even larger than modern Olympic rinks, Harvard was dominant throughout the game, their first 7-on-7 match of the season. Only through the brilliant goaltending of Walker was Harvard's score limited to 3 goals.[9] The win gave the season series to Harvard as well as the intercollegiate championship. The Crimson still had to finish their series with Princeton, but the Tigers' record was so poor that even if they were to win the series Harvard would still possess the crown for 1920. In the end, however, Princeton proved no match for Harvard and the Crimson were able to post their biggest victory over the Tigers to that point with a 10–1 win. Captain Walker left the game late with a broken nose but that minor injury couldn't detract from the overpowering performance that cemented Harvard's ninth Intercollegiate Championship.[10]

Harvard was reported as both the Intercollegiate Champion and Eastern Intercollegiate Champion at the time.[11] While the midwestern schools had just begun their programs and they would not regularly play the eastern teams for several years, none played more than a handful of games and most matches were not intercollegiate contests. This left Harvard with a claim for a unified National Championship, the last such claim until 1948.

Roster

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team
Massachusetts Donald Angier Sophomore LW 1900-01-12 Newton, Massachusetts Taft School
Illinois Thomas M. Avery Junior C/RW 1898-08-03 Chicago, Illinois St. Paul's School
New Jersey Francis M. Bacon III Junior LW 1899-05-14 Short Hills, New Jersey St. Paul's School
New York (state) Charles W. Baker Sophomore RW 1900-12-18 New York, New York St. Paul's School
Massachusetts George S. Baldwin Junior C 1898-12-03 Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Phillips Academy
Massachusetts Edward L. Bigelow Junior C 1899-04-19 Boston, Massachusetts St. Mark's School
New Jersey Henry F. Colt Sophomore D 1900-04-21 Lakewood, New Jersey St. Paul's School
Massachusetts Robert W. Emmons Senior RW 1897-07-11 Bourne, Massachusetts Groton School
Massachusetts John Gaston Junior RW 1898-12-10 Boston, Massachusetts St. Mark's School
New York (state) Mitchell Gratwick Sophomore D 1900-05-19 Buffalo, New York Phillips Academy
New York (state) Jabish Holmes Jr. Junior G 1899-03-11 Pelham Manor, New York Middlesex School
Illinois William J. Louderback Senior G 1898-05-03 Chicago, Illinois St. Paul's School
New Hampshire John M. Martin Sophomore RW 1900-05-09 Manchester, New Hampshire Pomfret School
Massachusetts Henry B. W. Snelling Senior F 1899-02-14 Newton Center, Massachusetts St. Mark's School
Massachusetts Joseph Stubbs Senior D 1899-04-28 Newton, Massachusetts Newton High School
New York (state) Norman S. Walker (C) Senior D 1897-12-21 Castleton Corners, New York St. Paul's School

[12]

Standings

1919–20 Collegiate ice hockey standings
Intercollegiate Overall
GP W L T PCT. GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Amherst–––––––2110––
Army5311.70020674212611
Bates4310.75015684402119
Boston College7520.714411786204519
Boston University2020.0002192020219
Bowdoin4130.25061562401728
Dartmouth7610.857265106403016
Fordham–––––––––––––
Hamilton–––––––5320––
Harvard77001.00044101310306533
Massachusetts Agricultural5320.600221053202210
Michigan College of Mines0000–0041211016
MIT6420.667272285214231
New York State–––––––––––––
Notre Dame0000–002200105
Pennsylvania3021.16731371511535
Princeton6150.1671331102802253
Rensselaer4130.2502484130248
Tufts4040.0004164040416
Williams5320.6001095320109
Yale4220.50014994503638
YMCA College–––––––––––––
1919–20 Triangular Hockey League standings
Conference Overall
GP W L T PTS SW GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Harvard *44001.00022481310306533
Yale4220.500114994503638
Princeton4040.0000526102802272
* indicates conference champion

Schedule and Results

DateOpponentSiteResultRecord
Regular Season
January 3 vs. Toronto* Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts L 2–5  0–1–0
January 7 vs. Harvard Club* Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts L 1–3  0–2–0
January 10 vs. Boston Athletic Association* Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts L 4–5  0–3–0
January 17 vs. Yale Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts W 5–4  1–3–0 (1–0–0)
January 21 vs. Dartmouth Club* Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts W 4–3  2–3–0
January 24 vs. Dartmouth* Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts W 4–2  3–3–0
January 30 vs. Tufts* Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts W 8–0  4–3–0
January 31 vs. Princeton Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts W 6–3  5–3–0 (2–0–0)
February 4 vs. MIT* Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts W 8–0  6–3–0
February 7 vs. Boston All Stars* Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts W 4–3  7–3–0
February 14 vs. Sherbrook Hockey* Pavilion Rink • Cambridge, Massachusetts W 6–4  8–3–0
February 21 vs. Yale Philadelphia Ice Palace • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania W 3–0  9–3–0 (3–0–0)
March 6 vs. Princeton Philadelphia Ice Palace • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania W 10–1  10–3–0 (4–0–0)
*Non-conference game.

[13]

References

  1. ↑ "REGULAR PRACTICE FOR HOCKEY TEAM STARTS". The Harvard Crimson. December 6, 1919. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  2. ↑ "INTERCOLLEGIATE HOCKEY CENTERS IN PHILADELPHIA". The Harvard Crimson. December 18, 1919. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Vol. XLIII, No. 84". Yale Daily News. January 19, 1920. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  4. ↑ "SUPERIOR TEAM PLAY GAINS UNIVERSITY A WIN OVER GREEN, 4-3". The Harvard Crimson. January 22, 1920. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  5. ↑ "CRIMSON FINDS TUFTS EASY IN FOURTH HOCKEY VICTORY". The Harvard Crimson. January 29, 1920. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Vol. 40, No. 210". The Daily Princetonian. February 2, 1920. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  7. ↑ "TECH SWAMPED 8 TO 0 IN ROUGH ICE BATTLE". The Harvard Crimson. February 5, 1920. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  8. ↑ "CRIMSON TEAM-PLAY DEFEATED ALL-STARS". The Harvard Crimson. February 9, 1920. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Vol. XLIII, No. 111". Yale Daily News. February 23, 1920. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  10. ↑ "10 TO 1 VICTORY OVER TIGERS GIVES CRIMSON CLEAR RIGHT TO INTERCOLLEGIATE ICE TITLE". The Harvard Crimson. March 8, 1920. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Volume 41, Number 7". The Princeton Daily. March 8, 1920. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  12. ↑ "1919-1920 Roster". Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Harvard Men's Hockey year-By-year results" (PDF). Harvard Crimson. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
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