50th Anniversary of UNH Hockey's First Epic Season in Modern Era

March 5, 1974, UNH vs RPI, ECAC Quarterfinal

Gordie Clark

Jamie Hislop

Cliff Cox

"Charles Dickens had the French Revolution in mind when he wrote: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,' but that description is particularly appropriate to the bittersweet season just concluded by the University of New Hampshire hockey team." Arthur Kaminsky, The New York Times, March 10, 1974

The proud history of the University of New Hampshire Wildcats men's hockey program began on an outdoor rink in 1926. The modern era dates back to 1961 when the Eastern College Athletic Conference developed a hockey league and UNH was an original member. The ECAC established a 15-member Division One (DI) conference beginning in the 1964-65 season but UNH did not become eligible until the 1968-69 season.

In their first five DI regular seasons, UNH finished no higher than 5th place. They qualified for the 8-team Quarterfinal round of the DI ECAC Playoffs in 4 out of 5 seasons, but never earned home-ice advantage. A weekly national coaches' poll for college hockey began in the 1972-73 season but UNH had never made the Top 10.

The Best of Times

All that changed in 1973-74 - a season filled with first-time accomplishments. For the first time in team history, UNH finished the ECAC regular season in 1st-place. In fact, they topped the ECAC standings the entire regular season.

UNH made a mark on the national scene for the first time on December 3, 1973. The Wildcats won the first two ECAC games and their 4-2-0 overall record was good enough for #6 in the national poll. From Jan 28 to Feb 24, 1974, UNH was the #2 team in the nation.

In the February 11, 1974 national rankings, UNH came as close to #1 as it ever had. The Wildcats were 13-2-0 in the ECAC and 19-5-0 Overall. 4 of the 10 coaches representing the ECAC, Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), and Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) ranked UNH #1. However, Michigan Tech retained the top rank. At the end of the 1973-74 regular season, UNH lead the ECAC with a 15-5-0 record (22-8-0 Overall) and were ranked #4 nationally.

UNH's potent first line of the captain Gordie Clark and Jamie Hislop and Cliff Cox led the ECAC regular season in scoring. Hislop (55 points) was the #1 scorer followed by #2 Cox (53 pts), and #3 Clark (51 pts). They scored 69 goals combined. Clark was named a first team All-American, becoming the first two-time All-American in UNH history. Hislop and Cox earned first team All-American honors two years later in their senior season.

Sophomore UNH goalie Cap Raeder finished the season with the best Goals Against Average (2.64) in NCAA hockey and the third-best Save Percentage (.908). Raeder also earned first team All-American honors, making 1973-74 the first UNH season with two All-Americans.

The 1973-74 season was Head Coach Charlie Holt's sixth season behind the UNH bench. By season's end, he earned the Spencer Penrose Award as NCAA Coach of the Year for the second time. He also won the award in 1969 and 1979.

Interview

I am grateful for the opportunity to interview 1973-74 UNH Captain, 2-time All-American and American Hockey League Hall of Famer Gordie Clark, via email, about his memories of the 1973-74 UNH hockey season.

Mike Lowry: What are your most lasting memories from the 1973-74 regular season?

Gordie Clark: As Coach Holt and Coach Norton worked so hard to mold our team toward success in the 71/72 and 72/73 seasons, I could clearly see the level of skating and skill improving in all positions on our team. We had 12 players returning for the 73/74 year, and when I saw the size, speed, skill and character of the freshman class on the ice, I knew we had something special. Tim Burke, Paul Powers, Jim Harvie, Barry Edgar, Gordie MacRae, Tom Osenton!

WNAC Channel 7 Boston sent the 1st woman sports anchor, Barbara Borin, to interview me which meant others felt UNH was in for a special year. Pretty nice walking around campus on a beautiful day with a very sharp 1st woman anchor!

The Worst of Times

The UNH hockey team was flying high entering the 1973 Christmas break. On Friday night, December 21st, they beat Boston College 5-4 in overtime at the old McHugh Forum. With an undefeated record of 6-0-0 in the ECAC and 9-2-0 overall, UNH was nationally ranked at #4. A few hours after UNH triumphantly skated off the BC ice, unimaginable tragedy struck.

After the BC game, three UNH players from Ontario - Warren Brown (Sophomore Left Wing, Scarborough), Dave Bertollo (Junior Left Wing, Hespeler) and Jim Harvie (Freshman Defenseman, Sarnia) - headed home for Christmas in Brown's car. At around 1 AM Saturday morning, while driving on the Massachusetts Turnpike, they were rear-ended by a truck. The serious accident resulted in the death of 19-year-old Warren Brown. Bertollo and Harvie also suffered injuries.

“It's awfully hard for young men to even comprehend something like that, let alone play championship hockey afterwards.” said New Hampshire's highly respected coach, Charlie Holt. The team lost three of their next four games." The New York Times, March 10, 1974

Gordie Clark: I will never forget the day Coach called to tell me about the crash that took Warren Brown’s life as he, Harv and Bert were driving home to Canada on Christmas break. Warren had NHL size, strength, character, skating, a physical edge to his game and already had 7 goals in 11 games! Coach and Assistant Coach Norton kept in touch with all of us and we all connected to each other.

The Brown family attended an evening for Warren, told us how much Warren loved UNH and his teammates, and that Warren would want this team he loved to continue our journey.

Resilience

In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, UNH's record fell from 6-0-0 ECAC/9-2-0 Overall to 6-2-0 ECAC/10-5-0 Overall. Their national ranking dropped from #4 to #6. Needing a spark to get the team back on track, Coach Holt juggled the lineup and created the Clark-Hislop-Cox (C-H-C) line. UNH went on a blistering 10-game win streak, including 8 ECAC wins, and rocketed up the National Rankings from #6 to #2. During one 5-game stretch, C-H-C averaged 5 goals per game.

Lowry: UNH's top line with Cliff Cox at center and you and Jamie Hislop on the wings, only started playing together in early January, 1974. What were the strengths of each of you and why did the line play so well together?

Gordie Clark: Obviously, coaching in the AHL and NHL after my playing days were over, I found out how much time coaches spend on putting new lines together. I would say it was a 50/50 success rate - some lines never made it work and others did. When Coach put Jamie LW, Cliff C and me RW, the line connected immediately, and once that line stays together every practice and every game there is a sense you develop of just knowing where each of us are on the ice.

Cliff was clearly the center - good on face-offs, work with the D-men down low in our zone and then once the D won the puck he presented himself so they could pass the puck to him and start the rush. All 3 of us were right shots and Jamie was much better than me on his backhand to receive pucks and passing the puck on LW. We could all skate, make plays and score when the puck was in the “shooting zone.”

With one game remaining in the 1973-74 regular season, UNH was awarded the #1 seed and home ice for the opening Quarterfinal round of the ECAC Playoffs - both for the first time in team history. They had lost the previous two games and had dropped from #2 to #3 nationally.

The final game against St. Lawrence was home at Snively Arena. Students waiting in line for a couple hours prior to gametime had become routine. The outcome would have no effect on UNH's first-place finish in the ECAC standings. St. Lawrence was battling for one of the last playoff berths.

With UNH ahead 4-3 early in the final period, Cap Raeder - arguably the best NCAA goalie at the time - suffered a right ankle injury. He tried to resume play but was unable. Freshman goalie Dan Magnarelli, who'd played in only 4 periods all season, entered the game. St. Lawrence won 5-4. The uncertainty of Raeder's playing status for the Quarterfinal game five days away became a dark cloud hanging over Durham.

1974 ECAC Quarterfinal - Thrilling Highs, Crushing Lows

The New Hampshire, UNH's student-run newspaper, reported fans starting to lineup outside Snively Arena's entrance over 5 hours prior to the doors opening*. Throughout the game "Snively shook with noise as it never had before and possibly never will again".

The melodrama surrounding goalie Cap Raeder's availability and ability to play began during warmups. Frenzied cheers of relief and enthusiasm greeted his arrival on the ice. Raeder hung in there early in the first period and Cliff Cox scored to put UNH ahead 1-0.

The brutal impact of Raeder's ankle injury stunned the crowd with about 6 minutes left in the opening period. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers, the 8th seed in the ECAC Playoffs, scored 2 goals eight seconds apart culminating in 4 goals over a 1 minute, 20 seconds span. Raeder was done. The immense pressure of not allowing any more RPI goals shifted to the shoulders of largely untested freshman Magnarelli. The comparable burden of overcoming a 3-goal deficit fell to the players in front of him.

The first period ended in an unusual scenario. Two sets of matching penalties had been called, leaving 3 players and a goalie for each team on the ice. The second period would begin with 1 minute and 45 seconds of 3-on-3 hockey with RPI leading 4-1.



Lowry: Forty-six seconds into the second period you, Hislop and Cox scored. A second goal came 19 seconds later and a third 40 seconds later. The top-scoring line in ECAC hockey had tied the game at 4-4 with 3 goals in 59 seconds. As you watch the replay, what thoughts come to mind?

Gordie Clark: The first thought I had when I watched the video of our 3 goals in 00:59 is when Coach came in the locker room to explain the refs putting 2 players from each team in the penalty box for 2 minutes. Then he said Jamie, Cliff and Gordie will start! We all sort of looked around because normally it’s 2 forwards and 1 defenseman.

Waiting for the puck to be dropped Jamie, Cliff and I looked at RPI and they had 3 defensemen. Coach Holt knew exactly what he was doing - from the drop of the puck we dominated the puck skating forward, 3 goals behind, as they skated backwards to defend a 3 goal lead. It may not seem long but a 1:45 shift (45-50 seconds isnormal) skating full out is tough. It shows Jamie, Cliff and me after each goal with our chests heaving and mouths wide open breathing hard! But as our fans screamed and teammates yelled we just kept going!

After UNH tied the game at 4-4, goal-scoring - and UNH fans' emotions- shifted back and forth. RPI went ahead 5-4 on a power play goal late in the second period. Cliff Cox answered early in the third, completing the hat trick. It was his 27th goal in 31 games. RPI regained the lead with less than 5 minutes left in regulation.

With the clock ticking perilously close to 00:00, UNH's junior winger Mike Burkart reignited crowd euphoria, tying the game at 6-6 with 1:37 remaining. Minutes later, UNH and RPI were headed to overtime.

An unlikely RPI hero named Rick Smith brought UNH's epic season to an end. The freshman center, playing in only his 8th college game, had scored his first goal of the season during the second period. Just one minute, 38 seconds into overtime, Smith beat Magnarelli for the second time. Stunned UNH fans, who had cheered on the team as it rose to college hockey prominence, were left wondering what might have been.

Lowry: What are your recollections of the loss when it happened? Have the ensuing 50 years changed your perspective on the meaning of your last game in a UNH jersey?


Gordie Clark: Cap Raeder was one of the best goalies in college hockey and I was proud the two of us were All Americans in 1974. Without Cap, it was going to be a battle to beat RPI with Don Cutts in goal. He was one of the top goalies in the ECAC. We wanted to go further in the playoffs and we put it all out that night.

This team put UNH on the map for good Canadian and US players and became the school recruits wanted to go to! Coach Holt changed me as a person and a player, and I just retired from 42 years of working in the NHL. The game I loved!

I will never forget our fans screaming and cheering us on. I will never forget the tears we all shared.



* I can confirm how early students began lining up outside Snively Arena with the hope of getting the best seats possible. I was near the head of that line and got a front row seat on the glass next to the UNH bench.