-GAN DAILY
Eighth
Straight Playoff
'M' Icers Again Stage Great Comeback-
But Bow to Colorado College in Climax
I
DEFENSIVE ACTION-Michigan defenseman Barrie Hayton drops to the ice in an attempt to stop
a flying puck off the stick of a Michigan State shooter. Hayton, who has two years left with the
Wolverines, was unsuccessful, but goalie Ross Childs caught the disc himself to prevent a goal. This
sort of action rewards all those who travel to the Coliseum on wintry nights to watch the hockey
team in action.
He yliger nds Successful Terure
By SI COLEMAN
For the tenth consecutive year,
Michigan earned a nerth in the
NCAA hockey tournament which
was held last March at Colorado
Springs, Colo.
Having emerged six previous
times from this seasonal climax as
champions, the Wolverines this
year bowed to Colorado College in
the tournament final, 13-6.
Traditionally slow starters ev-
ery year in the Western Intercol-
legiate Hockey League, the Michi-
gan team dropped three out of
four games during the Christmas
vacation, losing one to Denver and
two to Colorado College. the squad
that eventually walked away with
the WIHL title.
Get Moving
Following this dismal start, the
Wolverines got moving and cap-
tured three straight wins before
playing to a 5-5 tie at Michigan
Tech.
It was the Michigan Tech se-
ries that could be termed the turn-
ing point of the season. The Wol-
verines had to win at least one of
the games and tie the other to keep
their title hopes alive.
After doing so, Michigan lost
only one other WIHL game, 7-3
at Minnesota, finishing its sea-
son with seven consecutive victo-
ries-
Still, the Maize and Blue were
pressed down to the wire by a sur-
prising North Dakota squad,
coached by ex-Wolverine hockey
star, Al Renfrew.
The Sioux came to Ann Arbor
on March 4 to face Michigan in a
two-game series. Despite the five-
game winning streak that the
Wolverines had compiled, winning
this series was a virtual must if
Michigan was to retain any hope
of defending its 1956 NCAA title
later that month.
Whip North Dakota
In the first contest the home
team ran into little trouble as it
overpowered North Dakota, 7-1.
But the following evening it
looked like an entirely different
team that skated on the ice to
face the Wolverines.
At the end of two periods, the
Sioux held what looked like a se-
cure 2-0 lead. But Michigan
crashed through in the final stan-
za, scoring two goals, to throw the
game into a sudden death over-
time.
After five minutes of spine-
tingling hockey, Wally Maxwell
managed to push the puck past the
startled North Dakota goalie and
11.,U. LZEJ UKbJXJ6i .Li2, Lunaer ,ne resnfl zn .+4 1 11j 1,,1 jllUj14+s1-"eylge
a national championship letic Director, "Fritz" Crisler, tion as Michigan hockey coach , 41, called his decision been motivating force in the de-
Michigan rolled on to an unde- early last April ended a 13-yr. the toughest I've ever made." velopment of college hockey and
Ing to the number of its feat(d season on the gridiron and reign as the most successful coach He added, "I've been a coach or will be difficult to replace."
rs - is appropriately called the number one national ranking. in college hockey, player all my life, and I don't Heyliger, who could always be
achor of amateur athletics And in the 1956-57 season, the In all, Heyliger brought six know of a better place to coach identified by the chewed-up cigar
erica." The term was ap- Wolverines 'continued their win- NCAA championships to Michi- or play than at Michigan. It's been clenched in his teeth, is credited
y Bob Zuppke, the sage of ning ways in almost every sport. gan. His teams won 225, lost 60 perfect and I'm going to miss it with having pulled the ice sport
whose achievements as a This season looks promising and tied 13 times, and he was a very much. But this is simply an out of the minor-sports category
I coach will live as long as again. But win or lose, one thing key figure in inaugurating the opportunity that I can't afford to and his restaurant enterprise in
ne is played. is certain. The Big Ten will house NCAA championships as well as pass up." Colorado Springs, a major college
'ry has proved that the for- more excitement, more talent and the Western Intercollegiate Hoc- Athletic Director H. O. "Fritz" hockey center, could prove a good
of the Western Conference more tradition than any other key League, of which Michigan is Crisler said Heyliger had done "an spot in case he decides to rejoin
"smart" move. The man di- conference in the country. a member. outstanding job for us. He has the coaching ranks.
NEIL McDONALD
. . . Ice captain-elect
Micnigan had just about clinched
a playoff spot. .
Two games remained with Mich-
igan Tech, but the Wolverines
captured both of them with com-
parative ease, 5-3, and 7-4, and to
the victors went second place in
the WIHL, and a tenth trip to
Colorado.
Perhaps the most successful
coach in Michigan history, Vic
Heyliger, announced his retire-
ment from coaching about a
month after the season't finale at
Colorado Springs.
13-Yr. Reign
His resignation marked the exid
of ia 13-yr. reign as Michigan ice
mentor. He will be succeeded by
Renfrew, who leaves his post at
North Dakota to return ot his alma
mater. Rerifrew, by the way, will
be keeping his new position in the
family - he is a brother-in-law
of Heyliger.
Renfrew faces quite a task of re-
building in his first year at the
helm. The basis of Michigan's
success the past three years, two of
them as NCAA champs, has been
a balanced scoring attack and air-
tight defense. Many of the play-
ers who formed this strong com-
bination are being ,lost, either by
graduation or ineligibility.
v
On the eve of departing for the
NCAA Tournament at Colorado
Springs, Maxwell was declared in-
eligible by the NCAA for receiving
expense money while trying out
with a professional team, and
then on the first day the team
was in Colorado Springs, ineligi-
bility hit sophomore John Rendall
for the same reason.
Indications are that the colle-
giate playing careers of these men
are over, although this is not 100
per cent positive.
Defense Corps Deflaed
In additiop to these two players,
the Wolverines lose through grad-
uation defensemen Bob Schiller,
Bob Pitts and Bernie Hanna,
which means a complete rebuild-.
ing of the defense corps.
Dick Dunnigan, recipient of the
Hal Downes Memorial Trophy.
given to the team's most valu-.
able player, also graduates, Dun-
nigan was the highest scoring
Wolverine in league action. For-
ward Jerry Karpinka has' com
pleted his playing 'career, too.
All is not lost, however. The
backbone of last year's team,
goalie Ross Childs, leads the re-
turning nucleus Childs, with the
stingiest average among all WIHI
netminders playing at least six
games, won the Bill Borovsky
Memorial Trophy which is given'
to the league goalie with the low-
est per-game goals-allowed aver-
age. Childs averaged 2.7.
Returning with Childs is cap-
tain-elect Neil McDonald, who
was. the team's second highest
scorer last season. Don McIntosh,
Gary Starr, Ed Switzer and John
Huton are veteran forwards who
will bolster the Wolverines' front
lines.
Freshmen Move .Up
Renfrew, in addition to these
lettermen, might possibly receive
help from a crew of freshmen,
headed by center Bob White, Gary
Mattson and wing Delky Dozzi.
Next year's NCAA playoffs will
shift to Minneapolis, Minn., where
they will serve as part of a cen-
tennial celebration. The law of
averages, many people say, is
bound to catch up with the Wol-
verines, but don't be surprised. if
Michigan, despite heavy gradua-
tion losses. despite the loss of col-
legiate hockey's most successful
coach, and despite the law of av-
erages, makes an eleventh consec-
utive appearance in the tourna-
ment when next March rolls
around.
4
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around.
"Buying your clothes from Wagner's"
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Experience and public service for many, many
years combined with well-informed up-to-the-
minute personnel enables this institution to
serve you well.
>2 n"'
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Slacks from Haggar -- sportswear for men and women
from Pendleton - Clark's British shoes - Macintosh
British rainwear - Arrow and Van Heusen shirts -
Hickey-Freeman, Kuppenheimer, Timely Clothes - Ro-
dey British coats for men and women.
.................
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