# 1947–48 St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey season

The 1947–48 St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey season was the 14th season of play for the program but 1st under NCAA oversight. The Huskies represented St. Cloud State Teachers College and were coached by Roland Vandell in his 2nd season.

## Season

St. Cloud produced one of the best seasons the program had ever seen in 1948. Led by star forward Sergio Gambucci, the Huskies got off to a tremendous start, winning their first five games of the year. Though they got a fight from St. John's, the Huskies largely controlled both ends of the ice which was highlighted by a 14–2 demolition of Bemidji State.
The Huskies ran into a rough patch in the middle of the season. After losing to a semi-pro outfit (Eagle River), St. Cloud met Michigan Tech on their home ice and swamped by the powerful engineers. The Huskies recovered afterwards and put up two more victories to keep their record spotless against Minnesota outfits.
After the second game against Duluth, one of the cars that was transporting players to the Eveleth game crashed into a bus. In the accident, Mel Janski banged up his knee while Cobby Saatzer was felled by a leg injury that would keep him out for the rest of the year. The hamstrung Huskies did what they could to win the match that night but they ended up losing 3–5 without two of their starting players.
The following week the team attended the Minnesota Winter Carnival and were still reeling from the injuries. Janski gutted through the pain and saw some ice time but it was up to the alternates to fill in for their afflicted comrades. While the reserves did their best, it was lineup regulars Gambucci, Strand and Braga who turned in stellar performances. After shutting out St. Thomas in the opening game, St. Cloud was able to just edge out St. John's for the third time that season and make the championship match. In the final game, St. Cloud peppered the St. Olaf cage with shots but the opposing netminder turned in a stirling performance to keep his team in the match. The Oles tied the game in the third and then stubbornly refused to let up in overtime. Two 5-minute periods elapsed without a goal, leading to a sudden-death session. In the third overtime, Jerry Adamic collected the game-winner on a pass from George Sachen to capture the championship.
After winning the title, St. Cloud had a bit of a letdown in their next game and barely escaped from Bemidji State with a 1–0 win. The team ended its season with a return match against Eveleth Junior College and avenged their earlier loss. The win left the team with a stellar record and a claim as the best college team in Minnesota other than the Golden Gophers.

## Standings

1947–48 NCAA Independent ice hockey standingsvte :
| | Intercollegiate | Intercollegiate | Intercollegiate | Intercollegiate | Intercollegiate | Intercollegiate | Intercollegiate | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | 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

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Record |
| Regular Season |||||
| December 18 | St. John's* | J. C. Brown Athletic Field • St. Cloud, Minnesota | W 3–0 | 1–0–0 |
| January 7 | Minnesota–Duluth* | J. C. Brown Athletic Field • St. Cloud, Minnesota | W 5–1 | 2–0–0 |
| January 8 | at St. John's* | St. Joseph, Minnesota | W 5–4 | 3–0–0 |
| January 16 | at Grand Rapids* | Grand Rapids, Minnesota | W 5–2 | 4–0–0 |
| January 18 | at Bemidji State* | Bemidji Sports Arena • Bemidji, Minnesota | W 14–2 $^†$ | 5–0–0 |
| January 22 | at Eagle River* | Eagle River, Wisconsin | L 4–10 | 5–1–0 |
| January 23 | at Michigan Tech* | Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan | L 1–9 | 5–2–0 |
| January 24 | at Michigan Tech* | Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan | L 3–9 | 5–3–0 |
| January 28 | at North Dakota Agricultural* | Dee Stadium • Houghton, Michigan | W 6–4 $^{OT}$ | 6–3–0 |
| January 30 | at Minnesota–Duluth* | Duluth Curling and Skating Club • Duluth, Minnesota | W 6–0 $^†$ | 7–3–0 |
| January 31 | at Eveleth J. C.* | Eveleth, Minnesota | L 3–5 | 7–4–0 |
| Minnesota State Tournament |||||
| February 5 | vs. St. Thomas* | Saint Paul, Minnesota | W 3–0 | 8–4–0 |
| February | vs. St. John's* | Saint Paul, Minnesota | W 3–2 | 9–4–0 |
| February | vs. St. Olaf* | Saint Paul, Minnesota (Championship) | W 5–4 $^{3OT}$ | 10–4–0 |
| Regular Season |||||
| February $^‡$ | at Bemidji State* | J. C. Brown Athletic Field • St. Cloud, Minnesota | W 1–0 | 11–4–0 |
| February 22 | Eveleth J. C.* | J. C. Brown Athletic Field • St. Cloud, Minnesota | W 6–3 | 12–4–0 |
| *Non-conference game. |||||
† Bemidji State records the score of the game as 12–2 for St. Cloud. Duluth records have the score as 6–1 for the Huskies. ‡ No mention of this game appears in Bemidji State's records.

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Sergio Gambucci | F | 16 | 28 | 10 | 38 |
| Bob Strand | F | 16 | 8 | 12 | 20 |
| Mel Janski | D | 13 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| George Sachen | | 16 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Cobby Saatzer | F | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Jerry Adamic | | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Blake Jaskowiak | | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Bob Gill | D | 16 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Larry Armstrong | | 14 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Bill Grimes | | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Al Braga | G | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Rosequist | G | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 73 | 46 | 119 |