# 1963–64 NCAA men's ice hockey season

The 1963–64 NCAA men's ice hockey season began in November 1963 and concluded with the 1964 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 21, 1964 at the University of Denver Arena in Denver, Colorado. This was the 17th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 70th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.
This was the final year where no distinction in classification was made for NCAA ice hockey. The following year saw 14 members of the ECAC drop down to a new College Division to separate teams on a more equal financial footing. While some would resurface at the D-I level in later years most would remain in the lower-tier leagues.
This was the first season of play for both Wisconsin and Ohio State as university sponsored clubs. While both were members of the Big Ten Conference they did not play the other three member schools and thus did not qualify for the informal ice hockey conference.

## Regular season
### Season tournaments

| Tournament | Dates | Teams | Champion |
| ECAC Holiday Hockey Festival | December 19–20 | 4 | Clarkson |
| Lake Placid Holiday Tournament | December 20–21 | 4 | St. Lawrence |
| Boston Christmas Holiday Festival | December 20–23 | 6 | Harvard |
| Yankee Conference Tournament | December 27–28 | 4 | New Hampshire |
| Rensselaer Holiday Tournament | January 2–4 | 4 | Rensselaer |
| Brown Holiday Tournament | January 3–4 | 4 | Colorado College |
| Beanpot | February 3, 10 | 4 | Boston College |

### Standings

1963–64 Big Ten standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Michigan† | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 55 | 22 | 29 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 217 | 80 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 33 | 36 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 105 | 115 |
| Michigan State | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 52 | 26 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 100 | 134 |
| † indicates conference regular season champion |||||||||||||||
1963–64 ECAC Hockey standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | Pct. | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Providence†* | 19 | 16 | 3 | 0 | .842 | 88 | 56 | 26 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 110 | 80 |
| Army | 21 | 17 | 4 | 0 | .810 | 118 | 44 | 28 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 154 | 69 |
| Colgate | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0 | .714 | 99 | 48 | 27 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 109 | 59 |
| Harvard | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0 | .714 | 95 | 61 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 108 | 70 |
| Boston College | 24 | 16 | 7 | 1 | .688 | 126 | 74 | 28 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 144 | 90 |
| Dartmouth | 21 | 14 | 7 | 0 | .667 | 106 | 72 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 106 | 72 |
| Rensselaer | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | .667 | 91 | 50 | 26 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 121 | 69 |
| Clarkson | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 86 | 48 | 25 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 135 | 76 |
| Northeastern | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0 | .636 | 114 | 81 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 116 | 92 |
| Vermont | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .625 | 45 | 31 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 54 | 38 |
| Bowdoin | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | .600 | 87 | 66 | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 87 | 66 |
| Brown | 22 | 12 | 8 | 2 | .591 | 97 | 72 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 104 | 78 |
| Norwich | 17 | 9 | 7 | 1 | .559 | 73 | 65 | 19 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 79 | 74 |
| St. Lawrence | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 61 | 41 | 25 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 91 | 66 |
| New Hampshire | 25 | 13 | 12 | 0 | .520 | 89 | 112 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 0 | 89 | 112 |
| Cornell | 20 | 9 | 10 | 1 | .475 | 55 | 65 | 23 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 64 | 67 |
| Williams | 17 | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 71 | 100 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 71 | 100 |
| Merrimack | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | 54 | 56 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 54 | 56 |
| Massachusetts | 16 | 6 | 8 | 2 | .438 | 55 | 60 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 55 | 60 |
| Boston University | 21 | 9 | 12 | 0 | .429 | 69 | 63 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 78 | 74 |
| Hamilton | 17 | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 45 | 90 | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 45 | 90 |
| Connecticut | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 24 | 54 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 74 |
| Colby | 20 | 5 | 14 | 1 | .275 | 63 | 110 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 68 | 115 |
| Princeton | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0 | .273 | 79 | 113 | 24 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 79 | 113 |
| American International | 15 | 4 | 11 | 0 | .267 | 69 | 97 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 104 | 103 |
| Middlebury | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0 | .200 | 57 | 125 | 23 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 60 | 136 |
| Yale | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0 | .200 | 48 | 97 | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 52 | 102 |
| Amherst | 16 | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 48 | 94 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 48 | 94 |
| MIT | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | .000 | 16 | 74 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 86 |
| Championship: Providence † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion |||||||||||||||
1963–64 NCAA Independent ice hockey standingsvte :
| | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Minnesota–Duluth | 25 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 95 | 95 |
| Ohio State | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 27 | 104 |
| St. Olaf | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | – |
| Wisconsin | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 81 | 69 |
1963–64 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ice hockey standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Saint Mary's † | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | – | – |
| Macalester | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hamline | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Augsburg | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | – | – | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | – | – |
| Concordia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11 | 3 | 7 | 1 | – | – |
| St. Thomas | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | – | – |
| Saint John's | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | – | – |
| † indicates conference champion |||||||||||||||
1963–64 Tri-State League standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Clarkson† | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 13 | 25 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 135 | 76 |
| St. Lawrence† | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 25 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 91 | 66 |
| Rensselaer | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 26 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 121 | 69 |
| † indicates conference regular season champion |||||||||||||||
1963–64 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standingsvte :
| | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| | GP | W | L | T | PCT | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Michigan† | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 90 | 37 | 29 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 217 | 80 |
| Denver* | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | .750 | 33 | 17 | 31 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 141 | 76 |
| Minnesota | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 65 | 65 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 105 | 115 |
| Michigan Tech | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 57 | 47 | 27 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 95 | 79 |
| North Dakota | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | .393 | 37 | 41 | 25 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 79 | 72 |
| Colorado College | 16 | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 57 | 84 | 26 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 121 | 131 |
| Michigan State | 14 | 1 | 12 | 1 | .107 | 42 | 90 | 26 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 100 | 134 |
| Championship: Denver † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion |||||||||||||||

## 1964 NCAA Tournament

| Semifinals March 19–20 | Semifinals March 19–20 | Semifinals March 19–20 | National Championship March 21 | National Championship March 21 | National Championship March 21 |
| W1 | Denver | 4 | | | |
| E2 | Rensselaer | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Rensselaer | 1 | W1 | Denver | 3 |
| | | | W2 | Michigan | 6 |
| E1 | Providence | 2 | W2 | Michigan | 6 |
| W2 | Michigan | 3 | Third Place Game | Third Place Game | Third Place Game |
| | | | E1 | Providence | 1 |
| | | | E2 | Rensselaer | 2 |
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

## Player stats
### Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the season.
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Class | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Jerry Knightley | Junior | Rensselaer | 26 | 33 | 42 | 75 | 33 |
| Bob Brinkworth | Senior | Rensselaer | 26 | 35 | 35 | 70 | 2 |
| Gary Butler | Senior | Michigan | 29 | 38 | 30 | 68 | 26 |
| Gordon Wilkie | Senior | Michigan | – | 16 | 51 | 67 | 20 |
| Wilf Martin | Junior | Michigan | – | 34 | 24 | 58 | 10 |
| Corby Adams | Senior | Clarkson | 29 | 27 | 27 | 54 | – |
| John Cunniff | Sophomore | Boston College | 28 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 0 |
| Phil Dyer | Sophomore | Boston College | – | – | – | 52 | – |
| Grant Heffernan | Junior | Providence | – | 18 | 30 | 48 | – |
| Tom Polanic | Junior | Michigan | – | 8 | 38 | 46 | 92 |

### Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Class | Team | GP | Min | W | L | OT | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Bob Perani | Sophomore | St. Lawrence | 21 | 1270 | - | - | - | 47 | 1 | .933 | 2.22 |
| Neil Mieras | Senior | Army | 27 | 1553 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 59 | 5 | .901 | 2.28 |
| Buddy Blom | Sophomore | Denver | - | - | 19 | - | - | - | 4 | .934 | 2.30 |
| Bob Bellemore | Sophomore | Providence | 26 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.47 |
| Bill Sack | Junior | Rensselaer | 26 | 1554 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 68 | 4 | .920 | 2.63 |
| Joe Lech | Junior | North Dakota | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | .900 | 2.69 |
| Garry Bauman | Senior | Michigan Tech | 24 | - | - | - | - | - | - | .912 | 2.70 |
| Bob Gray | Senior | Michigan | 24 | - | - | - | - | 65 | 4 | .914 | 2.70 |
| John Dunham | Senior | Brown | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.78 |
| Errol McKibbon | Sophomore | Cornell | 23 | - | - | - | - | - | - | .898 | 2.83 |

## 1964 NHL Amateur Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | College | Conference | NHL team |
| 1 | 2 | Alex Campbell $^†$ | St. Lawrence | ECAC Hockey | Boston Bruins |
| 2 | 7 | Brian Watts $^†$ | Michigan Tech | WCHA | Detroit Red Wings |
| 3 | 14 | Ken Dryden $^†$ | Cornell | ECAC Hockey | Boston Bruins |
| 3 | 15 | Gordie Lowe $^†$ | Cornell | ECAC Hockey | New York Rangers |
| 4 | 21 | Syl Apps Jr. $^†$ | Princeton | ECAC Hockey | New York Rangers |
† incoming freshman