# 1947–48 Fort Devens State Chiefs men's ice hockey season

The 1947–48 Fort Devens State Chiefs men's ice hockey season was the 2nd season of play for the program but first under the oversight of the NCAA. The Chiefs represented Massachusetts State College–Fort Devens.

## Season

In just its second season of existence, Fort Devens State was able to join the New England Intercollegiate Hockey League, a loose collection of teams that included some of the nation's top programs. While the Chiefs weren't expected to win many games, the stronger competition could allow the team to build itself into a respectable outfit by season's end. From the start, however, it was clear that Devens had some work to do. The team lost its opening game 1–10 but saw a swift turnaround when the fell to MIT by just a single goal. The Chiefs continued their ascent in the third game and held the lead over Boston College after the first period. While the couldn't hold the lead, the team had at least proved they could put up a fight.
Fort Devens was able to post its first win of the season just before the winter break and then notched their second victory once they returned. With the team suddenly in the midst of a playoff hunt, Devens' offense flagged in January and the team went through an extended losing skid. The lowest game for the club came against Harvard where the Chiefs were thoroughly dominated 2–17. The game was also notable for being very physical with many penalties handed out while several players were taken off the ice due to injury. The team managed to get one more win before ending the season by being shutout by BC.
Despite the lackluster play in as the year went on, Fort Devens had found a diamond in the rough as Hal Downes was credited with stellar play throughout the season. The netminder was hailed as the main reason for the team's competitiveness in several matches.

## 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 |
1947–48 New England Intercollegiate Hockey 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 |
| Boston University † | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 | .923 | 86 | 40 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 179 | 86 |
| Boston College * | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | 77 | 29 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 126 | 60 |
| Northeastern | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 108 | 79 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 135 | 119 |
| Bowdoin | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 32 | 38 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 56 | 73 |
| MIT | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 62 | 87 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 93 | 114 |
| Middlebury | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 27 | 48 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 127 | 74 |
| New Hampshire | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 42 | 56 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 58 | 67 |
| Norwich | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 25 | 50 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 56 | 70 |
| Fort Devens State | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | 30 | 55 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Colby | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 17 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 41 |
| † indicates conference champion * indicates conference tournament champion |||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

Note: due to the closure of the college in 1949, records for the team are incomplete. It's unknown if the team played any non-collegiate opponents but all games against fellow universities are represented here.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Record |
| Regular Season |||||
| December 8 | at Boston University | Boston Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | L 1–10 | 0–1–0 (0–1–0) |
| December 9 | at MIT | Boston Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | L 3–4 | 0–2–0 (0–2–0) |
| December 15 | at Boston College | Boston Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | L 2–4 | 0–3–0 (0–3–0) |
| December 16 | Northeastern | Skating Club of Boston Rink • Allston, Massachusetts | W 6–3 | 1–3–0 (1–3–0) |
| January 10 | at Bowdoin | Delta Rink • Brunswick, Maine | W 4–3 | 2–3–0 (2–3–0) |
| January 13 | Northeastern | Skating Club of Boston Rink • Allston, Massachusetts | L 1–8 | 2–4–0 (2–4–0) |
| January 19 | vs. Brown* | Boston Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | L 1–2 | 2–5–0 |
| January 20 | at Boston University | Boston Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | L 3–6 | 2–6–0 (2–5–0) |
| February 2 | at MIT | Boston Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | L 3–5 | 2–7–0 (2–6–0) |
| February 4 | at Harvard* | Boston Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | L 2–17 | 2–8–0 |
| February 7 | at Norwich | Sabine Field Rink • Northfield, Vermont | L 2–3 | 2–9–0 (2–7–0) |
| February ? | Norwich | Skating Club of Boston Rink • Allston, Massachusetts | W 5–2 | 3–9–0 (3–7–0) |
| February 23 | Boston College | Skating Club of Boston Rink • Allston, Massachusetts | L 0–7 | 3–10–0 (3–8–0) |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. |||||