page_title: Clarkson Golden Knights men's ice hockey
section_title: Intermittent Success
hierarchical_section_title: Clarkson Golden Knights men's ice hockey / History / Intermittent Success
caption_attribution_description: English: Cornell University ice hockey vs. Clarkson. Lynah Rink, Ithaca, NY. Likely date November 21, 1987.
context_page_description: The Clarkson Golden Knights men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college ice hockey program that represents Clarkson University. The Golden Knights have been a member of ECAC Hockey since 1962, and play their home games at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, New York. Although it is said that the first Clarkson hockey game was played in 1916 against the Hogansburg Indians, they were established as a hockey club in 1921, under the tutelage of head coach Gordon Croskery, and led by captain Bill Johnson. The Knights won their opening encounter against Alexandria Bay, 6–4, and finished the year with a 2–1 record, their first of 72 winning seasons.
context_section_description: Jerry York, another BC grad, would take over in 1973 and, as it had under Ceglarski, the program's record slumped. It took four years for Tech to climb back to its lofty perch and in 1977 it did just that with future NHL all-star Dave Taylor leading the way. Clarkson finished with the best record in the ECAC and went into the postseason as one of the favorites for the national championship. Unfortunately the team hit a roadblock in the semifinal, losing to Boston University 6–7 and finished the ECAC tournament in 4th place. Once Taylor left the program dipped but still performed well. However,  in 1979 York left for greener pastures, turning the team over to Clarkson alumnus Bill O'Flaherty. In O'Flaherty's six seasons behind the bench the Golden Knights never finished with a record below .600 and captured two ECAC titles. Though Tech wouldn't win any of those ECAC tournaments, the expanded NCAA tournament allowed Clarkson to earn three at-large bids into the national tournament. The Golden Knights record in the NCAA tournament was disappointing, going 1–4–1 in three tries and losing in the first round each time. O'Flaherty would turn the team over to former NHL-er Cap Raeder in 1985 and the new coach would shepherd the team well over three seasons but it wasn't until Mark Morris took the reigns in 1988 that the program would return to prominence once more.
caption: Clarkson plays Cornell in 1987
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