1951–52 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season

The 1951–52 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team represented the University of Michigan in college ice hockey. In its eighth year under head coach Vic Heyliger, the team compiled a 22–4–0 record, outscored opponents 161 to 70, and won the 1952 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The season was the second consecutive in which the Michigan hockey team won the NCAA championship.
==Individual accomplishments==
Senior defenseman Bob Heathcott from Turner Valley, Alberta was Michigan's leading scorer during the 1951–52 season with 44 points on 13 goals and 31 assists. Six members of the team were selected as first-team All-Americans: forwards George Chin, Earl Keyes, John McKennell, and Doug Philpott, and defensemen Jim Haas and Reg Shave.
At the end of the season, the players selected goalie Willard Ikola from Eveleth, Minnesota, as the team's most valuable player. Ikola allowed an average of 2.75 goals per game in 24 regular season games. He allowed only four goals in the NCAA Tournament.
Junior center John Matchefts, also from Eveleth, Minnesota, was chosen as the captain of the 1952–53 team. Matchefts had been leading the 1951-52 team in scoring until being declared academically ineligible with eight games remaining in the regular season.
==Standings==
===Schedule===
During the season Michigan compiled a 22–4 record, the fifthconsecutive year that the team won at least 80% of their games. This was the first season that Michigan played as a member of a conference. The teams in the MCHL played an unbalanced schedule against one another and to balance it evenly only the first two games against each member team were counted as part of the standings. Michigan finished tied for second with Denver but was selected over the Pioneers for the tournament due to a better overall record.
Their schedule was as follows.
 	 	 	 	 	 	
Dec. 5, 1951 	Michigan State † 	11–1 	Win 	Demonstration Hall 	East Lansing, MI 	1–0 (1–0)
Dec. 7, 1951 	Montreal 	9–2 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	2–0 (1–0)
Dec. 8, 1951 	Montreal 	4–5 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	2–1 (1–0)
Dec. 14, 1951 	Toronto 	4–1 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	3–1 (1–0)
Dec. 15, 1951 	Toronto 	6–4 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	4–1 (1–0)
Dec. 20, 1951 	Denver † 	7–5 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	5–1 (2–0)
Dec. 21, 1951 	Denver † 	4–5* 	Loss 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	5–2 (2–1)
Jan. 4, 1952 	North Dakota † 	4–2 	Win 	Winter Sports Building	Grand Forks, ND 	6–2 (3–1)
Jan. 5, 1952 	North Dakota † 	2–4 	Loss 	Winter Sports Building	Grand Forks, ND 	6–3 (3–2)
Jan. 11, 1952 	Minnesota † 	5–4 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	7–3 (4–2)
Jan. 12, 1952 	Minnesota † 	6–1 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	8–3 (5–2)
Jan. 16, 1952 	Michigan State † 	7–1 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	9–3 (6–2)
Jan. 18, 1952 	Minnesota 	7–2 	Win 	Williams Arena 	Minneapolis, MN 	10–3 (6–2)
Jan. 19, 1952 	Minnesota 	5–0 	Win 	Williams Arena 	Minneapolis, MN 	11–3 (6–2)
Feb. 8, 1952 	Michigan Tech † 	9–2 	Win 	Dee Stadium 	Houghton, MI 	12–3 (7–2)
Feb. 9, 1952 	Michigan Tech † 	10–4 	Win 	Dee Stadium 	Houghton, MI 	13–3 (8–2)
Feb. 15, 1952 	Colorado College †	3–5 	Loss 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	13–4 (8–3)
Feb. 16, 1952 	Colorado College †	7–6* 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	14–4 (9–3)
Feb. 22, 1952 	McGill 	6–0 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	15–4 (9–3)
Feb. 23, 1952 	McGill 	3–1 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	16–4 (9–3)
Feb. 29, 1952 	Michigan State 	8–2 	Win 	Demonstration Hall 	East Lansing, MI 	17–4 (9–3)
Mar. 1, 1952 	Michigan State 	6–2 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	18–4 (9–3)
Mar. 9, 1952 	Michigan Tech 	11–4 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	19–4 (9–3)
Mar. 10, 1952 	Michigan Tech 	4–3 	Win 	Weinberg Coliseum 	Ann Arbor, MI 	20–4 (9–3)
NCAA TOURNAMENT	NCAA TOURNAMENT 	NCAA TOURNAMENT	NCAA TOURNAMENT	NCAA TOURNAMENT 	NCAA TOURNAMENT 	NCAA TOURNAMENT
March 13, 1952 	St. Lawrence 	9–3 	Win 	Broadmoor World Arena 	Colorado Springs, CO	21–4 (9–3)
March 15, 1952 	Colorado College 	4–1 	Win 	Broadmoor World Arena 	Colorado Springs, CO	22–4 (9–3)
 	 	161–70 	 	 	 	22–4 (9–3)
* Denotes overtime periods† MCHL game
==Roster and scoring statistics==
No. 	Name	Year 	Position	Hometown 	S/P/C	Games	Goals	Assists	Pts	
5 	 	Senior 	D 	Calgary, AB 	 	24 	13 	31 	44 	–
7 	 	Junior 	C 	Tiverton, ON 	 	– 	– 	– 	37 	–
8 	 	Sophomore	LW 	Riverside, ON 	 	– 	17 	18 	35 	–
2 	 	Senior 	D 	Nipawin, SK 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
3 	 	Senior 	D 	Edmonton, AB 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
4 	 	Junior 	C 	Eveleth, MN 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
6 	 	Sophomore	RW 	Lucknow, ON 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
9 	 	Senior 	C 	Toronto, ON 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
10 	 	Junior 	RW 	Toronto, ON 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
11 	 	Senior 	D 	Edmonton, AB 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
12 	 	Sophomore	RW 	Sarnia, ON 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
14 	 	Senior 	RW 	Montreal, PQ 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
15 	 	Junior 	LW 	Eveleth, MN 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
17 	 	Sophomore	D 	Yorkton, SK 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
18 	 	Junior 	D 	Montreal, PQ 	 	26 	– 	– 	– 	–
19 	 	Sophomore	C 	Grass Lake, MI	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
1 	 	Sophomore	G 	Eveleth, MN 	 	26 	– 	– 	– 	–
1 	 	Freshman 	G 	Windsor, ON 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–
 	 	 	F 	 	 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	 	Sophomore	RW 	Montreal, PQ 	 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
Total	 	 	 	 	 	 	161 	 	 	
Charles M. Hyman, a senior from Elyria, Ohio, won the manager's "M" for his work as the team's manager.
==Goaltending Statistics==
No. 	Name	Games	Minutes	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals Against	Saves	Shut Outs	 	
1 	 	26 	– 	22 	4 	0 	70 	– 	2 	–	2.69
1 	 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	– 	–	–
Total	 	26 	– 	22 	4 	0 	70 	– 	2 	–	2.69
==1952 National Championship==
In the 1952 tournament, Michigan and the Colorado College Tigers were invited from the west, and the St. Lawrence Saints and Yale Bulldogs were invited from the east. The Wolverines defeated the St. Lawrence Saints in the first round by a 9-3 score. Michigan scored five goals in the first period against the Saints. Defenseman Graham Cragg scored the first goal of the game, and he later scored the final goal in the championship game. John McKennell and Pat Cooney scored two goals each in the victory over St. Lawrence.
In the championship game, Michigan played the Colorado College Tigers. Michigan and Colorado College had developed an intense rivalry as each had been invited to play in the Frozen Four for five consecutive years. Michigan won the championship in 1948 and 1951, and Colorado College won the championship in 1950. The teams had met twice during the regular season, with each team winning one game. A Colorado radio personality had referred to the Wolverines as the "Michigan woodchoppers" while a Colorado newspaper reported that Michigan forward George Chin was "as wide as he is high." The championship game was played before a capacity crowd of 2,500 persons at Broadmoor Arena in the Tigers' hometown of Colorado Springs, Colorado. However, all three players on the Tigers' top scoring line, Omer Brandt (injury), Ron Hartwell (injury), and Tony Frasca (ineligible), were unable to play in the championship game.
Michigan won the championship game by a 4-1 score. The Wolverines scored three goals in the first period and led 3-0 at the first intermission. Michigan's first goal was scored by George Chin at 11:35 of the first period with an assist from center Doug Philpott. Five minutes later, at 16:29 of the first period, team captain Earl Keyes scored on a power play with assists from Jim Haas and Reg Shave. Michigan's third goal was scored at 19:07 of the first period during a Colorado College power play. Doug Philpott took a loose puck at center ice and "sent a screaming 35-foot shot into the upper right corner of the net for a 3-0 lead."
Colorado College narrowed Michigan's lead to 3-1 on a goal by Cam Berry at the 5:00 mark of the second period. Five minutes later, at the 10:12 mark of the second period, Graham Cragg scored Michigan's final goal with an assist from Alex MacLellan. Neither team scored in the final 30 minutes of the game.
George Chin was the high scorer of the tournament with four points on two goals and two assists.
===(W1) Colorado College vs. (W2) Michigan===
Scoring summary	Scoring summary	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary	Scoring summary	Scoring summary
Period 	Team 	Goal 	Assist(s) 	Time 	Score
1st 	UM 	George Chin 	Philpott 	11:35 	1–0 UM
1st 	UM 	Earl Keyes – GW 	Haas and Shave 	16:29 	2–0 UM
1st 	UM 	Doug Philpott – SH	unassisted 	19:07 	3–0 UM
2nd 	CC 	Cameron Berry 	Kennific 	25:00 	3–1 UM
2nd 	UM 	Graham Cragg 	MacLellan 	30:12 	4–1 UM
3rd 	None 	None 	None 	None 	None
Shots by period 	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period
Team 	1 	2 	3 	T
Michigan 	19 	16 	15 	50
Colorado College	10 	13 	9 	32
Goaltenders	Goaltenders 	Goaltenders	Goaltenders 	Goaltenders
Team 	Name 	Saves 	Goals against	Time on ice
UM 	Willard Ikola	31 	1 	
CC 	Ken Kinsley 	46 	4 	
Jim Haas, George Chin, John McKennell and Doug Philpott were named to the All-Tournament First Team while Reg Shave and Earl Keyes made the All-Tournament Second Team
==See also==
*1952 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
*List of NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament champions
==References==
Category:Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey seasons
Category:NCAA men's ice hockey Frozen Four seasons
Category:NCAA men's ice hockey championship seasons
Michigan 
Michigan 
Michigan