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1956 NCAA men's ice hockey tournament
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| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Year | 1956 |
| Gender | men's |
| Teams | 4 |
| FrozenFourArena | Broadmoor Ice Palace |
| FrozenFourCity | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Champions | [Michigan Wolverines](1955-56-michigan-wolverines-men-s-ice-hockey-season) |
| TitleCount | 6th |
| ChampGameCount | 6th |
| ChampFFCount | 9th |
| RunnerUp | Michigan Tech Huskies |
| GameCount | 1st |
| RunnerFFCount | 1st |
| Semifinal1 | St. Lawrence Saints |
| FrozenFourCount | 3rd |
| Semifinal2 | Boston College Eagles |
| FrozenFourCount2 | 5th |
| Coach | Vic Heyliger |
| CoachCount | 6th |
| MOP | Lorne Howes |
| MOPTeam | Michigan |
The 1956 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 1955–56 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, the 9th such tournament in NCAA history. It was held between March 15 and 17, 1956, and concluded with Michigan defeating Michigan Tech 7–5. All games were played at the Broadmoor Ice Palace in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Vic Heyliger captured his 6th and final National title with the Wolverines, all done in the first 9 years of the tournament. As of 2016 he stands as the coach with the most championships overall and the most with one team (6).
Qualifying teams
Four teams qualified for the tournament, two each from the eastern and western regions. The two best WIHL teams and a Tri-State League representative received bids into the tournament as did one independent school.
Clarkson, who had completed a 23–0 record in the regular season, were offered a bid by the selection committee. The Golden Knights, however, had 8 four-year seniors on the team (who would not have been allowed to play in the tournament) and declined the invitation, leaving the second place team from the Tri-State League to go in their stead.
| East | West | Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Appearance | Last bid | Seed | School | Conference | Record | Berth type | Appearance | Last bid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston College | Independent | 14–5–0 | At-Large | 5th | 1954 | 1 | Michigan | WIHL | 18–2–1 | At-Large | 9th | 1955 | ||
| 2 | St. Lawrence | Tri-State League | 17–4–0 | At-Large | 3rd | 1955 | 2 | Michigan Tech | WIHL | 20–6–0 | At-Large | 1st | Never |
Format
The eastern team judged as better was seeded as the top eastern team while the WIHL champion was given the top western seed. The second eastern seed was slotted to play the top western seed and vice versa. All games were played at the Broadmoor Ice Palace. All matches were Single-game eliminations with the semifinal winners advancing to the national championship game and the losers playing in a consolation game.
Bracket
March 15–16 March 17
| RD1-seed1=E1 | RD1-team1=Boston College | RD1-score1=4 | RD1-seed2=W2 | RD1-team2=Michigan Tech | RD1-score2=10 | RD1-seed3=W1 | RD1-team3=Michigan | RD1-score3=2* | RD1-seed4=E2 | RD1-team4=St. Lawrence | RD1-score4=1
| RD2-seed1=W2 | RD2-team1=Michigan Tech | RD2-score1=5 | RD2-seed2=W1 | RD2-team2=Michigan | RD2-score2=7
| RD2b-seed1=E1 | RD2b-team1=Boston College | RD2b-score1=2 | RD2b-seed2=E2 | RD2b-team2=St. Lawrence | RD2b-score2=6 Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Semifinals
Boston College vs. Michigan Tech
|1-1-1 = |1-1-2 = |1-2-1 = |1-2-2 = |1-3-1 = |1-3-2 = |goalie1-1 = |goalie1-2 =
Michigan vs. St. Lawrence
|1-1-1 = No Scoring |1-1-2 = |1-2-1 = |1-2-2 = 19:52 - Bernie McKinnon (unassisted) |1-3-1 = (McDonald, Pitts) Ed Switzer - 03:59 |1-3-2 = |1-4-1 = (McIntosh) Tom Rendall - GW - 01:21 |goalie1-1 = Lorne Howes |goalie1-2 = Sarge Whittier
Consolation Game
Boston College vs. St. Lawrence
|1-1-1 = (Cassidy) Francis Quinn - 06:33 (unassisted) Bill Leary - 11:16 |1-1-2 = 07:03 - Bernie McKinnon (Coluccio, Henry) |1-2-2 = 06:22 - Joe McLean (unassisted) 07:14 - William Brown (Bigelow) 07:17 - Bill Renner (Stitt, Riopelle) |1-3-2 = 01:21 - Ron O'Brien (unassisted) 03:47 - Bernie McKinnon (Coluccio, Morrison) |goalie1-1 = |goalie1-2 = Sarge Whittier
Championship Game
Michigan vs. Michigan Tech
|1-1-1 = |1-1-2 = |1-2-1 = |1-2-2 = |1-3-1 = |1-3-2 = |goalie1-1 = |goalie1-2 =
| Scoring summary | Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **1st** | Michigan Wolverines | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **UM** | Ed Switzer | McDonald | 00:23 | 1–0 UM | |
| Michigan Tech Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **MTU** | Dick Wilson | J. McManus | 02:42 | 1–1 | ||
| Michigan Wolverines | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **UM** | Neil McDonald | Schiller | 09:22 | 2–1 UM | ||
| Michigan Wolverines | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **UM** | Don McIntosh | Rendall | 10:14 | 3–1 UM | ||
| Michigan Tech Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **MTU** | Pete Aubry | unassisted | 11:04 | 3–2 UM | ||
| Michigan Wolverines | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **UM** | Bob Schiller | McDonald | 13:11 | 4–2 UM | ||
| Michigan Tech Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **MTU** | Dick Wilson | unassisted | 19:45 | 4–3 UM | ||
| **2nd** | Michigan Tech Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **MTU** | Tom Kennedy | Wilson | 24:47 | 4–4 | |
| Michigan Tech Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **MTU** | Pete Aubry – *PP* | Wilson | 27:25 | 5–4 MTU | ||
| Michigan Wolverines | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **UM** | Ed Switzer | Hanna | 27:58 | 5–5 | ||
| Michigan Wolverines | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **UM** | Ed Switzer – *GW PP* | Dunnigan | 34:28 | 6–5 UM | ||
| Michigan Wolverines | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **UM** | Neil McDonald | unassisted | 34:49 | 7–5 UM | ||
| **3rd** | *None* |
| Shots by period | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Tech Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **Michigan Tech** | 22 | 10 | 10 | 42 | |
| Michigan Wolverines | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **Michigan** | 14 | 14 | 11 | 39 |
| Goaltenders | Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Tech Huskies | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **MTU** | Bob McManus | 32 | 7 | ||
| Michigan Wolverines | color=#FFFFFF}};" | **UM** | Lorne Howes | 37 | 5 |
[[List of NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey All-Tournament Teams|All-Tournament team]]
First Team
- G: Lorne Howes* (Michigan)
- D: Bob Pitts (Michigan)
- D: Bob Schiller (Michigan)
- F: Pete Aubry (Michigan Tech)
- F: Tom Rendall (Michigan)
- F: Ed Switzer (Michigan)
- Most Outstanding Player(s)
Second Team
- G: Sarge Whittier (St. Lawrence)
- D: Bill Renner (St. Lawrence)
- D: Willie Tattersall (Michigan Tech)
- F: Cliff Wylie (Michigan Tech)
- F: Ron Stenlund (Michigan Tech)
- F: Joe McLean (St. Lawrence)
References
References
- "Harrison - Clarkson Athletic Hall of Fame". Clarkson Golden Knights.
- "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives.
- "Team History". Michigan Wolverines.
- "NCAA Frozen Four Records". NCAA.org.
- "NCAA Division I Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives.
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