70-71 Flashback: BU sweeps the Billikens; More delays for Women

Game Report: Nov. 29, 1970—BU 9 St. Louis U 1  UPDATED

                                L-R: Seniors Bruce Hatton, Steve Stirling, and Wayne Gowing
 

Terriers completed their two-game series with the St. Louis University with another lopsided win, dispatching the Billikens 9-1. BU jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead on goals by Captain Steve Stirling (from Guy Burrowes), Toot Cahoon (from Stirling) and Wayne Gowing (from Ric Jordan and Bob Gryp).

Gowing extended the lead midway through the second period (from Gryp and Jake Danby), followed half a minute later by Bob Brown’s unassisted tally. Late in the period, SLU broke through on Len Cadieux’s tally.

Danby scored early in the third (from Jordan and Gowing). Ron Anderson (photo) picked up his first of two (from Jordan), followed by Peter Thornton tally (from Stirling and Gryp). Anderson’s second in the final two minutes (from Burrowes) closed the scoring.

Junior goalie Stefan Brueckner, making his first and only career start, stopped 12 of 13 shots to gain the victory. The Billikens' Ralph Kloiber had 42 saves.

Brown’s 17 goals in ’70-’71, one more than Vic Stanfield’s 16 in ’73-’74, remains a BU record and helped the Montreal draft pick earn All-ECAC and All-American honors.  

Takeaway from Steve Brueckner, who is now retired after holding several senior executive positions in healthcare:

Playing behind two All American goaltenders is not a bad consolation prize.  I may be the trivia question of who played the 2nd game of the season.  While I was pretty good for a California kid, I was no match for Regan and Brady.  My lifetime 1-0 record with 13 saves (giving up the one goal on a 5-3 power play late in the 2nd period) is something I have reflected on for many years.  There is a longer story of my relationship with Coach Kelley, but it was a turning point in my ultimate career accomplishments.  We stayed in touch in the later years and were able to connect many years later on the Cape at a BU function.  I also had the opportunity to stay in touch with Coach Parker.  I was pleased to be able to repay my scholarship with additional scholarship funds years later and Coach Kelley always remembered that.  It was a great group of guys and I have always appreciated the opportunity to have been a small part of the'70-'71 team. 

Women's Team

With Maine pausing Winter sports activities until Dec. 8 due to positive Covid-19 tests, the Black Bears' scheduled 2-game series hosting BU on Dec. 11 & 12 has been postponed. The Terriers home series with Vermont the previous weekend had already been postponed. As A result, the Women's team will have no first semester games. BU will next take the ice on January 1 when it hosts New Hampshire.

 

1970-71 flashback: Season opener in St. Louis--UPDATED

50 years ago today, the Terriers opened the season that four months later would climax in the program’s first NCAA champion. The campaign began with tremendous optimism because, as then volunteer assistant coach Jack Parker points out, “we knew the next season was going to be something special, because Jack Kelley and Bob Crocker had recruited two fabulous classes back-to-back.” [Full Parker interview]

Two days after Thanksgiving, the Terriers were on the road in St. Louis to take on the St. Louis University Billikens, a first-year program that had played its first games two weeks earlier against Ohio State and brought a 1-3 record into the two-game series.  BU’s 23-man roster had just three seniors, along with 10 juniors and 10 sophomores. Freshman eligibility was still a few seasons away.

Game Report: Nov. 27, 1970—BU 8 St. Louis 0

Terriers came out of the shoot fast with junior wing Bob Gryp notching the season’s first goal at the 1:39 mark, assisted by classmate John Danby (photo), who doubled the score less than a minute later, unassisted. Danby struck again late in the period assisted by sophomore Bob Brown, followed two minutes later by senior Wayne Gowing—from Brown and Danby—for a 4-0 lead after 20 minutes.

BU’s third line joined the scoring early in the middle period when sophomore Steve Dolloff was assisted by classmate Ron Anderson and junior Guy Burrowes. Senior Captain Steve Stirling scored the sixth goal, from juniors Don “Toot” Cahoon and Peter Thornton.

In the third period, Dolloff picked up his second tally, again from Anderson and Burrowes. Danby completed the scoring and his hat trick—en route to a team-leading 28-goal season—with Stirling and Gowing picking up the helpers.

Junior netminder Tim Regan stopped 18 shots while two Billiken goalies combined to make 28 saves. 

Growler’s Takeaway (from Steve Dolloff)

Trip to St Louis ... great arena to play in and experience ... never imagined  that we would dominate as we did ... but soon it would become known that we were  a good team  ... a great first line centered by Captain Steve Stirling ... Steve was a great leader and a great performer on the ice ... it was easy to listen to and follow ... Toot  Cahoon, of Marblehead fame and Sweeper Giandomenico, of Walpole fame,  were his wings  ... Jake Danby centered the second line ... a great player, big in the clutch ...  Wayne Gowling and Bob "Maxi" Gryp were his wings ... Gowl was Mr Consistent , did everything right, whereas Maxi was the big and strong power forward who would let the big slapper go frequently ... I was joined by Ron Anderson and Guy Burrows ... both great  guys ... Ron was a good goal scorer and my roommate at South Campus ... our line would score in the first couple of games in St Louis and would be a pretty good support line for the other two ....

Goaltending was an interesting deal ... Tim Regan started the first game and Stefen Brueckner started the second game ... that could be a great trivia question ... who started in goal in the second game in 1970-71 and it would be his only game played ... Dan Brady was sitting in the weeds ... was he considered number three goalie on our team?  I do not remember 

Bob Brown and Ric Jordan were the #1 defense pair ... they did it all ...  offensive ... beyond good on the power play ... Bob Murray and Mike LaGarde were all defense ... tough and stay at home type players ...

Looking ahead

Neutral Zone tweeted about new BU commit Thomas Jarman:

3.75⭐️6'3" RD Thomas Jarman to ⁦‪@TerrierHockey⁩. High grades in two reports this Fall. TTPA. NZ's 15 ranked 2001 in the ⁦‪@NAHLHockey⁩ and 47th ranked 1999-2001 uncommitted in North America. High ceiling 📈.