Hall of Fame
Following several mediocre seasons in the late 1940s, the fortunes of the Norwich University ice hockey program changed dramatically with the arrival of new head coach Bob Priestley for the 1951-52 season. No one could have known at the time that the 1952 Cadet hockey team was about to embark on one of the greatest seasons ever enjoyed by any Norwich squad, regardless of sport.
The season got off to an inauspicious start as Norwich split in its first four games including a loss to Middlebury in the season's fourth contest. The Cadets responded with a 12-1 win over Champlain and Norwich did not lose again that winter. Among the team's victories were triumphs over Colby, New Hampshire, Hamilton, and Williams. The Cadets also gained a measure of revenge later in the year with a memorable 3-1 win over Middlebury. In all, NU finished the season with 11 consecutive victories for a final record of 13-2, the best won-loss mark of any team in the country.
Norwich captured the Donald P. Sands Memorial Trophy for winning the New England League Title. It marked the first time in several years that the title was won by a school outside the Boston area.
The 1951-52 hockey team featured several individual stars but coach Priestley credited great teamwork as the key reason for the team's success. The squad featured all the ingredients necessary for success including three good skating lines, a hardworking defense, good goaltending and great spirit.
NU outscored its opponents 83-38 that season with an offense featuring the likes of Ben Simeone, Fern Cloutier, Eric Mortenson, Bob Sudbay, Steve Eaton, Clark Ginder and Jack Moriarty.
Bob Horne was outstanding as the team's goaltender and received plenty of support from a defense that included Charlie Pulsford, Jack Gurun, Ned Hedberg, Wally Phillips, Jim Cunningham and Steve Kiley.
Norwich was ranked ninth in the nation in the final writers' poll of the 1951-52 season. NU was listed among schools five and six times its size including Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern. More importantly, this outstanding team had established the Norwich hockey program as a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
