The 1950–51 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team represented the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in intercollegiate

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

during the

1950–51 NCAA men's ice hockey season The 1950–51 NCAA men's ice hockey season began in November 1950 and concluded with the 1951 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 17, 1951 at the Broadmoor Ice Palace in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This was the 4th seas ...

. The

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

was

Vic Heyliger Victor Heyliger (September 26, 1912 – October 4, 2006) was a National Hockey League center and the head coach of the University of Michigan ice hockey team. Career Born in Concord, Massachusetts, he attended the Lawrence Academy in Groton, Ma ...

and the team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

was Gil Burford. The team won the 1951 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The team's leading scorer was

Neil Celley Neil 'The Seal' Celley (1927-2019) was a former American ice hockey coach and player who was a member of the US national team at the 1948 Winter Olympics. Career Neil Celley joined the Michigan ice hockey team after winning a state championship ...

, who broke Michigan's single-season scoring record with 79 points (40 goals, 39 assists) and led the NCAA in scoring.

Standings

Schedule

During the season Michigan compiled a 22–4–1 record, the fourth consecutive year that the team won at least 80% of their games. Their schedule was as follows. * Denotes overtime periods

Roster and scoring statistics

Goaltending Statistics

1951 national championship

(W1) Michigan vs. (E1) Brown

Bob Heathcott, Gil Burford,

John Matchefts John Peter Matchefts (June 18, 1931 – November 10, 2013) was an American ice hockey player and coach. Matchefts played for Team USA at the 1956 Winter Olympics. Career Player An Eveleth native from birth, Matchefts played for his hometown hig ...

and

were named to the All-Tournament Team

Notes

Less than year after winning the tournament, Hal Downes was shot down in his B-26 over

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

and was declared

MIA Mia, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to: Music Artists * M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer * M.I.A. (band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California * MIA., a German rock/pop band formed in 1997 * Mia (singer) (born 1983) ...

. Though all living

POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

were returned to the US in 1953 Downes remained listed as MIA until his remains were returned in 2018.

References

External links

Official SiteHistory of the 1950–51 team
, at page 6 {{DEFAULTSORT:1950-51 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey seasons

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

1951 in sports