Kenneth Kinsley is a Canadian retired ice hockey

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

who was the

MOP A mop (such as a floor mop) is a mass or bundle of coarse strings or yarn, etc., or a piece of cloth, sponge or other absorbent material, attached to a pole or stick. It is used to soak up liquid, for cleaning floors and other surfaces, to mop ...

of the 1952 NCAA Tournament for

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approxi ...

Career

Kinsley began attending

a year after the program won its first

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

and became the team's starting goaltender in his sophomore season. With many seniors on the squad being holdovers from the title team, Kinsley produced a tremendous season, helping CC win the inaugural MCHL championship with a record of 18–4–1. He was named to both the All- MCHL First Team and was an AHCA Second Team All-American for his efforts. Unfortunately, because Colorado College didn't keep goaltending records at the time, none of his individual statistics are precisely known. Kinsley backstopped CC to their fifth consecutive championship appearance, but in the semifinal it looked as if the moment might be too much for the young goaltender. Kinsley allowed three goals in the first 9 minutes of the game and

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

took a sizeable lead. However, after that Kinsley settled down and held the fort as the Tigers chapped away at the lead over the remaining 50 minutes and, with less than five minutes to go, the game-winner was knocked into Yale's net and gave CC a trip to their second championship game. In the title match

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

too jumped out to a 3–0 lead, but the Wolverines were a different animal than the Bulldogs. Michigan outplayed and outshot Colorado College all game, finishing with 50 shots to CC's 32. Kinsley stopped 46 attempts, a very strong effort, but the Tigers couldn't manage more than 1 goal and Michigan skated away with the championship. At the time the practice was to award the Most Outstanding Player to a member not on the winning team; Kinsley's heroics in both games made him a natural choice as no one could fault him for CC's inability to score against Michigan. The award criteria were changed after 1952 and on only three occasions since has it gone to a player not on the winning team (as of 2020). After 1952 CC had trouble replacing their graduating star players and the team sputtered to a record of 9–11 before rebounding with a 14–9–1 mark in Kinsley's senior season, but that wasn't good enough to get them back to the tournament.

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsley, Ken Year of birth unknown Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Ice hockey people from Calgary Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey players AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans