Lorne Howes 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 won back-to-back

National Championships 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 ...

for

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 ...

in the 1950s.

Career

After finishing his

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

career with the

Barrie Flyers The Barrie Flyers were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1945 to 1960, from Barrie, Ontario. The Flyers played home games at the Barrie Arena from 1945 to 1960. History The Barrie Flyers junior team was founded ...

, which included winning the

1951 Memorial Cup The 1951 Memorial Cup final was the 33rd junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions Barrie Flyers of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eastern Canada competed agains ...

, Howes received interest from the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

but he decided to play college hockey instead. Howest began attending Michigan in 1952 while the program was at its pinnacle under Vic Heyliger. Howes did not play in his first year of varsity eligibility due to being the third goaltender behind Willard Ikola and Bill Lucier but, once the All-American Ikola graduated in 1954, Howes was able to take control of the net. Howes backstopped Michigan to a second-place finish in the WIHL in 1954–55, earning AHCA Second Team All-American honors as well as a spot in the NCAA tournament. Howes played a solid game in the semifinal but was supernatural in the title match. He turned aside 47 of 50 shots from

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 ...

and was the unquestioned star for the Wolverines' 5th championship, earning a spot on the All-Tournament First Team. His senior season turned out even better and Howes led Michigan to a first-place finish with an 18–2–1 record, allowing just 43 goals in 21 games, and was named as a First Team All-American. Michigan relied much more heavily on Howes in 1956 than they had the year before due to the offense being a weakness, and Howes delivered in the semifinal. The Wolverines faced a tough opponent in

St. Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roma ...

, who were eager to make up for their semifinal loss the year before, but Howes turned aside all but one of the Larries' shots and allowed Michigan to take the game in overtime. The Maize and Blue faced a game opponent in

Michigan Tech Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michiga ...

for the championship and, after weathering a 22-shot barrage in the first period, Michigan found itself ahead 4–3. Two goals by the Huskies erased the lead, however, but after allowing the fifth goal, Howes bore down and stopped every remaining shot that came his way, giving Michigan the opportunity to retake and hold the lead, winning the game and the championship 7–5. Howes stopped 37 shots against Michigan Tech and was named to another All-Tournament First Team and received the Tournament MOP as well. Howes played part of the next season but he graduated with a degree in geological science in 1956. The Wolverines again made the tournament that season but without Howes in net the team surrendered 13 goals to Colorado College in the final, losing a chance for a second

three-peat In North American sports, a three-peat is winning three consecutive championships. The term, a portmanteau of the words ''three'' and ''repeat'', originated with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, during their unsuccess ...

. Howes was inducted into the Dekers Club Hall of Fame in 1965 and the University of Michigan hall of Honor in 2016. Howes was the last in a line of great goaltenders that Heyliger brought to Ann Arbor and it would be many years before the Wolverines could again boast that level of talent in net.

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howes, Lorne 1932 births Living people Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Ice hockey people from Ontario People from Kirkland Lake Barrie Flyers players Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players NCAA men's ice hockey national champions AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans