Reginald P. Morelli (December 10, 1935 – November 11, 2020) was a Canadian ice hockey
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
who was the
Most Outstanding Player of the
1959 NCAA Tournament.
Career
Morelli was a scorer for
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
from the moment he joined the varsity squad in 1957. As a sophomore he produced a more than point-per-game pace and helped the Fighting Sioux win their first
WIHL
The Western International Hockey League (WIHL) was a senior level ice hockey league that featured teams from the Western United States and Western Canada. It operated from 1946–62 and 1963–88. It grew out of the West Kootenay League, whi ...
championship (tied) and make their first
NCAA tournament bid. The team throttled
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in the semifinal but couldn't overcome
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
in the final and finished as the runners-up in
1958.
While the WIHL collapsed that summer, UND continued to play well and received their second bid in 1959 on the strength of an 18–10–1 record and having defeated Denver in the season series. The Fighting Sioux escaped an ignominious fate with an overtime win over
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 ...
in the semifinal, then turned their attention to
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
in the final. The Spartans scored first but a 3-goal outburst from the Sioux put the team firmly in the lead. Morelli assisted on the goal that got the ball rolling and with just 20 minutes left it looked like the Sioux had things well in hand. MSU, however, had other ideas; the Spartans returned the favor in the third, scoring twice to tie the game and send the championship match into overtime for only the second time in history. Just over four minutes into the extra frame, UND got its first shot on goal, and it was the only one they needed as Morelli sent the puck past a sprawled
Joe Selinger and the team won the NCAA Championship. Morelli was named as the
Most Outstanding Player and made the
All-Tournament First Team.
As a senior, Morelli's scored 34 goals and 65 points in 31 games, setting a program record for points that would stand until
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
.
He was named to both the All-
WCHA
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...
First Team and
AHCA All-American West Team.
Morelli continued to play hockey for several years after graduating, winning the
Turner Cup
The Turner Cup was the championship trophy of the International Hockey League from 1945 to 2001 and the renamed United Hockey League from 2007 to 2010. The Cup was named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professi ...
as a member of the
St. Paul Saints
The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...
in
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
. He was inducted into the UND Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977, and got to see both his son Matt and grandson Mason play collegiate ice hockey. He died on November 11, 2020 at the age of 84.
Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morelli, Reg
1935 births
2020 deaths
Canadian ice hockey centres
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Sportspeople from Hamilton, Ontario
North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey players
St. Paul Saints (IHL) players
Warroad Lakers players
NCAA men's ice hockey national champions
AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans