The sport of hockey has seen major changes throughout its history. From the invention of curved stick blades to the introduction of goalie masks, the sport is constantly changing and evolving. As a result, there are several historical facts that have stood the test of time.
So we reached into the record books and found seven college hockey records that we think will never be broken.
HOCKEY HISTORY: Teams with the most men’s hockey championships
1. 116 points in a season — Tony Hrcak, North Dakota (1987)
The 1980s saw a significant jump in physicality and scoring in the NHL. Legendary players like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux scored 150+ points in a season. Similarly, NCAA men’s hockey was dominated by a run-and-shoot style of play. Not surprisingly, the NCAA record for most points in a season was held by Tony Hrcak in 1986-87 with 116 points in just 48 games for North Dakota.
Hrkac scored 46 goals that season, second only to teammate Bob Joyce’s UND record 52 goals. He added 70 assists, most of them to Joyce, for a total of 116 goals, a 2.42 points-per-game clip.
The closest to Hrkac’s record since 1987 was Paul Kariya’s 100-point streak for Maine in 1993. Kariya also became the last player to score 100 points in a season as scoring has dwindled in the modern game.
READ MORE: Hrkac is one of 10 NHL playoff players
Minnesota’s Natalie Darwitz holds the single-season scoring record with 114 points in 2005. Over the years, defenses and goalkeeping skills have improved, making it harder to score every season, just like in the men’s game. Minnesota’s Amanda Kessel (2013) is the only women’s hockey player to reach the 100-point mark since 2005.
2. 8 goals in one game — Bob Wheeler, Brown (1952); Bill Sullivan, North Dakota (1948)
We have to go back a long way for that. Even before helmets were used. UND’s Bill Sullivan (1948) and Brown University’s Bob Wheeler (1952) share the streak with eight goals in a game. We don’t have the final score for Wheeler’s game, but we do know that Sullivan’s field goal came on February 27, 1948 in a 17-6 loss at North Dakota State. It’s hard to see a modern player scoring as many goals in a game as Hrcak’s single-season scoring record, so the record will remain forever.
Minnesota-Duluth’s Jenny Potter and Harvard’s Nicole Corriero share the women’s record with six goals in a game. Potter did it on December 18, 2002 in a win over St. Cloud State. Corriero did the following season at Harvard against Union (New York). Those tallies may be slightly more than the men, but six goals in today’s game is still a high.
3. 13 points in a game — Gordie Peterkin, Rensselaer (December 2, 1952)
It’s pretty wild. Gordie Peterkin holds two NCAA records for his performance on December 2, 1952 at RPI. We don’t know the final score, but we do know that Peterkin had 13 RPI DODGE goals as he had four goals and nine assists to tie the NCAA single-game scoring record. His nine assists tied Don Sennott (1951-52) for the most in a single game.
RPI had a wild 1952 season, averaging an NCAA record 8.22 goals per game. 18 games. 148 goals. This video is also safe.
4. 15-second hat-trick — Tom Meeker, Clarkson (February 12, 1955)
Well, one more from the old days. On February 12, 1955, Clarkson’s Tom Meeker scored three goals in just 15 seconds in an 18-2 win over Hamilton to set the record for the fastest hat trick.
Just to give you an idea of how ridiculous that is, the next fastest hat-trick was 46 seconds by Army’s John Dovalgo in 1973. The fastest hat-trick since 1990 was achieved by Matthew Peka on March 31, 2013, in three minutes and twelve seconds. This is probably the most reliable entry in the entire list.
5. 89 saves in one game — Caitlin Daly, The Post (November 9, 2018)
This is one we don’t have to go back that far. In November 2018, they beat St. Anselm Post 8-2 and 9-0 in back-to-back games. These may not sound like anything special, but dig into the numbers and you’ll see a different story. Post freshman goalkeeper Caitlin Daly stopped 89 of 97 shots in the 8-2 loss, posting an NCAA record .918 save percentage.
The next closest to Dale’s record is Franklin Pierce’s Emme Ostrander, who had 79 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss at St. Anselm in 2020, the longest streak in NC women’s hockey to date, but five overtimes makes Dale’s record even more impressive.
Notre Dame’s Cal Petersen holds the men’s record for strikeouts with 87 in a 4-3 loss at UMass on March 6, 2015. The game also went into five overtime hours, the longest in DI men’s hockey history.
6. Longest Stop (375:01) – Blaine Lacher, Lake Superior St. (1994)
This is a record for all four at once. In 1994, Lake Superior St. Goaltender Blaine Lacher had five consecutive shutouts, an NCAA record. He also holds the record for consecutive shutouts at 375:01. Now here’s the fun part: those five starts were consecutive games for the Lakers over just 15 days. That means Lake Superior St. also holds the team records for consecutive shutouts and consecutive shutout minutes.
The closest goalie to either record was North Dakota’s Cam Johnson in 2015-16. Johnson has recorded four consecutive shutouts and 298-25 consecutive shutout minutes. 2016 North Dakota also ranks second all-time in the aforementioned team records.
7. 23 career shortstops — John Madden, Michigan (1994-97)
John Madden—no, not HE, John Madden—holds two NCAA records for goals scored by a shortstop: most in a season (10) and most in a career (23). Few players have come close to 10 SHG in a season since Madden did it in 1996, and no player has matched his seven career mark since he graduated in 1997.
Madden played four seasons at Michigan from 1994-97, winning the 1996 junior national championship. His short spell continued at the NHL level, breaking the NHL rookie record with six SHG points in 1999-00.
Leave a Reply