Wally Gacek

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Walter Frank Gacek (June 26, 1926 – May 27, 2020) was a Canadian ice hockey player who was a member of the Michigan Wolverines team that won the first NCAA ice hockey championship in 1948. He played four years of hockey at Michigan from 1946 to 1949.[1]

Junior Hockey

Gacek grew up in

Winnipeg, Manitoba, and played for the St. James Canadians, a Winnipeg team that played in the 1944 western Canada junior hockey championship.[2]

University of Michigan

Gacek later enrolled at the University of Michigan. As a freshman in 1946, Gacek helped Michigan win the

Wally Grant and Ted Greer.[5] Each of the three linemates scored a third-period goal in Michigan's championship game against Dartmouth. Gacek led all scorers in the first Frozen Four with five goals and three assists for eight points.[4][5] His six points in the championship game (3 goals, 3 assists) remains the record for an NCAA championship game.[6] Gacek and Gordon McMillan scored goals five seconds apart in the third period against Dartmouth, which also remains a record for the fastest consecutive goals by a team in the championship round.[4][6] The hockey title capped off a year in which Michigan had also won the Rose Bowl and the conference basketball championship.[7]

Awards and honors

Award Year
AHCA Second Team All-American
1947–48
[8]
All-Tournament Second Team
1948, 1949 [9]
AHCA First Team All-American
1948–49
[10]

In 1949, he was selected as Michigan's Most Valuable Player.[11] In 2007, Gacek was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Obituary of Walter Frank GACEK | McInnis & Holloway, Fish Creek".
  2. ^ "Port Arthur Flyers Enter Western Junior Hockey Final: St. James Loses 4–2 in 4th Game". The Lethbridge Herald. 1944-03-28.
  3. ^ "Michigan and Gopher Hockey Teams Tie". The Evening Tribune. 1946-02-02.
  4. ^ a b c Theodore A. Breidenthal (1996-12-02). "Golden moments: Ice hockey championship celebrates 50th anniversary". The NCAA News.
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ a b "Team Results" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  7. ^ "Michigan Adds Puck Title to Growing Sports Record". Oakland Tribune. 1948-03-22.
  8. ^ "1947-1948 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
  9. ^ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  10. ^ "1948-1949 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
  11. ^ "Two Michigan Hockey Players Honored". Wisconsin State Journal. 1949-03-26.
  12. ^ "Hall of Honor". M Club.