This Day in Hockey History – March 2, 1984 – Eau Claire’s First and Last

Mar 2, 2020

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Hockey is played at so many levels and leagues, which shift over time. The college tournament of 1984 marked the end of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) sponsoring a hockey championship tournament as most of its schools with men’s hockey teams moved into the newly-established Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The two-day, four-team tournament ended on March 2 with University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire winning their first ever title in any sport.

The 17th and final NAIA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament took place at Hobbs Municipal Ice Center in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The four participants faced each other in the semifinals on Thursday, March 1 and in the third-place and championship games held on Friday, March 2.

In the first game, the University of Michigan-Dearborn defeated the University of Wisconsin-Superior 6-2 with goalie Brik Pardo making 31 saves. The Dearborn Wolves had been seeded No. 1 for this fifth consecutive appearance in the tournament. In 1981 and 1983, they had come in second and were hoping to finally snag the title.

Later in the day, the Eau Claire Blugolds ensured that they would play Dearborn in the championship game with a 10-5 victory over Roger Williams College. Despite the high scoring, especially the hat trick by Troy Ward, the Blugolds’ defense suffered a serious blow when senior goalie Tom Johnson strained a hamstring during the very first period. Freshman Mark MacLean had to jump in the net having only 160 minutes of college-level experience.

Unlike the Wolves, the Blugolds had lost both games in their only other championship tournament (in 1982). Their coach, Wally Akervik, had led UW-Superior to the championship when they hosted the tournament back in 1976. The following year, he was hired as Eau Claire’s arena manager, and in 1978, Akervik started the university’s varsity hockey program. Even with the goalie set back, Akervik led the Blugolds with confidence, resulting in being named the 1984 NAIA Coach of the Year.

After Akervik’s former team settled for third place (beating Roger Williams 3-2), the Blugolds and Wolves met for the championship game on Friday evening. Again, the freshman MacLean competently manned the nets, making 29 saves on 30 shots. Coach Akervik praised, “He played well considering the situation.” MacLean would be named to the All-Tournament team. Eau Claire’s defense stepped up to help him, despite their own inexperience, to the point that a defenseman, Scott Parker, was named tournament MVP.

As for scoring, Rich Penick had a hat trick and two assists as the Blugolds crushed the Wolves 6-1. Akervik said it was “a super way to end the season.” The victory gave Eau Claire its first and last NAIA men’s ice hockey title.

After 1984, the NAIA no longer sponsored a men’s hockey championship. Recently, there have been efforts to return with the formation of a new NAIA Division with varsity hockey programs. However, they would need to meet certain criteria to reach national championship status, and they only have nine teams thus far.

The teams that had competed in the NAIA tournament turned to the NCAA. The first Division III championship was held in 1984. Eau Claire won its only (to date) NCAA Division III title at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York on March 16, 2013. They are currently ranked fourth in Division III. Within their division, the Blugolds belong to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and are about to play in its championship game on March 7, 2020.