The Cornell University men’s hockey team made history in 1969-70, becoming the first and currently only team in NCAA men’s ice hockey history to win a national championship with an unblemished record.
Coming into that 1969-70 season, senior captains Dick Bertrand and John Hughes, both forwards, and defenseman Dan Lodboa were determined to improve upon the astounding 27-2-0 record that Cornell had compiled in 1968-69 when the three were juniors.
Under the direction of legendary coach Ned Harkness, Cornell secured its fourth ECAC title in as many years behind a high-powered offense. The Big Red outscored opponents 15-8 during the ECAC tournament, capped off by Hughes’s game-winning goal in the championship game, a 3-2 victory over Clarkson University at the old Boston Garden.
Cornell then bested the University of Wisconsin in the national semifinals to set up a rematch against Clarkson for the NCAA Championship. Led by a three-goal outburst in an eight-minute span by Lodboa, who was later named a first-team All-American, the Big Red powered to a 6-4 victory over Clarkson to finish the perfect season.
At 29-0-0, Cornell is still the only men’s ice hockey team to win an NCAA championship without losing or tying a game.