Blue and Gold Illustrated

March 2022

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2022 97 result of hair-raising, zig-zag rushes." As he had been all season, Crowley was "well nigh unbeatable" in the Irish goal. The second game was the hardest-fought of the season, the teams battling to overtime before Mac McSorley netted the game- winner in a 2-1 triumph for the Irish. Notre Dame then hosted the non- collegiate Canadian Club of Chicago, and took a 5-3 defeat, the only Irish loss of the season. In a return match with Michigan, Castner and his mates broke open a close game and chased the Wol- verines out of town, 7-4. All that remained of the schedule was a trip to Madison, Wis., on Saturday, Feb. 18. And the February thaw played a part in the match. Reported the Scholastic: "With the playing surface a veritable lake of slush and a few hundred of the faithful draped on the dripping bleachers, Notre Dame's Western Hockey Champions submarined the University of Wiscon- sin's hockey team on Saturday afternoon, the score being three 'direct hits' to none for the enemy. Rain fell throughout the three periods, adding materially to the pond-like expanses of the arena." "Tony Gorman navigated the course early in the game and lodged the flying disc in the Badger goal for the first Notre Dame counter and Paul Castner galloped down successfully twice at later stages of the contest." The 3-0 victory gave Notre Dame a perfect 8-0-0 record against col- lege competition for the 1921-22 season. Elsewhere, "Michigan College of Mines, twice stopped by Father Cun- ningham's men, last week humbled both Minnesota and St. Thomas College in St. Paul and this as a result excludes them from all Western title aspirations and leaves Notre Dame the only undefeated college team in the West." There was no formal league, so Notre Dame became the self-proclaimed Western Champions. In 1922-23, with Wilcox as captain, the Irish posted a 6-2-0 mark, including a pair of victories against both Michi- gan and the Miners from Houghton. For the next three seasons, leadership of the team was taken over by Ton Lieb, outstanding football lineman and track star from Faribault, Minn., who became assistant coach to Rockne in football. Nearly all games were played on the road, as the South Bend weather made it difficult to maintain reliable outdoor ice, eventually causing the program to disband. ✦ Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jlefebvre@blueandgold.com Jim Crowley, a future member of the Four Horsemen, played goalie for the Irish hockey team, and as a freshman he anchored the 1921-22 squad to an 8-0-0 record against col- legiate competition. PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME ARCHIVES Your book order supports the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. Order your autographed, inscribed copy of these books TODAY by visi ng www.RockneSociety.org/Shop or calling 612-242-3581 Get the full story on these iconic Notre Dame figures These books make great gi s for any Notre Dame fan "A must-read real jewel… wonderfully researched and detailed." --SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE "The defini ve piece on this American hero." --COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME Loyal Sons: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions Winner – Independent Publisher Book Awards Coach For A Na on: The Life and Times of Knute Rockne Winner – Independent Publisher Book Awards

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