Since the establishment of the CIAU (USPORTS) in 1962/63 only three UBC men's hockey teams have reached the Canadian championship tournament. Two of those teams won bronze while the third reached the final, and in so doing reached for UBC its highest level of achievement on the national interuniversity hockey stage... a silver medal.
That silver medal winning team, so close to being the best university team in Canada, was the 1962/63 UBC Thunderbirds under the guidance of head coach Father David Bauer.
Bauer had taken over the reins at UBC the previous year and with his dream of a university hockey team representing Canada at the Olympics set to become a reality, he was embarking upon the establishment of the foundation of that team. He had recruited four top players from Toronto, two from the team he coached to the 1961 Memorial Cup.
Ken Broderick, Barry McKenzie, Dave Chambers and Terry O'Malley had enrolled at UBC as regular students eligible to play for the 'Birds but with an eye toward the next year's Olympic Games.
The 62/63 team built itself slowly over a series of exhibition games as the regular season consisted of only ten games. Coach Bauer was particularly pleased with one pre-season contest, a 1 - 1 tie with the Trail Smoke Eaters, Canada's representatives at the '63 World Championships which would take place just a couple of months later. "A bigger thrill than winning the Memorial Cup" gushed Bauer as his team was rounding into shape and according to the coach displayed against Trail, inordinate courage.
The season got off to a great start with UBC's two game set with the Alberta Golden Bears which also served as the annual Hamber Cup series. With victories of 5 - 2 and 3 - 2 this was the season UBC finally beat Alberta for the Cup, UBC's first such series win since the famous UBC victory of 1950. That was 12 consecutive years of losing to the Golden Bears led by ex-UBCers Clare Drake and Maury Van Vliet.
Mid-February '63 found the Thunderbirds in first place just ahead of Alberta and Saskatchewan, by virtue of a 5 - 5 tie and 5 - 2 victory over Saskatchewan, the latter game played before a packed house of 1400 at North Shore Winter Club. Mickey McDowell led this key series with five points, Mike Smith had two goals, Bob Parker, Cliff Russell, Ralph Lortie and Boone Strother scored the others.
At the beginning of March, UBC defeated Manitoba 3 - 1 and 8 - 1 to clinch its first Western university title and a trip to Kingston, Ontario for Canada's first CIAU national hockey championship. UBC had finished the regular season with eight wins, one loss and one tie, 42 goals scored and 20 against. UBC's defense, led by goalie Ken Broderick who registered a 2.00 goals against average, was far and away the best in the league. The 'Bird offense was also very effective as Mickey McDowell won the 62/63 scoring title with teammate Peter Kelly tied for fourth. Defenseman Barry McKenzie tied for the league lead in assists.
On March 15th in Kingston, despite UBC's reputation as being the precursor to the '64 Olympic team, eastern champion McMaster University was "very much the favorite" according to the Vancouver Province. The Hamilton, Ontario school had won 14 straight games and had not lost to a Canadian team all season.
The 'Birds opened the four team championship tournament with a relatively easy 6 - 2 victory over Quebec champion University of Sherbrooke. Ralph Lortie led UBC with two goals, Peter Kelly, Mickey McDowell, Stu Gibbs and Bob Parker scored the others. Meanwhile, McMaster edged in overtime Maritime champion St. Frances Xavier to set the stage for the two best teams in the nation to do battle in a one game final.
A costly too many-men penalty gave McMaster the impetus it needed to record a 3 - 2 victory and lay claim to the first Canadian university hockey championship. UBC's substitution mix-up and the subsequent power play goal put McMaster in a 2 - 1 lead. After a third McMaster goal, UBC's Peter Kelly made it 3 - 2 but it was too little too late. "Our best just wasn't good enough" said coach Bauer. Defenseman O'Malley stated, "We'd have beaten McMaster in another game or series, . . . but we just (due to UBC's two week layoff) didn't have that edge that makes the difference." Goalkeeper Ken Broderick and defenseman Barry McKenzie were selected to the tournament All-Star team.
The success of this year's UBC team - it had a losing record the previous season - was summed up by Mickey McDowell when he stated, "Father Bauer made the team this year... with his coaching and our spirit we did all right." Mike Smith was also impressed with the spirit saying "This year we held together as a unit throughout the season." Including exhibitions the team won 17 games which included the Hamber Cup and the championship of the Western Canada.
This 62/63 team not only reached the national final thus the closest UBC has come to the national hockey championship, but the team left a strong legacy. Both McKenzie and Broderick would later play in the NHL while Dave Chambers would later become an NHL head coach. Father Bauer would ultimately be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as he was a mentor to many of Canada's Olympic teams and players. Ken Broderick in 1966 and Mickey McDowell in 1969 were recipients of the Bobby Gaul award as UBC's outstanding male athlete while Terry O'Malley would later serve for five years as UBC hockey's head coach. Broderick, McKenzie, O'Malley, Chambers and McDowell all played on Canada's 1964 National Team based at UBC while the first four together with Father Bauer and 62/63 assistant coach Bob Hindmarch were 1964 Olympians.
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
