Home ice Weinberg Coliseum Head Coach Al Renfrew | Overall 24–4–1 Captain(s) Gordon Wilkie | |
The 1963–64 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team represented the University of Michigan in college ice hockey. In its seventh year under head coach Al Renfrew, the team compiled a 24–4–1 record (12–2 against Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) opponents) and outscored all opponents 217 to 80. The Wolverines advanced to the 1964 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. They defeated the Providence Friars in the first round of the Frozen Four and then defeated the Denver Pioneers by a 6–3 score in the national championship game in Denver, Colorado.
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Goalie Bob Gray was chosen as the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament. He had four shutouts and a .9136 save percentage for the season. The team's leading scorer was junior forward Gary Butler with 38 goals, 30 assists, and 68 total points. Team captain Gordon Wilkie followed with 16 goals, 51 assists, and 67 total points.
Schedule
During the season, Michigan compiled a 24–4–1. Its schedule was as follows.
1964 NCAA Tournament
The 1964 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was held at University of Denver Arena in Denver, Colorado, on March 20 and 21, 1964. The teams invited to participate in the Frozen Four were the Providence Friars and the RPI Engineers from the East and Michigan and the Denver Pioneers from the West.
On March 20, 1964, Michigan defeated Providence by a 3–2 score in a semifinal game. Michigan trailed, 2–1, but tied the game on a goal by Ron Coristine at 12:33 of the third period. Gary Butler scored the winning goal on a pass from Gordon Wilkie at 15:23 of the third period.
On March 21, 1964, the Wolverines faced the Denver Pioneers in the championship game. Michigan had lost to Denver by a 6–2 score in the finals of the WCHA Tournament one week earlier in Ann Arbor. In the NCAA championship game, Michigan took a 1–0 lead after 18 minutes of play on a goal by Wilf Martin. The Wolverines increased the lead to 2–0 with a goal by center Mel Wakabayashi at 2:19 of the second period. One minute later, they extended the lead to 3–0 on a goal by Jack Cole. Denver closed the score to 4–3 in the third period. Michigan scored twice in the final four minutes. Center Mel Wakabayashi and Jack Cole each scored two goals for Michigan.