Coach Kelly Coach Kelly

Peter Coombes Peter Coombes

Ron Ketch Ron Ketch

Pete Mockler Pete Mockler

Dave Griffiths Dave Griffiths

It was decided that there would be no league playoffs, as the Merchants, NB Power and Flyers would register for N.B. Intermediate B playoffs and UNB would playoff for University honors.

UNB was the fourth member of the FCHL (Fredericton Commerical Hockey League) in order to get some ice-time for its players. The only times for practice open to UNB and FHS were early in the morning, so Pete Kelly kept his players busy in the local league to prepare them for University Playoffs.

Gone, or ineligible, from the 1953-54 squad were Cam Manson, John Wilson, King Cochrane, Jack Elliott, Bradley Mitchell, Irby Stewart and Joe Bedard. Returning players were goalie Dave Griffiths, Ron Ketch (eligable again), Joe Robinson, Bob Ross and Stan Trzop, so there were many holes.

Newcomers included goalie Claude Brown, Joe Corbeil, Ed Dohaney, Bud Kennedy, Peter Coombes, Bill Goodfellow, John Sears, Ted McElman, Don Hersey, Dave Todd, John Benson, Hubert Mockler and Pete Mockler.

The Red and Black squad had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net, giving up six goals per game in the FCHL, but got decent scoring from Coombes, Kennedy, Dohaney, McElman, Ketch, Ross and Corbeil and were 4-6-2 in league play.

University play saw each of UNB, St. Dunstan's, Mt. Allison and St. Thomas play three sets of home and home games to determine which team represented the west in the Maritime final.

UNB started off at home to St. Thomas and to be worried when they were held to a 3-3 tie by the boys from Chatham. George Frass in the STU cage was a star as he faced 41 shots compared to 33 by Dave Griffiths.

The score was 0-0 afer one period and then Peter McKee and Bill McMullin put the visitors ahead 2-0 after two. In the final period, goals by Ed Dohaney, Bud Kennedy and Bob Ross (power-play) put UNB one up, but the speedy defenseman Peter McKee tied it and nothing happened in overtime.

Next up for UNB was the defending champion Mount Allison Mounties at home again. The score was 0-0 after the first period, but the Mounties were pelting Dave Griffiths with shots (32 on the night). In the second visitors counted four straight times until goals by Ron Ketch and Peter Coombes held the score to 6-2. Back in Sackville, UNB were out-shot 57-16 and dropped a 10-1 decision to the champs. Hugh Auger ruined Tom Walker's shutout, but the locals just were not in the same class as the Mounties.

St. Dunstan's were the last University team to visit Fredericton in 1954-55 and they also came out on top by 5-3 score. Ron Ketch scored twice and Pete Mockler got the other, to drop the UNB record to 0-3-1.

UNB visited STU in Chatham and were tied 2-2 after one period on goals by Hubert Mockler and Peter Coombes. Coombes got his second goal in the middle stanza, but a pair of goals each by Bill McMullin and Jack Boyle paced the TOmmies to a 4-3 win. In their final game of the season, UNB dropped another close one 9-8 to St. Dunstan's. They finally figured out how to score, with Ed Dohaney notching a hat-trick, while Ron Ketch (2-1), Peter Coombes (2-1), Hugh Auger (1-1) and defenseman Joe Corbeil (1-1) all had good games.

UNB finished last with a 0-5-1 record and gave up 35 goals in six outings. Top scorers in University competition were Ron Ketch (5-1), Peter Coombes (4-2) and Ed Dohaney (4-0). When you factor in the eleven FCHL games, Coombes led all scorers with 10-10-20 in 17 games, followed by Ketch (10-7-17 in 13 outings), Dohaney (11-5-16), "Bud" Kennedy (8-7), Ted McElman (7-7 in 13 games), Bob Ross (6-7-13) and defenseman Joe Corbeil (6-5-11).