Almost a Century of SLU Hockey
On January 22, 1923, the Hill News published its typical weekly article with a slight twist, a giant bold headline reading: VARSITY BEATS CLARKSON. After a grueling basketball game with a final score of 27-24, the 1923 author noted, “Clarkson said it couldn’t be done. We did it.” One hundred years later, at 7:00pm on the Friday and Saturday of this weekly article’s publishing, the St. Lawrence Hockey team will need your help to continue the century-long tradition of defeating our route 11 rival.
Deep in this front page, far beneath the triumphant headline, is a tiny detail that redefined St. Lawrence’s history. A small article with no author credited tells us that Coach Sullivan has submitted to the Dean a full report on the cost of an ice rink to be built. The Dean pledged $150 out of the $250 needed, with a statement calling for students to raise the remaining $100 to show their interest. With the students’ funding, the St. Lawrence hockey team would be founded two years later and set a new course of SLU athleticism. The St Lawrence Hockey’s first-ever game occurred on February 13, 1926, against Clarkson, beginning a nearly century-long rivalry. While we do not know the individual thoughts and feelings of the SLU students and coaches who built the SLU hockey team in the 1920s, we now know how they got started.
Through the history presented in these articles, I wondered how our lives compared to the students who walked the same steps 100 years prior. Luckily enough, I met with Associate Professor of History Melissane Schrems, who told me that the campus of the 1920s was more similar to today than one might expect. To characterize the SLU students of the 1920s, Schrems put: “Intelligent, committed, but having a lot of fun.” As Professor Schrems told me, SLU students at this time were mainly from a privileged background, with the school still segregated and having a much more overbearing administration. An example of this would be Greek Life banquets having to include a professor as a chaperone. For SLU students, Greek life was crucial in the 1920s as a symbol of status and pride, with St Lawrence having nine combined frats and sororities in 1923.
To better understand the day-to-day life of 1923 St. Lawrence, I utilized the Hill News Articles online archives, a treasure trove of historical research. Through the tireless work of editors and reports from a century ago and, of course, our relentless SLU archivists, I witnessed the first steps of history. If you would like to join us at the Hill and begin writing the first draft of history that includes your voice and perspectives, don’t hesitate to contact us. As our academic advisor for the Hill told us in our first spring meeting: “Every voice matters. If they are directly present, we can at least listen to their issues and allow them to be heard.” Allow yourself to be heard and join us at the Hill News!