1970 Hockey State Champions

1970 Hockey State Champions

The only Minneapolis Public School to win the State Hockey Championship, Southwest's '69-'70 team went 18-0-1 during the regular season, marred only by a 2-2 tie with Washburn. With a 3-2 win over Harding in the Twin City Championship Game, and three straight wins in the Region V Tournament, the team headed to Met Center for that year's State Tournament.

In the opening game against North St. Paul, the team came back from three goals down at the start of the third period to tie the game, sparked by two goals from Paul Miller, and send it into overtime. Miller got his third goal 38 seconds into the extra period for the 4-3 win.

The next night the team got goals from Dan Casperson, Miller and Brad Richards to defeat Hibbing 3-1. Future Gopher Brad Shelstad made 19 saves in the win.

In the Championship game on Saturday night against an undefeated Edina, dubbed for obvious reasons, “The battle for 50th & France” Shelstad turned in a brilliant performance to hold the high scoring Hornets scoreless after three and send the game into overtime tied 0-0. In the extra session, SW's third line came up big when Jay Idzorek dropped a pass to Bob Lundeen whose shot on goal bounced off Bill Shaw's chest and into the net for the game winner. Miller, Lundeen and Doug Robbins were named to the All-State Team. Six of the team's players went on to play Division I college hockey.