Frank Pond was an American ice hockey center and coach. He led the University of Minnesota to consecutive intercollegiate championships both as a player and head coach in the 1920s and 30s.[1]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 15, 1903 Two Harbors, Minnesota, USA |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota |
| Playing career | |
| 1922–1924 | Minnesota |
| Position(s) | Center |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1930–1935 | Minnesota |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 49–24–4 (.662) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1923 West Intercollegiate Champion (player) 1924 West Intercollegiate Champion (player) 1932 West Intercollegiate Champion 1933 West Intercollegiate Champion 1934 West Intercollegiate Champion | |
Career
editA native Minnesotan, Pond began attending the state's flagship university in 1920. While the school had a club team at the time, the program was promoted to major varsity status during his sophomore year.[2] Pond tried out for the team that year but was unable to make the cut. He made a second attempt the following year and earned a spot with the club. Pond helped the team finish atop the ranking of all western teams with a 10–1–1 record to earn the first Intercollegiate title for the program. He was elected team captain for his senior season and guided the Gophers to a second tile, going 13–1–0 and being regarded by some as the top team in the nation (though 14–1 Yale would beg to differ).[3]
Pond returned to the team in 1930 as the team's head coach. Taking over after the resignation of Emil Iverson, Pond had a difficult first season, losing 7 of his first 9 games but got the team to improve as the year went along. The hard work paid off in his second season behind the bench when Minnesota won an intercollegiate title and finished 2nd in the national ranking behind only Harvard. He guided Minnesota to two more western titles over the next two years but a poor start in 1935 prevented the Gophers from being able to capture four straight crowns. After five seasons as coach, Pond resigned and left behind a sparkling legacy with the ice hockey program.[4]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1922–23 | Minnesota | Independent | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1923–24 | Minnesota | Independent | 14 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
Note: assists were not an official statistic at the time.
Head coaching record
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Golden Gophers Independent (1930–1935) | |||||||||
| 1930–31 | Minnesota | 7–11–1 | |||||||
| 1931–32 | Minnesota | 12–3–1 | West Intercollegiate Champion | ||||||
| 1932–33 | Minnesota | 10–1–0 | West Intercollegiate Champion | ||||||
| 1933–34 | Minnesota | 11–3–0 | West Intercollegiate Champion | ||||||
| 1934–35 | Minnesota | 9–6–2 | |||||||
| Minnesota: | 49–24–4 | ||||||||
| Total: | 49–24–4 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Frank Pond Year-by-Year Coaching Record". USCHO. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ "Hockey Par With Major Sports". Minnesota Daily. December 1, 1921. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ "Gopher Teams Victorious in Four Sports". Minnesota Daily. March 4, 1924. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ "FRANK POND ERA: 1930-31 THROUGH 1934-1935". Minnesota Hockey Herritage. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey media guide 2021-22" (PDF). Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com