Good thing I have this book here...
 
Shari writes:
>I heard on the radio the other day that the Gophers are the first team
>with less than 8 losses to not finish in first place in the WCHA. Actually,
>the top 3 finishers this year (NMU, Minn, and Wisconsin) finished with
>more points than Wisconsin did last year in winning the title! My question
>is, did NMU set a record with their 54 pts this year? Finishing with only
>3 losses was quite an accomplishment!
 
    54 points by itself is not a record.  North Dakota had 58 in 1986-87,
    but that was in 35 games (1.66 pts per game).  NMU's 54 (25-3-4) in 32
    games gives them 1.69 pts per game.  Their WCHA winning pct. was .84375 -
    this is exactly equal to the previous record, 1977-78 Denver which
    went 27-5-0.  These are the leading "modern-day" records, as Denver
    was 17-1-0 (.944) in 1963-64.  That shows you just what a fantastic
    season NMU did have.
 
    The Gophers are indeed the first team with fewer than eight losses to
    not finish first, in a season that consisted of 32 or more games.  The
    previous record was held by the 1986-87 Gophers who were 25-9-1 in
    finishing second to NCAA Champion North Dakota (29-6-0).
 
 
    - mike