Well, if the list doesn't mind yet another stroller down memory lane ....
 
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On Mon, 11 Dec 1995, William E. Corrigan, Jr. wrote:
 
> To this day, and maybe the intervening years have enhanced my memory
> somewhat, Red Berenson remains the single most dominant college hockey
> forward I have ever seen.  Now I know that's a tall statement, and granted
> the two RPI tournament games were the only opportunities I had to see him
> play in college, but those two performances were absolutely magnificent.
> In the intervening years, rarely have I seen a college player consistently
> sift through an entire team (that was typically using a defensive scheme
> designed to contain him) and finish the rush by depositing the puck behind
> the opposing goaler.  Red was a truly outstanding player, perhaps one of
> the best ever to play the college game.
> skating to a 6-6 draw in 1966.
>
> Does anybody else have some Berenson memories that confirm my recollection?
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Well, I have even less data, as I saw Berenson play only one college game,
a losing effort teamwise.  In those days (as they say :-) as most of you
know, the western teams like Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota, and
Michigan, were head and shoulders better than any eastern team around,
period.  Now observing Brinkworth and Knightley for RPI scoring all those
goals was always tempered, therefore, by the knowledge that the
competition was mostly eastern and they almost certainly would never ring
up those stats if they played out west.
 
My memory of Berenson is from probably the only non-RPI game I watched as
an undergrad.  My media guide from last year indicates to me that in 60-61
and 63-64 RPI finished 4th and 3rd respectively in the NCAAs.  61-62 was a
team record of 16-7-1, but no NCAAs.  The only losing season I watched was
62-63 which was 10-12-1.  So I am guessing that the game I saw was in the
NCAAs in March of 1963.  It was in Syracuse, and Michigan played Clarkson.
 
In warmups you could tell Berenson was several notches better than any
player on the ice.  Quicker, harder shot, everything.  Anyone out there
have a record of where that game was played?  I recall,
Clarkson jumped out to something like a 5-2 lead after two periods.  Total
shock.  Us easterners thought UM would win 10-1 or better.  At any rate,
you could tell Berenson and the boys were fired up in the 3rd period.
They came out and got 2 goals and then I recall a gazillion shots on the
Clarkson goalie, mostly by Berenson on rush after rush.  I think the
goalie was Wayne, something... Gibbons???  Anyone??  He made
saves with every body part imaginable and UM lost 5-4.  I have no idea
what Berenson scored, but I can just imagine how Clarkson felt, winning
against Berenson and what was probably the best college team that year.
 
Any Clarkson fans out there who went to that game????
 
I remember thinking that Berenson would blow the socks of off Brinkworth or
Knightley, two of the highest scorers in the country.
 
Tony Buffa
RPI '64
 
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