On Saturday, Auburn High will commemorate the 50th anniversary of its first state championship in any sport, the 1968 hockey team, which captured the Division 1 title with a thrilling overtime victory over Arlington at Boston Garden.
According to Auburn High athletic director Brian Davis, 14 of the 20 players from that team have confirmed they will be in attendance for the ceremony, which will take place Horgan Arena.
Each player will introduced on the ice at about 5:45 p.m., before the boys' game against Marlboro at 6. The Auburn girls play Central Catholic at 8 p.m.
Davis said that ’68 team had a tremendous impact on the Auburn community as a whole.
“They were real heroes,” Davis said of the team. “It was when hockey was in its heyday, and it was a big thing to win it at the Boston Garden.”
It was also first time any hockey team from Central Mass. or Western Mass. had won a state championship since tournament play started in 1943.
With the game tied, 2-2, after regulation, Auburn won it just over a minute into overtime. Phil Dumas won an offensive zone draw back to Ray Bylund, and Bylund’s shot from 15 feet got through Arlington goalie (and current Hockey East commissioner) Joe Bertagna to give Auburn its first of two state titles (1973) in hockey.
Dumas recalls the play fondly.
“I won the draw back, and the next thing you know it was in the net,” Dumas said. “I was so excited. After the goal, it was just chaos.”
The game was played in front of more than 7,000 people at the Garden, and ended the question as to whether Central and Western Mass. teams could compete with Eastern Mass. outfits. Auburn had reached the final in 1960 under longtime coach Dick Longueil, but lost, 2-1, to Malden Catholic.
In 1968, Auburn had a dominant season, going 26-1 while winning its last 19 games. The Dandies, as they were called at the time, outscored their opponents, 141-30, and beat Wachusett and Hudson to reach the Central-Western tournament, where they beat Springfield Tech and Hudson again to reach the state championship.
In that game against Arlington, Auburn put a lot of pressure on the Spy Ponders and Bertagna in the first, but the period ended scoreless. In the second period, Bylund put Auburn ahead, 1-0, on a play set up by Dumas and Fran Johnson.
After Arlington tied it early in the third period, Auburn jumped back in front when Vern Longueil, son of coach Dick Longueil, scored on a shot from 25 feet. Arlington eventually tied the game late in the period, setting up Bylund’s heroics in overtime.
Dumas, who said he grew up going to Auburn High hockey games, said winning that title really mattered.
“There was no junior hockey back then,” Dumas said. “Playing high school hockey was a big deal. It was a great way to end a fantastic season.”
Dumas said when the winning goal went in, a weight was lifted off his shoulders.
“It was a tight-knit group,” Dumas said. “It was a long season, and all of sudden, you could relax. It was over.”
Auburn had four Central Mass. League all-stars for the 1967-68 season, including league MVP Mike Waldron, as well as Johnson, Longueil and Dumas.
—Contact Chris Kyne at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.