February 1, 2023
After experiencing an unexpected loss in the first national championship finale, the seeds were sown for the longest overall unbeaten streak in CCAA hockey history.
Following a 6-2 loss to the Camrose Lutheran College Vikings in the championship final of the CCAA National Hockey Championship in Sydney, Nova Scotia on March 22th, 1975, the St. Clair College Saints of Windsor, Ontario would not taste defeat again until the next to last contest in the 1976-77 regular season when the Sheridan College Bruins posted a 5-4 victory in Oakville on February 10th, 1977. In between, the Saints won 38 and tied three contests in regular season and post season with an averaging scoring margin of 7.22 goals per game.
For the 1975-76 campaign, Jerry Serviss began his tenure as head coach and the team started an unprecedented run. On November 1st, 1975 in Windsor, the Saints blanked the Bruins 6-0 as they opened the regular season at home. On March 21st, 1976 in Camrose, St. Clair College outscored the Selkirk College 11-2 in the championship final of the CCAA National Hockey Championship.
Not only did St. Clair win their first regular season game and their last post season game in the 1975-76 campaign, they won every one in between. The Saints posted an average winning margin of 7.62 goals per game over 20 regular season games and six post season games. St. Clair became the first CCAA hockey team to post a winning percentage of 1.000 over the regular season and the post season en route to a national title.
The Saints continued their winning ways at the start of the 1976-77 campaign. St. Clair extended the winning streak to 29 games with a 16-1 win over the Northern College Huskies at Kirkland Lake on November 12th, 1976 in the third game of the 1976-77 regular season. The following night in Windsor, the Saints and the Canadore College Panthers battled to a 3-3 draw. (The CCAA overall winning streak mark of 29 would stand until March 14th, 1985 when the NAIT Ooks surpassed it.) The still standing CCAA overall unbeaten streak reached 41 on February 5th, 1977 when St. Clair downed Northern 17-2 in Windsor.
Two teams that won every regular season and post season game en route to a national title, the 1972-73 University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the 1983-84 Bemidji State University Beavers, are a part of U Sports and NCAA still standing overall unbeaten streaks. From March 7th, 1972 through February 26th, 1974, the Varsity Blues won 45 matches (including 44 straight) and tied one. From November 8th, 1983 through January 1st, 1985, the Beavers who were in NCAA Division II won 42 straight contests.