March 1, 2023
Four still standing record overall winning streaks from the NCAA and CCAA included games in the 1984-85 season.
The impetus for the still standing CCAA overall winning streak of 34 games with an average victory margin of 5.73 goals per game occurred in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec .The 1983-84 NAIT Ooks entered the 1984 CCAA National Hockey Championship with an 18 game winning streak against conference rivals which began with a 5-4 victory over the Camrose Lutheran College Vikings at the NAIT Arena on December 4th, 1983. At nationals, the Ooks placed a disappointing fourth and posted a winning percentage of .500 which included a 3-2 loss to the Seneca College Braves in the bronze medal game on March 25th, 1984.
After the final cuts were made by head coach Perry Pearn the subsequent autumn, the Ooks roster for the 1984-85 campaign featured 13 returnees from the 1983-84 edition and 11 newcomers. The Ooks opened the regular season on October 26th, 1984 at home with a 10-1 triumph over the Red Deer College Kings and punched the ticket to nationals on March 14th, 1985 in Edmonton with a 3-2 win over the Kings on March 14th at home in game three of the best of five conference championship finals. The 30 straight victories eclipsed the previous mark for the longest overall winning streak in CCAA hockey history held by the St. Clair College Saints. The Ooks added three more wins at the 1985 CCAA National Hockey Championship in Moose Jaw including a 9-2 victory over the Victoriaville College Vulkins in the gold medal game to extend the winning streak to 33 games.
By running the table in the regular season and post season with the highest winning percentage (1.000) and the widest average scoring margin (5.85 goals per game) of the 22 Alberta teams to raise a CCAA Champions banner, the 1984-85 NAIT Ooks became the continent's most recent men's post secondary varsity hockey team from the CCAA, the NCAA, the NAIA and U Sports to win every regular season and post season game en route to a national championship.Like their predecessor, the 1985-86 NAIT Ooks defeated the eventual CIAU champion and won every game in the post season en route to becoming CCAA national champions. Unlike their predecessor, they did not win every game in the regular season. While the Ooks topped the Mount Royal College Cougars 7-5 in the season opener on October 18th, 1985, they experienced an 8-7 defeat at the hands of the SAIT Trojans a day later ending the CCAA overall winning streak at 34 games and the conference winning streak at 52 games. Of the 22 Alberta teams to raise a CCAA championship banner, the 1985-86 Ooks have the third highest winning percentage of .909 and the third widest average soring margin of 5.18 goals per game.
In the NCAA, three still standing overall record winning streaks overlapped NAIT's run. In Division III, Southeastern Massachusetts University Corsairs won 38 straight games from January 16th, 1985 through March 2nd, 1986. In Division II, the Bemidji State University Beavers won 42 consecutive contests from November 8th, 1983 through January 1st, 1985. In Division I, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers won 30 straight games from November 24th, 1984 through March 22nd, 1985. (While Southeastern Massachusetts University and Bemidji State established new records, RPI equalled the mark set by the Cornell University Big Red from November 22nd, 1969 through November 21st, 1970.)
In the CIAU (now U Sports), the University of Toronto Varsity Blues won 44 straight from March 7th, 1972 through February 17th, 1974. Like the 1984-85 NAIT Ooks, the 1983-84 Bemidji State University Beavers and the 1969-70 Cornell University Big Red, the 1972-73 University of Toronto Varsity Blues posted a winning percentage of 1.000 in regular season and post season en route to winning a national championship.