The 1929–30 Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey season was the 35th season of play for the program. The Bulldogs represented Yale University and were coached by Lawrence Noble in his 2nd season.
Season After finally regaining the title as the best hockey team in the east, coach Noble arranged for the team to begin training earlier than normal. The Elis convened for the first practice before Thanksgiving rather than wait for early December. Approximately 30 men were dressed and ready to carry on the tradition and were initially instructed by assistant coaches Richard Vaughan (class of '28) and Holcomb York (class of '17). The two men were both former members of the team and would be leading the freshman and junior varsity teams respectively. Back for the initial practice were several key members of the championship team, including Ding Palmer and Frank Farrell, however, several players were missing thanks in part to their participation with other programs. The early practices were established primarily as a way of getting those players who did not play on fall teams into shape and to introduce the sophomores to their first taste of varsity hockey. Seniors, like Palmer and Jennison, were relied on more as coaches than players during this time. The first full practice didn't occur until after the completion of the football season and the arrival of head coach Lawrence Noble on November 25.
It wasn't until the beginning of December that the full complement of players was assembled. Only three players from last year's team had been lost to graduation, two of them starters, while most of the men who had appeared for the club in '29 were ready to earn their shot for '30. Because the school was utilizing a JV team for the first time, players who were cut from the varsity roster would still have an opportunity to remain in game shape and move up later in the season. Once team captain Bob Wilson had recovered from a leg injury he had suffered during the football season, he reported to practice and enabled coach Noble to select the men who would make up the team. With the departure of Paul Curtis, the top line was in need of a new winger and Stewart Iglehart was given the first shot and filling in beside Palmer and Luce despite his prominence as a defender. The gap on defense was first filled by Hickok, who had been a reserve player the year before and that arrangement appeared to work well for the early drills. The team's second unit was initially composed of Nelson, McLennan and Bent at forward, Austen and Snead on defense and Sizer in goal.
Early season As they had the year before, Yale's first match was against Boston University. The team was without the services of Iglehart and Bent on account of illness but the rest of the Bulldogs were more than a match for the Terriers. Palmer showed that he was back to his former self by dominating play all evening and finishing the match with a hat-trick. Nelson, Schley and Winter each netted their first of the season while Farrell and Sizer both played well in goal, allowing a single marker each. The next match was against the collegiate all-star team that included Paul Curtis and former Crimson standout John Chase. They received a tough challenge from the visitors as both sides sallied up and down the ice. The defenses, however, were the stars of the show; Hickok and Wilson checked the opposition effectively all game and gave the all-stars few scoring opportunities. Farrell made several brilliant saves but was outshone by the opposing netminder mostly due to Yale having the better chances. The only goal of the game came from Frank Nelson midway through the first period but it was enough to secure the win.
Christmas break In the week of practice that followed, coach Noble moved Dunbar Bostwick to starting winger while Iglehart shifted a more comfortable role as reserve defenseman. The move proved auspicious as Bostwick scored twice against Dartmouth while Nelson got his second game-winner in the 3–2 victory. After the game, the team left for their holiday but reassembled at the end of the month at Lake Placid. The Elis were set to face one of the western powerhouses, Michigan, in a three-game series. The Bulldogs began with a dominant performance; Bostwick scored twice and was joined on the scoresheet by Bent, Luce, Iglehart, Palmer and Nelson. The following day the team had more of a fight than a game with nineteen penalties being called in the match. Iglehart was the only man to find the back of the net but, thanks to the efforts of the defense, the Elis were still able to come away with a victory. The third and final game saw Luce take over as the star. The speedy center potted 5 goals, which included a three-minute period where he netted three goals. Bostwick, McLennan and Schley added goals of their own to give the team a resounding 8–2 victory and end the exhibition still undefeated.
After returning home, the team prepared themselves for possibly their toughest test of the season. Toronto had already defeated Harvard twice and had dismantled Dartmouth to the tune of 11–3. The Canadians opened the scoring at Madison Square Garden but they found it difficult to penetrate the Bulldog defense thanks to the consistent checking of Iglehart. Luce netted two goals in the second to give Yale the lead but, with 29 seconds left in the period, Toronto pulled even once more. The third saw both teams battle for national supremacy with Palmer netting the winning tally in the latter half of the period. The victory was impressive in its own right and established Yale as the preeminent college team in the country.
January Yale's prowess was on full display in the next game when they hammered Michigan Tech by one of the most lopsided scores in program history. Using eighteen players in the game, the Elis made mince meat of the Huskies and were ahead 7–0 after the first 20 minutes. The Bulldogs took it easy in the second, adding just 2 to their total before resuming their demolition with 6 more in the third. Palmer ended the match with 4 goals, McLennan with 3 goals and an assist and Bostwick had 2 goals and 2 assists. The next game was to be at Dartmouth, however, weather conditions conspired to rob the Indians of their ice and the match was cancelled. In its place, Yale invited the newly constituted 'Boston Hockey Club' to New Haven. The team, which was similar to the University Club of Boston, was composed of former college players and had already defeated Boston University by a 9–1 margin. While there was some expectation of a good match, Palmer and Luce combined to turn the game into a rout. Ding netted 5 goals on the night, equaling the Bulldogs' season high, while Frank had to settle of only scoring a hat-trick. However, Luce had the more spectacular tally on the night when he scored while two Elis were in the penalty box. Even without Wilson and Farrell in the game, the Yale defense played well with Iglehart and Muhlfeld able to keep the opposition in check. Cruikshank and Cookman were brought up from the JV squad for the match with the latter scoring in the third. McLennan and Bent had the other two tallies.
Palmer and Luce continued their torrid pace in the succeeding match with the University Club. Both forwards scored twice and were matched on the scoresheet by Nelson. With the Elis still missing Wilson and Farrell, the team got off to a slow start and were outplayed in the first, however, the deluge of goals began in the second that allowed the team to easily dispatched the all-stars 8–1. The next game saw Dartmouth arrive for their long-awaited revenge match. Despite the closeness of the initial contest between the two, the Greens were helpless before the onslaught of the Yale offense. Luce led the way with another hat-trick while Bostwick, Palmer and Nelson each added two goals of their own. The middle of the game turned physical when Dartmouth tried to assert themselves but the penalties they received only fed the Yale power play and allowed the Bulldogs to pile up 11 goals on the night.
February The Elis didn't play another game until after the exam break. With their studies taking precedence as well as the Arena being used for an auto show, the team didn't even practice again until the beginning of February. With Wilson and Farrell both returning to the team by then, the Elis were at full-strength with they welcomed Clarkson to town. The Golden Knights were one of the best small-school teams in the country, having lost only one game to Princeton and would help the Elis gear up for their series with the Tigers. The Bulldogs got a hard fight from Clarkson, who more than lived up to their billing, but the Yale offense was far superior and led the team to a 5–1 victory. Bostwick and McLennan sandwiched goals around a Tech marker in the first. The third saw Palmer, Bent and McLennan all add to the Bulldogs lead while Wilson and Hickok endured that no goals against were scored in the final 50 minutes of the game.
On back-to-back nights, Yale played host to a pair of difficult opponents. First up was Marquette, who was proving themselves to be the best team in the mid-west. The Hilltoppers provided a challenge to the Elis near that of Toronto by playing three defensemen all night to hold back the potent Bulldog offense. Early on, however, Luce was able to get the better of the visitors with 2 goals in the first period. The two then exchanged goals in the second with Palmer scoring a pair to leave the score 4–2 entering the third. Marquette narrowed the gap to 1 goal after 5 minutes and constantly threatened the Yale cage. However, as the match progressed, Yale's superior numbers began to take over. The Hilltoppers could not contend with the depth of the Eli's roster and began to wear out in the latter stages of the game. Yale racked up 4 goals in the final four minutes of the game to put the game out of reach and capture what had been one of their toughest challenges on the season. Palmer ended the match as the leading scorer with 3 goals and an assist. The following night, the team was led by the unlikely trio of Mills, Stoddard and Todd, the rarely-used third line for the Elis. With the top two lines still recovering from the taxing match with Marquette, coach Noble gave the depth players plenty of ice time and they rewarded the crowd with two goals on the evening. The lack of fight from the St. Nicholas Hockey Club was a feature of the game that was otherwise lifeless. Even exhausted, Palmer was able to made a couple of rushes up the ice for goals but he spent most of his time cheering for his teammates.
Princeton