Winning the 1972 Duluth, Minnesota Hockey Tournament is something that will be forever etched in the memory of members of the Dryden High School team.
The team recently held a reunion to recognize the special moment and thank coaches Dave Smith and Mike Furlong for their leadership.
Jack McMaster says it was a life altering moment.
“It was a trip where both Mike and Dave, they built a culture of this team and we really came together in that tournament. Just the leadership that stemmed out of just all those guys getting together.”
McMaster adds “You look at what they’ve done with their lives. So many guys have gone on to giving back to communities, to take on leadership roles, and it was just our way of saying to Mike and Dave thanks. I was really overwhelmed with the turnout we had.”
McMaster says the amount of emotion demonstrated by the guys at the reunion really told the story.
“We did come together as a group and we all as a group appreciated what was done. So there was a lot of emotion when the goodbyes happened.”
The Dryden Eagles initially weren’t invited to the tournament but the Athletic Director at the time contacted Mike Furlong and said a team had dropped out and wondered if he wanted to take his team down.
DHS ended up winning the event with a victory over Fort Frances, a team they hadn’t beat all season.
A special moment at the reunion was the addition of Mike Furlong to the Wall of Fame at the Dryden Memorial Arena.
To hear more from Jack McMaster, visit the Audio link below: