Arlie Parker Explained

Arlie Parker
Birth Place:Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:210
Position:Defenseman
Played For:St. Lawrence
Johnstown Jets
Jersey Devils
Career Start:1959
Career End:1966

Arlie Parker (born 1938) is a Canadian retired ice hockey defenseman who was a two-time All-American for St. Lawrence University in New York.

Career

Parker played junior hockey for the Peterborough Petes after the team relocated from his home town of Kitchener in 1956. Parker's final season with the team saw the Petes finish in last place in the OHA. Two years later Parker was recruited by George Menard to St. Lawrence and he began playing with the varsity team in 1959. In his first season with the team, Parker helped the saints defend their Tri-State League championship and return to the NCAA Tournament. The next season Parker became a star for the team, becoming an All-American for the team during its third consecutive league championship. In the national tournament, St. Lawrence won its first semifinal game in its sixth appearance and advanced to the first championship game in program history.[1] Unfortunately, Parker's team faced an overwhelming Denver squad and lost by the largest margin of any championship game (as of 2020) 2–12.

In Parker's senior season the Saints joined with 27 other teams to form a new conference, ECAC Hockey and finished 10th in the standings. The team was included in the 8-team postseason tournament because they were ranked higher due to their more arduous schedule and were seeded 4th in the championship. After easily defeating Boston College in the quarterfinals, the Saints played a very strong Harvard team and stormed to a 6–5 victory after finding themselves down 1–4 in the first period. The Larries continued the strong play against Clarkson in the title match and won 5–2.[2] parker was named to the inaugural All-Tournament Team[3] and was selected as the first Most Outstanding Player. The championship gave St. Lawrence a fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, the longest streak in program history (as of 2020). There was hope that the team could improve on their second-place finish the year before but the Larries reverted to type and lost both tournament games to finish in 4th-place. Parker finished his final season in Canton with a second All-American selection on top of being named as the Most Outstanding Defenseman in ECAC Hockey.[4]

Parker continued his playing career after graduating, appearing briefly for the senior Kingston Frontenacs. In 1963 he joined the professional ranks fully, playing on two teams over three seasons in the Eastern Hockey League. After retiring in 1966 he was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 for his excellence as a baseball player as well as on the ice.[5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

  Regular Season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1956–57Peterborough PetesOHA501230
1959–60St. LawrenceTri-State League
1960–61St. LawrenceTri-State League222121448
1961–62St. LawrenceECAC Hockey
1961–62Kingston FrontenacsEPHL31012
1962–63Kingston FrontenacsEPHL20000
1963–64Johnstown JetsEHL686283494811212
1964–65Jersey DevilsEHL677273499
1965–66Jersey DevilsEHL655232866
NCAA Totals
EHL Totals200 18 78 96 259

Awards and honors

AwardYear
AHCA East All-American1960–61, 1961–62[6] [7]
NCAA All-Tournament Second Team1961[8]
All-ECAC Hockey First Team1961–62[9]
ECAC Hockey All-Tournament First Team1962[10]

Notes and References

  1. News: Saint Hockey Record Book 2015-16 . St. Lawrence Saints . November 4, 2019.
  2. News: Menard Hopeful About Tournament; SLU Rocks Clarkson for ECAC Title . Hill News . March 15, 1962 . January 4, 2021.
  3. News: Men's All-Tournament Teams . ECAC Hockey . 2014-04-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130616195013/http://www.ecachockey.com/men/tournament/Men-s_All-Tournament_Teams.pdf . 2013-06-16 . live .
  4. News: NCAA (ECAC) Best Defensive Defenseman. Elite Prospects. 2013-08-02.
  5. News: Arlie Parker . St. Lawrence Saints . January 4, 2021.
  6. News: 1960-1961 All-American Team . The American Hockey Coaches Association . 2017-06-21.
  7. News: 1961-1962 All-American Team . The American Hockey Coaches Association . 2017-06-21.
  8. News: NCAA Frozen Four Records. NCAA.org. 2013-06-19.
  9. News: ECAC All-Teams. College Hockey Historical Archives. May 19, 2013.
  10. News: Men's All-Tournament Teams . ECAC Hockey . 2014-04-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130616195013/http://www.ecachockey.com/men/tournament/Men-s_All-Tournament_Teams.pdf . 2013-06-16 . live .