CLARKSON
ATHLETIC HALL of FAME
DAVE FRETZ '85
CLASS of 2004 INDUCTEE
One of the finest skaters to ever grace the ice at Walker Arena, Dave Fretz was an all-star hockey player for the Golden Knights during the early 1980s. A defenseman who could skate with the puck from one end of the ice to the other against any team in the country, every rush by Fretz was a highlight reel waiting to happen.
At 5-7, 170-pounds, Fretz may have not been among the most imposing players on the ice, but the Toronto, Ontario native certainly made a big impression as he helped to lead the Green and Gold to an 87-40-7 overall record during his four-year career wearing the Clarkson sweater.
A key player for the Pickering Panthers in the Metro Junior B League and an Ontario Scholar prior to coming to Clarkson, Fretz continued to excel both on and off the ice at the collegiate level. One of the few players in Clarkson’s storied hockey tradition to be honored as a two-time All-America, Fretz was also a Hobey Baker Award finalist as one of the top players in the country in 1985 and was one of four Knights selected to the very prestigious Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Decade Team of the 1980s.
Named an All-America as a junior and senior, Fretz was an offensive defenseman with great mobility and a strong shot from the point. He ranks as the fifth highest scoring defenseman in Clarkson history with 102 points on 31 goals and 71 assists through 132 games from 1981-1984. During his time in Potsdam, the Knights, guided by head coach Bill O’Flaherty, were among the top teams in the nation and went on to the NCAA Tournament in 1982 and 1984.
“Dave possessed the most natural ability of any player I have ever coached,” stated O’Flaherty, who mentored seven All-Americas at Clarkson. “Dave was a one man force.”
Fretz made an immediate impact at Clarkson, leading the Knights in scoring from the blueline in both his freshman and sophomore years. He tallied 23 points on six goals and 17 assists as a rookie as the Green and Gold posted a 26-8-1 overall record. The following season, Fretz was again Clarkson’s top scoring defenseman with 27 points, including four power-play goals and two game-winners. He concluded his sophomore campaign with second-team ECAC All-Star honors.
As a junior he helped lead Clarkson to a 21-10-3 overall record and within one goal of advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four in Lake Placid. Fretz played a key role in a dramatic comeback effort by the Knights in the first round of that season’s NCAA total-goal playoff series at Minnesota-Duluth. After losing the first game to the Bulldogs 6-2, Clarkson rallied to win the second contest, 6-3, with Fretz netting the deciding goal, but fell one goal short of forcing the series to overtime. The Knights’ gutsy effort brought a thunderous round of applause from the home crowd at the Duluth Convention Center.
Prior to the start of the 1983-84 campaign, Fretz spent much of the summer and fall with the Canadian Olympic program before returning to Clarkson in late September. He concluded his junior season with 27 points on 10 goals and 17 assists and led the Knights with eight power-play markers. He made a major contribution down the stretch as Clarkson streaked toward the playoffs by recording at least a point in eight of the last nine regular season games, including a two-goal, three-assist performance in a crucial 6-5 win over Cornell in Lynah Rink.
Elected by his teammates as an alternate captain as a senior, Fretz helped lead the Green and Gold to another 21-win campaign with a 21-10-3 record in 1984-85. He once again led the Knights’ in scoring from the blueline with seven goals and 18 assists and was chosen as a first-team ECAC All-Star.
Fretz also had a taste of international competition during his senior season. While
his teammates were playing in the Syracuse Invitational that winter, he was representing his country overseas. He skated with Team Canada in the 1984 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland in late December and helped his homeland win the competition for the first time in the 58-year history of the tournament. The only United States collegiate player on the Canadian roster, Fretz was named to the all-tournament team.
As good as he was on the ice, Fretz was even sharper in the classroom. He accumulated numerous academic accomplishments as an excellent student majoring in mechanical and industrial engineering. Fretz was named to Pi Tau Sigma – Mechanical Engineering Society, a Presidential Scholar, listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, and a 1984-85 GTE National Academic All-America.
Upon graduation, Fretz earned praised from several faculty members. “Dave is one of those rare athletes who has the ability to successfully participate in a highly physical sport, but who also undertakes a demanding curriculum – mechanical engineering,” stated Associate Dean of Engineering Edward T. Misiaszek. Said Associate Dean of the School of Science, A. George Davis, “Dave is an outstanding young man in every way – scholar, gentleman and hockey player. Clarkson University will be proud to number Dave among its alumni.” Frederick M. Carlson, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering, remarked, “Without a doubt Dave is one of the finest scholar-athletes Clarkson University has known.”
Bill O'Flaherty accepts Dave Fretz's Athletic Hall of Fame plaque from Clarkson AD Sean T. Frazier
