| A legend among the United States high school coaching ranks, Willard Ikola was a star goaltender before moving behind the bench. He led his Eveleth High School team to three straight undefeated seasons and three straight state championships from 1948 to 1950. He later won NCAA championships with the University of Michigan in 1952 and 1953.
Ikola was serving with the U.S. Army in Europe in 1956 when he was added to the roster of the American team at the Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. He played three games in goal for the U.S. at the tournament, including a key 4-1 win over Canada in which he made 38 saves to all but eliminate the Canadians from gold medal contention. The United States settled for the silver medal in 1956 after a 4-0 loss to the gold medal-winning Soviet Union. Ikola also represented the United States at the World Championships in 1958. |
