Bob Iwabuchi
Born (1957-06-16) June 16, 1957
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb)
Position Goaltender
Played for North Dakota
Baltimore Clippers
Playing career 1978–1981

Robert Kai Iwabuchi is a Canadian retired ice hockey goaltender who was an All-American for North Dakota.[1]

Career

Iwabuchi was recruited to North Dakota by John Gasparini and became a member of his first recruiting class when Gasparini was named head coach in 1978. Iwabuchi had to beat out Bill Stankoven and Mel Donnelly, two veteran Sioux netminders for the starting role. The pressure and excitement of his position caused Iwabuchi to vomit before most games which endeared him to his teammates, some of whom had the same issue.[2] Iwabuchi became a hit as a freshman, helping the team finish atop the WCHA standings, defeating Minnesota in their final game to do so. Iwabuchi finished second in the nation in both goals against average and save percentage and was named as an All-American. He led UND on a run through the conference tournament and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eleven years. The Fighting Sioux received the top western seed and downed Dartmouth in the semifinal. In the championship, Stankoven got the start but allowed three goals to the Golden Gophers in the first period. With the team down by 2, Iwabuchi was in goal to start the second and he performed well in relief, turning aside 17 shots. After the team had cut their deficit to 1, Neal Broten scored a one-in-a-million goal over a sliding Iwabuchi to put Minnesota back ahead by 2.[3] UND scored mid-way through the third to get within one again but a post got in the way of a tying goal and UND saw the championship slip away.

Iwabuchi was the starter to begin his sophomore season but his numbers weren't nearly as good. He was eventually replaced as the primary goalie by freshman Darren Jensen and provided capable backup goaltending for the team as it handily won the WCHA regular season crown, the WCHA tournament championship and the NCAA title. Iwabuchi left the program after the year and played with the Baltimore Clippers before retiring as a player.

After returning to the Edmonton area, Iwabuchi began working in with the family business in the food service industry and continued after they had been acquired by Sysco. He worked in the marketing department until his retirement.

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeague GPWLTMINGASOGAASV% GPWLMINGASOGAASV%
1974–75 Taber Golden Suns AJHL 20———————— ————————
1975–76 Taber Golden Suns AJHL 29———169313224.68.872 ————————
1976–77 Spruce Grove Mets AJHL 31———————— ————————
1978–79 North Dakota WCHA 22———12746112.74.907 ————————
1979–80 North Dakota WCHA 20—————03.63.876 ————————
1980–81 Baltimore Clippers EHL 36———179111803.95— ————————
NCAA totals 42—————1—— ————————

Awards and honors

Award Year
All-WCHA First Team 1978–79 [4]
AHCA West All-American 1978–79 [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Around the Rink with Bob Iwabuchi". Around the Rink with Travis Dunn. March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ "'I'd rather go to Superior'". Duluth Reader. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  4. ↑ "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
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