Exceptional goaltending has always been a source of pride for the storied hockey program at Clarkson, and one of the best ever to man the crease for the Golden Knights was Terry Yurkiewicz.

Behind the outstanding play of Yurkiewicz in goal during the mid-1960s, Clarkson Hockey enjoyed some of is greatest success. With the Cartier, Ontario native starting between the pipes for the Green and Gold for two seasons from 1964-1966, Clarkson compiled 42 wins, won its initial ECAC regular season title, claimed the program’s first ECAC Tournament trophy and skated in an NCAA Championship contest.

After playing sparingly as a sophomore due to a broken finger suffered in practice, Yurkiewicz emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the country during his junior and senior campaigns, gaining first-team All-America accolades in both 1965 and 1966.

As a junior in 1964-65, he recorded a .914 save percentage and a 2.66 goals against average while Clarkson posted an 18-7 overall record, a third-place showing in the ECAC standings, and a berth in the league championship tournament in Boston.

It was one year later that the standout netminder led the Len Ceglarski-coached team to one of the most successful seasons in Clarkson history. In 1965-66, Yurkiewicz backboned the Knights to a 24-3 overall record, first place in the ECAC standings, and helped the Green and Gold lift the league’s tournament trophy as the best team in the East. He finished the season with a .906 save percentage, 2.46 GAA.

Named MVP of the 1966 ECAC Tournament, Yurkiewicz allowed just five goals in the league’s postseason as the Knights knocked off Colgate 5-2 at Clarkson Arena in the quarterfinals, skated past Brown 2-1 in the semifinals, and then overwhelmed Cornell 6-2 in the championship game at the old Boston Arena to gain the tourney title.

With the top goaltender in the ECAC manning the crease for the Knights, Clarkson made its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance a very memorable one. After backstopping Clarkson to a 4-3 win over a powerful Denver squad in the semifinals, Yurkiewicz came through with a 40-save performance in the title game, but the Knights came up short in their bid to claim the 1966 NCAA Championship, falling to Michigan State.

Along with twice being named an All-American, Yurkiewicz was a two-time ECAC All-Star and a two-time conference all-tourney goaltender. He was also named to the 1966 NCAA all-tournament team.

The last Clarkson goalie to play without a mask (he did not wear one until his senior year), Yurkiewicz posted a .910 save percentage, 2.10 GAA, and a 43-10-0 record from 1963-66.

Yurkiewicz was also a standout in the classroom where he ranked first in his academic department. After his graduation from Clarkson in 1966 with a degree in business administration, Yurkiewicz, who passed away in October 2002 at the age of 59, enjoyed great success in the business world where he went on to serve as vice president and general manager of Albany Engineered Systems, a Division of Albany International.

Yurkiewicz was honored with Clarkson’s Arnold H. Barben Award in 1992, presented to a Clarkson hockey alumnus who has demonstrated outstanding professional achievement, has contributed to the betterment of his community, and has worked unselfishly for his alma mater.