Frank Chiarelli (September 21, 1931 – July 26, 2024)[1] was a Canadian ice hockey player. He captainedRensselaer to its first National Title in 1954 and was the all-time NCAA leader in career goals at the time of his graduation.
Career
Like many Canadian players of the era, Chiarelli began his college career in 1951 as an over-aged freshman. He played for Rensselaer despite the NCAA having a policy restricting all players to three years of varsity play and had an immediate impact for the Engineers. In just 18 games, Chiarelli scored 55 goals and breaking the NCAA single-season record. He became the first freshman to lead the NCAA in both goals and points. Rensselaer's hockey program improved in his first season, going from 5–10 the year before to 15–3. However the team only managed to finish second in the Tri-State League and missed out on the NCAA tournament.
In his sophomore season Chiarelli's scoring declined but the team was able to finish atop their conference and make the first NCAA appearance in school history. The Engineers were predicted to finish in the bottom two but performed well against Minnesota in the semifinal (losing 2-3) before winning the consolation game. The next year Chiarelli, was named as the team captain and, while his numbers dipped again, the team tied St. Lawrence for the Tri-State League title and the NCAA committee named RPI to the tournament.[2]
In his final attempt at an NCAA championship, Chiarelli led RPI against three-time defending champion Michigan and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. The following night in their first championship appearance, Rensselaer was facing a Minnesota team that had just set an NCAA record with a 14–1 win in their semifinal game. Rensselaer scored the first three goals of the game, including one from Chiarelli. Minnesota came back with four consecutive goals. With under four minutes left in the game, Chiarelli passed the puck to Abbie Moore who scored tied the game. In the overtime period, Rensselaer's second line scored the game-winner.
Chiarelli played in 19 of Rensselaer's 22 games in his senior season, the fourth consecutive where's both his goal and point totals diminished. By the end of the 1954–55 season Chiarelli's 155 career goals were an NCAA record and this record stood for five seasons. As of 2019, Chiarelli still has the third-most goals of any NCAA player ever and sits second in terms of goals per game and points per game (behind only Phil Latreille). After graduating Chiarelli played for the Wembley Lions of the short-lived British National League. He then played for three teams over three season in the Ontario Senior League before ending his career with 63 games for the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens in another short-lived league, the EPHL.
Personal life and death
Chiarelli's son Peter played college hockey at Harvard before going onto a long career as an executive in the NHL.[3]
Chiarelli died on July 26, 2024, at the age of 92.[4]