Bill Pye (ice hockey)

Last updated
Bill Pye
Born (1969-04-09) April 9, 1969 (age 54)
Canton, Michigan, USA
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 177 lb (80 kg; 12 st 9 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Right
Played for Northern Michigan
Erie Panthers
Fort Wayne Komets
New Haven Nighthawks
Rochester Americans
South Carolina Stingrays
Saginaw Wheels
Columbus Chill
Waco Wizards
Odessa Jackalopes
Fort Worth Brahmas
NHL Draft 107th, 1989
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 1987–2000

William Pye is an American ice hockey coach and former goaltender who was an All-American for Northern Michigan and helped the team win its first National Championship in 1991. [1]

Contents

Career

Pye arrived in Marquette in the fall of 1987 and served as a backup to Mike Jeffrey in his freshman season. He took over the starting role at the start of his sophomore season and provided an immediate boost in goal. NMU went from 6th to 2nd in the WCHA and Pye led the Wilcats to their first WCHA Championship, capturing MVP honors. [2] Northern Michigan wasn't able to make it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament but the Buffalo Sabres had seen enough to select Pye in the 6th round of NHL Draft.

Pye had a rocky year as a junior, seeing his goals against average swell by more than a goal per game. The team managed a middling season and lost two overtime games in the conference tournament to finish in 4th place. In Pye's senior season, however, everything turned up roses. Northern Michigan won its first WCHA regular season title and Pye finished in the top 10 in the nation. He led the country with 32 wins and was named an All-American. In the postseason he shut down some of the strongest offenses in the country, enabling NMU to win their second WCHA title and became the only player to earn two WCHA tournament MVP's. Northern Michigan received a bye into the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament and Pye proved solid in net while the offense ran over their opponents. NMU made its second championship appearance that year and the final game turned out to be one for the ages. Pye allowed three goals in the first but became a bulwark in the middle frame while the Wildcats scored five goals to take a commanding lead. Boston University, peppered with future NHL stars like Tony Amonte and Shawn McEachern, roared back with a 4-goal third and the two teams ended regulation with a 7–7 tie. The match became just the second championship game in history to need multiple overtime sessions and ended when Darryl Plandowski got the Wildcats the win in the third 10-minute extra frame.

After graduating, Pye began his professional career in the Sabres' minor league system. The closest Pye got to playing in the NHL was as an emergency call-up on two occasions. In November 1992, Dominik Hasek was suffering from a groin injury and Pye sat on the bench in game against the Ottawa Senators. He was replaced the following day by Clint Malarchuk. Almost two months later both Darren Puppa and Dominik Hasek were injured and Pye was recalled to serve as a backup for Tom Draper. He remained with the Sabres for a week but didn't play in any of the games. [3] Pye was never able to find his form in the pro game and was progressively demoted until landing in the WPHL in the mid-90's. Pye had three 20-win seasons over a 4-year span and decided to call it quits in 2000. Upon his retirement as a player, Pye founded the "Billy Pye Goaltending Academy" and continued to operate the business in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

While operating his business, Pye served as the goaltending coach for a few local junior teams, including the Wichita Falls Wildcats. He was inducted into the Northern Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. [4]

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGPWLTMINGA SO GAA SV% GPWLMINGASOGAASV%
1985–86 St. Clair Shores Falcons NAHL 23137213158904.06.847————————
1986–87 Detroit Falcons NAHL 20134210846003.32—————————
1987–88 Northern Michigan WCHA 133706544904.49.872————————
1988–89 Northern Michigan WCHA 4326152253313313.15.905————————
1989–90 Northern Michigan WCHA 3620141203514914.39.860————————
1990–91 Northern Michigan WCHA 393234230010942.84.886————————
1991–92 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 85214512903.86—————————
1991–92 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 40312001905.70.806————————
1991–92 Rochester Americans AHL 81403321502.71.8931—————2.00.933
1991–92 Erie Panthers ECHL 55003102204.26.8594———————
1992–93 Rochester Americans AHL 269142142710704.50.865————————
1993–94 Rochester Americans AHL 197729807004.29.868————————
1993–94 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 281510215789513.61.8953———————
1994–95 Saginaw Wheels CoHL 135706635104.83.836————————
1995–96 Columbus Chill ECHL 25125112279204.50.855————————
1996–97 Waco Wizards WPHL 4622212262015903.64.885————————
1997–98 Waco Wizards WPHL 1521128606904.81.857————————
1997–98 Odessa Jackalopes WPHL 4220183234817514.47.891————————
1998–99 Odessa Jackalopes WPHL 4520222254913323.13.8983—————2.70.924
1999–00 Odessa Jackalopes WPHL 20511210698204.60.875————————
1999–00 Fort Worth Brahmas WPHL 287182162511514.25.886————————
NAHL totals4326114239914903.73—————————
NCAA totals13181397752244063.51.884————————
AHL totals5717285293921104.31.8651—————2.00.933
ECHL totals5832153311520914.03.8777———————
WPHL totals19676101131107173343.97.8863—————2.70.924

Awards and honors

AwardYear
WCHA All-Tournament Team 1989 [5]
All-WCHA First Team 1990–91 [6]
AHCA West Second-Team All-American 1990–91 [1]
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 1991 [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  2. ↑ "2009-10 WCHA Yearbook 129-144" (PDF). WCHA. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
  3. ↑ "Bill Pye". NHL Backups. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Wildcats Hall of Fame". Northern Michigan Wildcats. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  5. ↑ "WCHA Tourney History". WCHA. Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  6. ↑ "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  7. ↑ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by WCHA Most Valuable Player in Tournament
1989
1991 		Succeeded by
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