U.S. Coast Guard Cutters (ice hockey)

The U.S. Coat Guard Cutters were a senior ice hockey team that was established in 1942 out of the Coast Guard Academy and U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland. They played in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League. The Cutters home games were played at Carlin's Iceland in Baltimore, Maryland.

A product of World War II, the Cutters were the brainchild of Lieutenant Commander C.R. MacLean, the Personnel Officer, and foremost hockey fan, at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Baltimore. Beginning in 1942, the Cutters were given entrance to the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL), one of the top breeding grounds for NHL players. The Cutters would take the place of the Baltimore Orioles, which had disbanded due to the war. Mel Harwood, a former EAHL player and official, took over as head coach for the team became to be known as the “Star Spangled Bangers” and “Hooligan’s Navy”. Over the two-year period, their roster included former New York Rangers Captain Art Coulter, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman John Mariucci, Boston Bruin goaltender Frank Brimsek, and future AHL left winger Eddie Olson.

The Cutters went on to win the 1942–43 Boardwalk Trophy as the EAHL Champions, and proceeded to win the Walker Cup as the U.S. National Senior Hockey Champions. Apart from their EAHL schedule, the Cutters regularly played against Canadien service teams laden with NHL talent, normally defeating their foes to the north. In a contest against the Allen Cup champion Ottawa Army Commandos, the Cutters prevailed 5-2. Perhaps the only blemish coming in a loss to the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings on January 6, 1943, before a capacity crowd in Baltimore. The Cutters trailed 4-3 going into the third, but eventually fell 8-3. “They didn’t intimidate us,” said defenseman Manny Cotlow, “but they were a little smarter.”

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