{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (1935–2020)}} {{Multiple issues| {{Fanpov|date=December 2020}} {{Tone|date=December 2020}} }} {{Infobox ice hockey player | name = Reg Morelli | halloffame = | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date|1935|12|10}} | birth_place = Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | death_date = {{death date and age|2020|11|11|1935|12|10}} | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 8 | weight_lb = 175 | position = Center | shoots = | catches = | league = | team = | prospect_league = | prospect_team = | former_teams = | played_for = North Dakota Fighting Sioux<br>St. Paul Saints<br>Warroad Lakers | ntl_team = | career_start = 1957 | career_end = 1965 }}
'''Reginald P. Morelli''' (December 10, 1935<ref>[https://sihrhockey.org/__a/members/deaths_by_year.cfm?year=2020&month=11 Player Death Index - 2020], Society for International Hockey Research</ref> – November 11, 2020) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played center and was awarded the Most Outstanding Player of the 1959 NCAA Tournament.<ref name = guide>{{cite news |title=North Dakota Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/undsports.com/documents/2018/11/15/2018_19_HKY_Media_Guide_for_web.pdf |work=North Dakota Fighting Hawks |accessdate=May 23, 2019 |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516021947/https://s3.amazonaws.com/undsports.com/documents/2018/11/15/2018_19_HKY_Media_Guide_for_web.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Career== Morelli was a scorer for North Dakota when he joined the varsity squad in 1957. As a sophomore, he produced more than a point-per-game pace, helping the Fighting Sioux win their first WIHL championship (tied) as well as qualify for their first NCAA tournament. After beating Harvard in the semi-final, they lost to Denver in the final, and so finished runners-up in 1958.
Although the WIHL collapsed that summer, the University of North Dakota (UND) qualified for the 1959 NCAA tournament with an 18–10–1 record, having defeated Denver during the season series. The Fighting Sioux escaped an ignominious fate with an overtime win over St. Lawrence in the semi-final, before turning their attention to Michigan State in the final.
The Spartans scored first, but a 3-goal reply from the Sioux put them firmly in charge, with Morelli assisting on the first goal. The Spartans responded in the third scoring twice to tie the game, sending the championship match into overtime for the second time in history. Just over four minutes into extra time, Morelli sent the puck past a sprawling Joe Selinger to win UND the NCAA Championship. Morelli was named the Most Outstanding Player and made the All-Tournament First Team.<ref name="ncaa">{{cite news|title=NCAA Frozen Four Records|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/frozen_4/2009/f4recs.pdf|publisher=NCAA.org|accessdate=2013-06-19}}</ref>
As a senior, Morelli's scored 34 goals and 65 points in 31 games, setting a program record for points that stood until 1979.<ref name="guide"/> He was named in both the All-WCHA First Team<ref>{{cite news|title=WCHA Awards|url=http://www.augenblick.org/chha/wcha_awd.html|publisher=College Hockey Historical Archives|accessdate=May 19, 2013}}</ref> and AHCA All-American West Team.<ref name="AHCA">{{cite news|title=1959-1960 All-American Team |url=http://ahcahockey.com/allamer/1960.php |work=The American Hockey Coaches Association |accessdate=2017-06-21}}</ref>
Morelli continued to play hockey for several years after graduating, winning the Turner Cup as a member of the St. Paul Saints in 1961. He was inducted into the UND Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977,<ref>{{cite news|title=Hall of Fame - 1977 Inductees |url=https://fightinghawks.com/sports/2007/1/20/750089.aspx |work=North Dakota Fighting Hawks |accessdate=September 9, 2020}}</ref> and saw both his son Matt and grandson Mason play collegiate ice hockey.<ref>{{cite news|title=Three Generations, Two Teams, One Love of the Game |url=https://www.nchchockey.com/news_article/show/986243 |work=National Collegiate Hockey Conference |date=January 17, 2019 |accessdate=September 9, 2020}}</ref> Morelli died on November 11, 2020, at the age of 84.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.minotdailynews.com/sports/local-sports/2020/11/und-mourns-passing-of-key-hockey-figure-reg-morelli/|title=UND mourns passing of key hockey figure Reg Morelli}}</ref>
==Statistics== ===Regular season and playoffs=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 1957–58 | North Dakota | WIHL | 30 || 9 || 25 || 35 || 8 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="f0f0f0" | 1958–59 | North Dakota | NCAA | 24 || 17 || 15 || 32 || 14 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1959–60 | North Dakota | WCHA | 31 || 34 || 31 || 65 || 12 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="f0f0f0" | 1960–61 | St. Paul Saints | IHL | 72 || 31 || 37 || 68 || 16 | 13 || 1 || 3 || 4 || 4 |- | 1963–64 | Warroad Lakers | Independent | — || — || — || — || — | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="f0f0f0" | 1964–65 | Warroad Lakers | Independent | — || — || — || — || — | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NCAA totals ! 85 || 60 || 72 || 132 || 34 ! — || — || — || — || — |}
==Awards and honors== {| class="wikitable" ! Award ! Year ! |- | NCAA All-Tournament First Team | 1959 | <ref name = ncaa/> |- | All-WCHA First Team | 1959–60 | <ref>{{cite news|title=WCHA Awards|url=http://www.augenblick.org/chha/wcha_awd.html|publisher=College Hockey Historical Archives|accessdate=May 19, 2013}}</ref> |- | AHCA West All-American | 1959–60 | <ref name = AHCA/> |- |}
==References== {{reflist|50em}}
==External links== *{{Ice hockey stats|elite=284123|hockeydb=12606}}
{{S-start}} {{s-ach}} {{succession box | before = Murray Massier | title = NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player | years = 1959 | after = Lou Angotti/Bob Marquis/Barry Urbanski}} {{S-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morelli, Reg}} Category:1935 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Canadian ice hockey centres Category:Ice hockey people from Hamilton, Ontario Category:North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey players Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:St. Paul Saints (IHL) players Category:Warroad Lakers players Category:NCAA men's ice hockey national champions Category:AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen