University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
H. William Koch, III 1975 - Hockey
In three seasons, Bill Koch, a 1993 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, put up some heady numbers as the unheralded right wing on arguably the best line in UVM history. The three forwards, Koch, center Tim O'Connell '76 and Roger Mallette '75 accounted for more than 90 goals in 1974-75, UVM's first season in Division I.
Koch scored 112 points in 98 career games on 64 goals and 58 assists and was named UVM's MVP in that 1974-75 season when the Catamounts shocked the college hockey world with a third-place finish in the ECAC. Vermont defeated Providence, 7-5, in a quarterfinal game at Gutterson and after a loss to eventual champion Boston University in the semifinals, the Catamounts routed Cornell in the consolation game. UVM President Tom Salmon, then the Governor of Vermont, was in attendance at that game at Boston Garden as were more than 4,000 UVM fans.
That season, Koch was the team's leader and was third in the nation in scoring with 60 points. He scored 30 goals in 1974-75, the third Catamount ever to reach that plateau.
Following his senior season, Koch was selected to the U.S. National Team that toured Europe in a pre-Olympic trip and he was later invited to the Calgary Flames training camp. Active in hockey after his playing days were done, he has served as a coach with several area youth teams including the Vermont All-Star Youth Hockey teams. His son Geoff went on to play at Michigan and played on a NCAA Division I National Championship team.
