Terry Abram is an American retired ice hockey

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

and coach who was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

for

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

Career

Abram was a standout defenseman at South St. Paul HS helping the team reach the state semifinal as a senior. He was one of the few American players recruited to

during the 1960s and began playing for the varsity club in the fall of 1966. In his first two seasons, Abram helped UND win back-to-back conference co-championships and reach the NCAA tournament twice. Abram was named an All-American in 1968 and hoped to lead his team into the national championship for a third consecutive season the following year. Unfortunately, North Dakota was upset in the first round of the WCHA tournament and Abram's college career ended with the loss. After graduating, Abram turned down a chance to play in the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

organization and instead turned to coaching. He spent the rest of the decade behind the bench for two different high schools in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, Roseau and Anoka. While at Roseau, Abram coached future NHLer Neal Broten. In 1982 Abram became the head coach for St. Thomas and he immediately turned around the program. While he was with the program for only five years, Abram provided several first for the Tommies: he was the first coach to win 20 games in a season, recording 25 wins in both 1985 and '86. He led the team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1984. Two years later he guided St. Thomas to the inaugural MIAC tournament championship. Abram resigned in 1987, never having a losing season in college hockey. In 2007 Abram was in the inaugural class of the South St. Paul Athletic Hall of fame.

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

College head coaching record

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abram, Terry 1947 births Living people American men's ice hockey defensemen Ice hockey players from Minnesota People from South St. Paul, Minnesota Ice hockey people from Dakota County, Minnesota North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey players St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's ice hockey coaches AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans 20th-century American sportsmen