The most powerful offensive force in the storied history of
Bowdoin hockey, Charlie Gaffney accounted for more points than any
other Polar Bear to skate in Dayton Arena. A humble and outstanding
student-citizen, he was the cornerstone of the single most talented
class of athletes in the legendary career of coach Terry
Meagher.
After a strong freshman season with a team that reached the ECAC
quarterfinals, Gaffney exploded with a sensational sophomore
campaign, earning First-Team All-America honors in Bowdoin’s
ECAC Championship season of 1992-93. He scored 22 times and set a
school record with 42 assists, while also grabbing First-Team
All-ECAC and First-Team All-New England honors.
Amazingly consistent, Gaffney scored 24 goals as a junior and 27 as
a senior, while netting 41 and 40 assists, respectively, to close
out his career. Again earning All-America honors during his final
two seasons, Gaffney became just the third Bowdoin player to garner
three All-America recognitions. As a co-captain in 1994-95, Gaffney
was named Division III Player of the Year, and is the only Polar
Bear to be so recognized. He is also a three-time recipient of
Bowdoin’s Hugh Monroe, Jr., Memorial Trophy as the
team’s most valuable player.
Over the course of his astounding career at Bowdoin, Gaffney
accounted for nearly 2.24 points per game, while finishing with a
schoolrecord 228 career points, nearly 25 percent more than the
program’s second-leading scorer, his twin brother Joe Gaffney
’95. His teams posted a career record of 68-28-7, including
four consecutive ECAC Tournament appearances. He also led the ECAC
in scoring for three consecutive seasons.
A native of Warwick, Rhode Island, and alumnus of Toll Gate High
School, Gaffney majored in government and legal studies while at
Bowdoin. His brother, Joseph P. Gaffney ’95, and his sister,
Susan Gaffney Rowley ’97, are also Bowdoin alumni. He
currently lives in Cranston, Rhode Island, with his wife, Alisa,
and their two children.
