1982 - BROOKLIN IS GOING DOWN HARD
So read a banner hanging inside the Fergus Arena prior to the start of
the playoffs. One could understand such over confidence coming from a
Peterborough or Brampton side but the Thistles had never won anything
in Senior A. They were first place finishers in '82, however that did
not mean much. Only once since 1976 had the pennant winner gone on to
take provincial honours. Fergus would also fall short, though their
playoff journey would be history making. As for Brooklin, the Redmen
would suffer a hard defeat, yet it was nothing like the banner had
anticipated.
Fergus took top spot with a 18-6 record. That was two wins better than
Peterborough and Owen Sound. It was the first time the Thistles had
been clear first place finishers. Rookie Phil Scarfone had graduated
from the Hamilton Bengals and taken the Major League by storm. He won
the scoring championship with 75 goals and 127 points. It was the
second time in three years a rookie had won the title. Brooklin came
in fourth place with a losing record. The young team with so much
promise disappointed badly. They had the second lowest scoring team in
the league and placed no scorer higher than tenth overall. Scarborough
had the lowest scoring team, plus the worst defensive record. That
explained why they only won three times. The defending champs pressed
their luck once too often. This year Brampton fell to fifth, which was
out of the playoffs. There would be no post season miracles this time
around.
Still, there would be one post season miracle. Fergus and Brooklin
paired up to do something never before done in OLA Senior A history.
Whomever stuck up that banner must have been feeling very foolish after
the series opener. They really had to feel downright dumb after Game
Three. The series opened in Fergus and all looked well for the green
and gold for 59 minutes. Larry Graham scored for Brooklin in the last
minute to tie the contest 8-8. Ken Colley next scored the winner with
18 seconds remaining. Phil Scarfone was held scoreless on the night.
The great defensive work of Jim Branton and Fred Upshaw shutout the
Fergus sniper in Game Two as well. This match also went Brooklin's way
thanks to a seven goal second period. The Redmen scored three times in
20 seconds to drive Rob Mason from goal. They went on to win 11-7.
Another unsung hero was Brian Colm. He controlled draws and even
chipped in a goal. I wonder if that notorious sign was taken down
after the third game? The Thistles were embarrassed at home, falling
behind 3-0 in the best of seven series. Scarfone missed the contest,
thus Fergus managed only two goals on Wayne Colley. It was still very
close until the visitors scored five times in the last period to clinch
the 8-2 victory.
No team had ever come from three games down to win in league history.
That was about to change. Coach Larry Smeltzer was quoted as saying,
"the game plan we'd had earlier wasn't working so we threw it out." Not
sure what they replaced it with, however the result was a convincing
13-5 Fergus win. Mason was excellent at one end, while Scarfone broke
loose to score six times at the other end. The next night the Thistles
won at home 12-5. Game Six started out even. The scotsmen scored four
straight at the end of the first period for a 6-3 lead. They later
extended that advantage to five goals. They did this even though Bill
Gerrie was forced to replace Mason in goal. The star was once again
Scarfone. He scored seven points as Fergus won 14-11. So it was back
to the Fergus Arena and that banner one last time. The desperate
Redmen pulled out all the stops. Coach Brian Brady arranged to have
Kelly Mitchell flown in from Calgary for the game. Mitchell's great
Jr.A career had been followed by a brief stint in Major before work
took him to Alberta. The seventh game would be the last in his senior
A career. He scored a hattrick to lead the visitors. It wasn't
enough. The Thistles jumped all over their shellshocked opponents and
outscored them 5-0 the opening 20 minutes. They went on to a
comfortable 13-7 victory. The banner was correct after all. The
Redmen had gone down hard.
After such a narrow escape the Thistles luck ran out. Peterborough had
disposed of Owen Sound 4-1 in their semi final series. The OLA Final
would also be a five game affair. The Lakers were too strong and
experienced for Fergus. The last contest was a 15-11 win for the
Petes. Fergus led at one point 8-7, until Paul Evans tied it. Four
more quick markers followed, chasing Bill Gerrie from the goal. That
was the end for the Thistles. The Lakers next turned their attention
to the Mann Cup.
Given the strength of Peterborough lacrosse, and the number of times
they had played for the Mann Cup, it was remarkable that they had never
beaten New Westminster. The Salmonbellies swept them in 1959 and 1970.
The westerners were also defending their 1981 title. Furthermore,
they were not a team with a losing record this year. They had finished
first with a commanding 17-7 mark. Yet all those previous
accomplishments had been performed at Queen's Park Arena. The '82
Final would be hosted by Peterborough.
The Cup Holders won the opener 13-9. They jumped in front with three
early goals. The moment the home side battled back to tie it Derek
Dickson gave the Salmonbellies the lead for good. The closest the
Lakers got after that was 8-7, thanks to a pair of third period goals
by Bob Wasson.
Peterborough evened the series with a Game Two victory. They won a
wild affair 19-13. With Jim Wasson, J.J. Johnston and Paul Evans
leading the charge the easterners got off to a 7-1 start. The
defending champs fought back and tied the match 9-9 in the second
period. The turning point came shortly after. Lyle Robinson picked up
an extra major penalty for pulling Mark Evans hair at the end of their
fight. Mark Tuura scored shorthanded to tie it 10-10. After that the
Laker power play struck twice. Brian Evans and Jim Wasson put the home
side ahead 12-10. Wasson was star of the game with 5 goals, 9 points
and numerous loose balls won. The Ontario champs next grabbed the
series lead with an 11-7 triumph. Ten different Lakers scored in the
game. Jim Wasson registered two counters.
The Salmonbellies got off to a good start in Game Four thanks to a
close call going their way. On Peterborough's first power play of the
night, Jan Magee blasted a shot off Doug Zack's head. Jim Wasson
popped the rebound into the net. Yet the goal was not allowed. It was
ruled that play had been stopped for the injured Zack. Later, on the
same power play, New Westminster scored two shorthanded goals for a 3-0
lead. They went on to double the Lakers 16-8. Geordie Dean finished
the night with five markers.
That was the westerners second and final victory of the championship.
Their host dominated Game Five until the late stages. Peterborough was
up 13-7 when the Salmonbellies scored five times in two minutes!
Still, the easterners hung on for the win. J.J. Johnston got an
insurance marker with 35 seconds remaining. it was his fifth goal on
the evening.
The sixth and final game was even more dramatic. Approximately 2,500
fans watched their team lead throughout the match but the visitors
never quit. Eric Cowieson's four goals kept them in the game. It was
8-8 in the last period when a Laker surge appeared to clinch the title.
They jumped in front 11-9, only to see their opponents come back one
last time. With Mac Maude on the bench for an extra attacker, Barry
Powless scored with 25 seconds remaining. That tied the contest 11-11
and sent it into a ten minute overtime period. Diminuitive Frank Kylie
starred in the extra period. He won all eight draws, guaranteeing the
Lakers ball possession much of the time. They didn't take advantage
until the last two minutes. At the 8:20 mark J.J. Johnston scored the
only goal of the session. 12-11 Peterborough and their first Mann Cup
win in four years.
The Oshawa/Whitby rivalry met in the playoffs for the second and last
time. The Semi Final series went the distance. Given that Iroquois
Park and the Civic Auditorium were only 90 minutes walking distance
apart, home advantage was meaningless. The visiting club won the first
four contests. The Builders took control of the series by finally
winning at home in Game Five. They also looked like sure winners in
Oshawa again the next night. In Game Six they built up a 10-5 second
period lead. As Whitby fans taunted the Gaels' bench the series
appeared to be over. Then Joe Roznik brought Oshawa back from the
brink of elimination. Roznik was in his final year of junior. He'd
been a second line player his entire career, talented but never to the
point of becoming a superstar. His one moment of glory came towards
the end of the second period of Game Six. He scored three times as the
Green Gaels fought back. Over the last 20 minutes they won the contest
going away. Roznik finished the night with five goals. The ever
dependable Derek Keenan added six more and Oshawa won 19-14. Roznik's
effort was so impressive that Jim Brady went out of his way to
congratulate the Gael. The Whitby coach knew that his team had blown
their chance.
That set the stage for the grand finale to Junior Lacrosse's most
intense rivalry. The two clubs would play four regular season games in
1983, however a depleted Oshawa squad would be easy pickings for
Whitby. The seventh game took place at Iroquois Park on a Saturday
night. The two high powered offences became entangled in a hardnose
defensive struggle which saw only eleven goals. The netminding of Ken
Passfield and Rob McLean was at its best. The Builders led 5-3 through
40 minutes, however Passfield shut them out in the third period. The
Green Gaels fought back for a 6-5 victory. The winning goal came with
8 minutes remaining. Warren Palmer scored off a rebound.
Depth had never been the Gaels strength. Plus coming off such a long,
emotional series they were in no condition to meet first place
Peterborough in the league final. The well rested James Gang swept the
Gaels. This marked the end of Derek Keenan and Jayde Gibbs' careers.
Both players had passed Cam Devine as the league's all time leading
scorer. Keenan finished with 1,086 points, Gibbs 1,070 and Devine
1.039.
Peterborough headed west to Vancouver Island. The defending Minto Cup
champs met a Victoria-Esquimalt Legion squad loaded with veterans - ten
last year juniors. The James Gang, however, had the talent and
displayed it immediately. The Batley Boys(Wayne and Todd) both scored
four goals as the visitors won the opener 13-5. The Legion came back
to win the next contest dramatically. They trailed 5-3 with less than
9 minutes remaining. Gord Taylor tied it with a pair of goals six
seconds apart. Wayne Christiaens potted the winner with 3 minutes
left. After this game, the defending champs lost their leading scorer
Wayne Batley for the series. Some hotel horse play prematurely ended
Batley's season with a heel injury. Nevertheless, following their
fourth loss of the season, the James Gang was at its best. Brian Hall
scored five times as they won 13-2. Victoria's two markers came 47
seconds apart in the middle of the match. The fourth game was much
more entertaining. The Legion led 6-2 after the first period. The
tide turned Peterborough's way when Hall and Larry Floyd scored
consecutive shorthanded goals in the second. That put them ahead 7-6.
Four third period tallies clinched a 12-9 victory.
This win was marred by western complaints about the officiating. The
griping about the work of Ontario referee Don Brockie in particular but
also his BC counterparts Bill Geddies and Reg Higgins had been going on
from the start of the series. The protests climaxed after Peterborough
took a 3-1 series lead. James Gang President Dan Quinlan was not
impressed. "The thing that is most disappointing to me is the attitude
of the whole community against referees. Right from the first meeting
we had there were comments about the referees. They had never even met
Brockie."
Officiating aside, the James Gang closed out the series in Game Five.
Their penalty killing had been so strong(only one power play goal
against the entire series) that Victoria stopped challenging their
ballcarriers while shorthanded. Peterborough built a 10-6 advantage
after two periods and made that score stick. Goaltender Shawn Quinlan
- playing on an injured ankle - shut down the Legion's offence the
final 30 minutes. At the end of the contest, the champs took half a
victory lap with the Minto Cup then went to their dressing room to
change.
