1938 - FIRST MANN CUP FOR THE GARDEN CITY
In this campaign every team made the playoffs. This was due to
Brantford dropping out in mid season. With several additions from
Orillia, plus Bill Wilson's return home from New Westminster,
St.Catharines finished first with a 23-5 record. The defending champs
also won twenty games, good enough for second place. Brampton and
Mimico tied for third. Even though they were scheduled to meet in the
Quarter Finals the Mountaineers and Excelsiors had to play a two game
tie break to determine home advantage. The two games were split but
Mimico scored the most goals to win the series. They then turned around
and lost two straight playoff games to Brampton. So much for home
advantage.
The regular season featured a tremendous scoring race as the 100 point
barrier was eclipsed. Bill Isaacs, back with Hamilton-Burlington, edged
Pung Morton 111 to 101. Isaacs also scored a record setting 80 goals.
Morton counted 73, closely followed by Bucko MacDonald's 70. MacDonald
returned to the OLA wearing Terrier colours. Orillia also signed
Toronto junior sensation Bill Brunskill. Brunskill was one of the most
natural goal scorers the game has ever seen. He scored 50 in 24 games
his freshman year. The defending champs also coaxed Gord Boettger out
of retirement. It was an annual spring tradition for Butch Boettger to
announce his retirement and he usually rejoined the Terriers by June at
the latest.
Both St.Catharines and Orillia had easy Quarter Final series. The
Double Blues defeated Hamilton-Burlington by scores of 15-12 and 16-7.
The Terriers had an even easier time. They faced Fergus, minus league
leading playmaker Rusty White. The Thistles were crushed 22-8 as
Brunskill scored six and Ernie Curran added five. White returned for
the second game and counted a hattrick. Orillia still romped, 21-15.
In an odd twist, the Athletics declined the bye and chose to play
Brampton in the Semi Final. They nearly regretted it as the Excelsiors
gave them two very tough matches. 2,600 attended the opener in
Brampton. It was a rugged, hard checking battle. Fairly even as
St.Catharines only took a 5-3 lead to halftime. Four straight goals to
begin the third quarter broke it open. The home side battled back late.
Two George Gowland markers cut the lead to 11-8 with 5 minutes
remaining. The Excelsiors added one more in the last minute, losing
11-9. Over 3,000 watched the rematch three days later. As Hitler
marched through Czechoslavkia, the A's moved on to the Final, thanks to
an 8 goal second quarter. They led 11-4 at the half, enroute to a 12-9
win.
A rested Orillia squad promptly surprised the Double Blues by winning
the opener of their best of five final 14-8. Over 4,200 saw the purple
and white Terriers sail to victory. Carl Madsen scored 12 seconds into
the contest. Orillia replied with the next 6 goals. It was 12-3 by the
end of the third quarter. Hattricks for junior call, redheaded up
Onions Smith and Bucko MacDonald.
On September 19th, the defending champs continued to look good. They
led St.Catharines 2-0 early then 3-2. Bill Brunskill next went to work.
He set up MacDonald for a score, then added another on a solo effort 20
seconds later. By halftime Orillia led 6-2. The biggest blunder of the
match was made by Terrier goaltender Ted Hall. Four minutes into the
quarter Hall went the length of the floor only to be stopped by Bill
Whitaker. Whitaker fired a quick pass to Bill Wilson who beat defender
Don Willson to the open net for an easy goal. That sparked an Double
Blue rally, cutting the lead to 6-5. Brunskill stopped the bleeding
with Orillia's final goal of the quarter and their last of the night.
George Hope made it 7-6 at the end of the period. Eleven scoreless
minutes followed. Finally George Urquhart tied the game. With 2 1/2
minutes remaining, Roy Barnard set up ex-Terrier Wandy McMahon
shorthanded for the winner. Two more Athletic goals were counted in the
last minute.
After a days rest the series continued. 4,300 braved a continual
downpour. Jerry Connell fractured his leg when Carl Madsen fell on top
of him. This injury ended the big Orillia defenceman's season. Roy
Morton missed the match due to two cracked ribs. The contest was even
3-3, then Whitaker shutout the champs for a 32 minute stretch.
St.Catharines scored nine times during that stretch. They went on to an
easy 18-7 win. Late in the evening, Tom Teather and Bill Brunskill
treated the fans to a penalty box fight.
The A's were without George Coles(stomach disorder) for the next game.
They won without him. St.Catharines led 4-2 after fifteen minutes and
8-3 by the half. It was 14-10 late when they punished the desperate
Terriers with two open net goals. The purple and white's domination of
Ontario lacrosse was at an end.
A week later, the Double Blues began their Mann Cup quest in Cornwall.
They were challenged by a game local crew. Angus George beat Bill
Whitaker five times and Lawrence Deebank scored four. After thirty
minutes the contest was tied 6-6. The Athletics won the third period
6-2 to take control. They went on to a 17-11 victory as George Urquhart
scored four times. The second match was in Toronto and a wild one.
Twenty second half goals as St.Catharines took it 25-8.
There had been a revolution in Royal City lacrosse. A New Westminster
club was coming east, however it wasn't the Salmonbellies. They had
been surpassed by the Adanacs(Canada spelt backwards). Which brings us
to one of the great western myths of lacrosse. Common knowledge has it
that the Adanacs were created because the Salmonbellies were importing
easterners and denying local kids a chance to play. Nothing could be
further from the truth. The Ontario imports did not hit New Westminster
in force until 1936. The Adanacs meanwhile had finished 4th in the ICLL
in 1933(7-17 record) 4th in '34(8-16) 4th ahead of the Fishmen in
'35(9-15) 4th in '36(10-14) as the Bellies soared back to the top with
their eastern talent and 2nd in '37(15-13). With the Salmonbellies
going after out of province players the Adanacs did become the team for
the local boys to play on but that wasn't the reason the A's were
created. Regardless of the reasons, '38 was to be the year the Adanacs
capped their improvement with a championship. They finished first in
league play with a 17-7 record, slightly ahead of the 15-5
Salmonbellies. In the ICLL final, they defeated their hated rivals 3
games to 1. The western A's were about to duel with the eastern A's.
The first game at Maple Leaf Gardens drew a crowd of 6,000. Chief
Thomas of Six Nations made Charles Querrie an honoury chief before the
series kicked off. New Westminster took the opening quarter 4-3. It
was 6-6 by halftime, thanks to Pung Morton's hat trick. It was 9-9 by
three quarter time as Morton potted another pair. There was a 10 minute
delay when a fan tossed a bottle onto the floor. A burly cop escorted
the troublemaker from the building in no gentle manner. New West
grabbed their final lead early in the last period. 35 seconds later
George Urquhart tied it. A minute later Morton scored yet again. Then
84 seconds after that Morton's 7th goal made it 12-10. The Double Blues
blasted home four more by the eight minute mark. The final was 18-11.
On October 10th the Adanacs again started well. Ali Baba Gus Madsen hit
them early, with a goal 98 seconds into the match. Still the westerners
kept it tight and only trailed 7-6 by the half. To begin the third
quarter, Carl Madsen again and Urquhart scored 30 seconds apart. After
that New West was swept away by the Double Blue tide. 15-7 by the end
of the period, as St.Catharines eventually doubled them 22-11. Bill
Fitzgerald led with five goals. Madsen and Roy Morton each scored four
times.
Inspired by the New York Yankees just completed sweep of the Chicago
White Soxs, the Athletics looked to finish New Westminster off. Yet
Again the Adanacs started out tough to beat. They led 6-4 after thirty
minutes and took a 6-5 lead into the fourth quarter. Roly poly
defenceman Roy Barnard tied it after running down the righthand boards
to score. Bob Saunders put the westerners ahead one last time at the 5
minute mark. It was soon level again, then George Hope scored the
winner with 5 minutes left. Morton and Barnard added two more, making
the final result 10-7. One hundred motor cars followed the Double Blues
team bus back to St.Catharines.
On the Junior front, Orillia's Tiny Terriers were poised to repeat as
Minto Cup champions. They were just as strong in '38. They had lost a
handful of players, including future C.F.L. Commissioner Jake Gaudaur,
but their many talented youngsters were a year older and that much
better. However there was one player, in his final year of junior, who
would spoil Orillia's chances. Mimico's Jack Williams was unstoppable.
Much of the Junior Mounts scoring records have been lost, however in two
Regular Season meetings Williams twice scored six against Orillia!
Imagine what he did against the weaker teams in the league. In the
provincial final, the unbeaten Mountaineers easily disposed of the Tiny
Terriers. The game scores were 24-4 and 30-8! Big Jack counted seven
in the first and eleven in the last. Williams made quite an impression
because he ended up with the Senior Terriers for the '39 season.
