1939 - THE BEST EVER?
It was a year for rewriting the record book as Bill Isaacs took the game
to a new level. He scored 101 goals and 64 assists over a 30 game
schedule. His goal mark is the second highest in league history. His
assist record lasted until 1950. And his 165 points were not surpassed
until 1971. All three records were extraordinary but one should not
underestimate the 64 assists. It was an era when statisticians awarded
assists begrudingly. The idea of a team counting two assists for every
goal, something Six Nations Chiefs did in two games during the '96
campaign, was unthinkable. Most goals went unassisted and only on rare
occasions were two assists given for a goal. To make a point, five
years later Bill Brunskill won the scoring title with 67 goals and only
3 assists! Using modern scoring standards, it is not unthinkable to
double Isaacs' assist total. Which would make his accomplishment the
greatest in OLA history.
It is easy to see why Isaacs racked up the assists, he was on one of the
most offensive lines ever put together. Hamilton Tigers Indian Line was
awesome. While Isaacs won the scoring title, Bob Jamieson finished
second with 84 goals and 37 assists, followed by Scotty Martin with 70
and 40. Martin and Jamieson were the second and third best playmakers
in the league, even finishing ahead of passing legend Rusty White! Also
on the Indian Line was Jack Squires, who missed the Top Ten by seven
points.
The faltering Orillia Terriers began their slide this season. To start
the year, four players were lost to suspension. Ted Hall, Vern
Steggall, Hugh Kelly and Bill Brunskill all had to sit out ten games
because they had played professional lacrosse over the winter in
California. Orillia's greatest loss, however, came during the off
season. The big guy Jerry Connell passed away that winter. He was
honoured at the home opener when a special poem was read in his memory.
With only six teams in the circuit the playoff format was altered.
First played third, second met fourth, while fifth took on the
Intermediate champion. This bizarre system lasted three years.
There was little to choose between the top four clubs in the league.
St.Catharines led(21-8-1) then came Mimico(18-11-1) Orillia(18-12) and
Hamilton(18-12). Fergus was a distant fifth and Brampton missed post
season play.
The Indian Line had a short playoff run of only three games. Second
place Mimico defeated fourth place Hamilton in the best of three series.
Bill Isaacs broke loose with 6 points in the Tigers lone win, however
he was held to single goals in both losses.
The high profile First Round match-up was between St.Catharines and
Orillia. The Terriers went to the Garden City and shocked the Mann
Cupholders 15-9. Bill Brunskill scored four times, Ernie Botting three
and Don Willson set up four as the Athletics suddenly faced elimination
up in Orillia. Their season nearly came to an abrupt end as they
narrowly survived an 8-7 nail biter. Deuces from Bill Fitzgerald and
Pung Morton, plus three points from Gus Madsen saved the day. Back in
St.Catharines, the Double Blues romped to a 15-3 win. Tom 'Tank'
Teather fired in a hattrick, Willie Hope and Bill Wilson added four
points each, while Madsen chipped in five assists.
Again the A's declined the Semi Final bye and took on Fergus in a brief
two game series. They crushed the Thistles 22-13. Morton potted seven
goals as Rusty White counted seven points in a losing cause. The second
game wasn't much closer, 14-9 Double Blues. Hope led all scorers with
five points, four goals for Fitzgerald and a hattrick to Wandy McMahon.
Bill England was Fergus' star with three goals.
A Mimico/St.Catharines Final was appropriate. These two squads had
placed eleven players among the Top Twenty scorers - eight of them A's.
The series commenced on September 15th. Archie Dixon's four goals were
not enough in the opener as St.Catharines won 15-9. Mimico came back at
the Drummond Bowl to win 10-8. McLean and Gordon Gair both registered
hat-tricks. Then the championship defence of Art Brown and his
outstanding goaltender Bill Whittaker took over. An 11-2 triumph as
Madsen scored four goals, followed by a 9-5 victory with McMahon
counting five.
This led St.Catharines west to defend their Mann Cup title. Like the
Terriers, two years earlier, they were treated by the B.C. press like
invincible titans. "One of the greatest lacrosse teams to come from the
east," was the Vancouver Sun's view. New Westminster Adanacs surprised
them with a tight 12-10 win. The Double Blues had led most of the way
but lost the final quarter 5-2. It was a chippy game with plenty of
slashing and a popular penalty box. The Athletics were not happy with
the officiating but blamed the long trek west for their fourth quarter
fade. They promised that Game Two would be different. It was the
toughest, hardest checking game ever seen. The Double Blues had a heavy
crew, not afraid of using their weight. The Adanacs had already
survived a playoff series against the hated Salmonbellies, plus a seven
game final versus Vancouver. They did not wilt under the St.Catharines
pressure. Gordy Saunders scored the winning goal with six minutes
remaining as New Westminster hung on for a 9-8 win. The Athletics were
so dissatisfied with the officiating that they forced the CLA to fly out
Ontario referee, and former A, Max Peart. Peart would make the twelve
hour flight just for one game. Over 6,000 fans celebrated as the
western A's won the third game 15-11. An all BC team had actually won
the Dominion's Box Lacrosse championship!
Nine teams were set to challenge for the Junior championship, however
only six actually competed. In Group One, Brooklin dropped out.
Orillia went perfect through 14 games. They did lose playoff games to
Brampton and Toronto, still the Tiny Terriers won group honours. In
Group Two, neither Hamilton nor Orangeville played a game. Thus the
St.Catharines city championship was for the group title. The Shamrocks
prevailed.
The provincial final was a homer series. The Shamrocks won twice in the
Garden City and Orillia registered one home triumph. The last game was
a 10-9 overtime thriller going St.Catharines' way. The next day the
championship was awarded to Orillia because several Shamrock players did
not have junior cards. It wasn't that they were overage or illegal
imports. Simply put, their paperwork hand not been completed to the
satisfaction of the OLA. The Tiny Terriers went on to represent Ontario
and win their second Minto Cup.
