1946 - RECORD SETTING YEAR FOR OFFENCE
With the war ended and the boys back home, this was the year the
offences went crazy. Previous to this campaign, the league's highest
scoring season had been 1943. In that year teams averaged 12.86 goals
per game. In 1946 the average was 15.04! Only 1971 has topped that
mark(15.10). In comparison, by 1948 the average had dropped to 10.07.
The league also had a record six 100 pointgetters(broken in 1971) and
sixteen 50 goal scorers! St.Catharines established a new high by
averaging 19.4 goals per game. Only the Brantford Warriors of 1971 and
1973 have ever topped that mark. Even last place Orillia managed 11
goals per game. The Terriers also used eight different goaltenders who
surrendered a shocking 665 goals!
Needless to say, it was a record breaking year. Hamilton Tigers got the
scoring derby started on July 8th with a 42-8 rout of Orillia. George
Masters' 11 goals and 2 assists set a goals and points record. A week
later Brampton Excelsiors scored 22 goals in a game and lost. Owen
Sound Georgians tallied 23 as Lloyd Wotton made one save more than Pete
Anthony - perhaps the only save of the contest? Masters record did last
to August. On the 5th St.Catharines' Stu Scott made his mark. In a
39-19 rout of Brampton(poor Pete Anthony again) Scott collected 17
points. Two days too late, Don Campbell had a 9 goal 5 assist game
against Orillia. Not to be outdone, Gordon Gair soon got into the act.
In Orillia's last home game of the year, their final game in Senior A
lacrosse period, Gair led his Barrie team to a 35-15 victory. Terrier
goaltenders Eric Fagen and Mel Murray had no chance as Gair scored 14
goals and 18 points. The goal record has never been touched, while the
points record would last over half a century. That gave Gair 100 goals
on the season. He won the scoring race, however he did not lead the
league in goals. Rookie Vince Reddy's 102 broke Bill Isaacs record of
101. Those three are the only players to reach triple figures in the
regular season. Note that in 1946, as in 1939, a 30 game scheduled was
played. Even more noteworthy, both Gair and Reddy played on Barrie
Lakeshores! Thus two unbroken records were set that August 24th evening
in Orillia.
Not all players were able to get used to peacetime. In June, Bill
Brunskill was suspended for hitting referee Sid Prosser. The pair had
been teammates only a couple of years earlier!
The circuit expanded to seven teams. Brampton-Lakeshore broke up. The
Excelsiors stayed in Brampton, while the Lakeshores moved to Barrie. It
was Barrie's one and only season in Senior lacrosse. They finished
fifth with a respectable 13-17 record. Owen Sound rejoined from
Intermediate and Orillia Terriers returned for one season. The
Georgians tied for third place with Hamilton, 17 wins apiece. Orillia
managed a mere three triumphs. They actually won their season opener by
knocking off the Tigers 13-12 as Mike Cunningham scored five times.
Before May was completed they topped Owen Sound 14-10. Veteran Ernie
Curran had five in that one. What followed was a 25 game losing streak.
Once goaltender George Savage was lost for the year, the Terriers
collapsed as a competitive force. One final win came at the expense of
Owen Sound. Orillia blasted them with 28 goals! Curran counted five
goals and four each to Tom White, Bob Burrell and J.J. Hill. Yet the
season was a humbling experience for Mann Cup champions like Ernie
Botting, Ernie and Bill Curran.
The Athletics took the regular season pennant with a 24-5-1 record, two
points better than Mimico. Hamilton's 17 wins earned them third spot,
while Brampton struggled through a 7-23 season. The playoff format was
a peculiar one. First place drew third and second-fourth. That was
nothing new, however the fifth and sixth place teams also squared off.
The highest seeded Quarter Final winner would get the choice of a bye to
the Final.
The best of three first round series all ended quickly. The Double
Blues dumped Hamilton two straight, concluding with an 11-5 win. Mimico
edged past Owen Sound in a tight 11-10 opener. They followed that with
a 21-13 victory. Blain McDonald had hattricks in both matches. Jack
"Curly' Mason scored five times for the Georgians. Barrie also
dismissed Brampton in two games. A narrow 11-10 triumph preceeded a
17-13 win. In the latter contest, Gordon Gair and Carl Madgett matched
each other with five goals for their respective teams. Vince Reddy's
four markers were the difference.
St.Catharines chose to play Barrie in the Semi Final and took care of
them with two 16 goal efforts. The Lakeshores were without Reddy for
Game #1. Gordon Gair had five goals and an assist in the 16-7 loss.
The next contest ended 16-10. Gair scored four more, while Reddy played
and chipped in two goals and two assists. Jim McMahon topped them both
with a five goal effort for the winners.
That set up another St.Catharines-Mimico classic. The first game on
September 6th featured the dueling hattricks. Jim McMahon and Roy
Morton scored three each for the A's, while red helmeted Elmer Lee and
Ed Sandford did the same for the Mounties. St.Catharines prevailed
16-12. Mimico evened the series at home by tripling the Double Blues
24-8! A six goal night for Ken Dixon, with four goal support from
brother Archie and Sandford. Blain McDonald also contributed five
points. The Athletics took their revenge at home with a 15-8 win. Bill
Nelson and Stu Scott led with four goals each. Another hattrick for
Sandford in the loss. Jack Williams joined the series for the next
encounter. He was held to one goal by Doug Favell as St.Catharines took
another 16-12 decision. Triples for Jack McMahon, Scott, Don 'Scotty'
McPhail and Archie Dixon. Ed Sandford was also cooled off and limited
to a single marker. After two night's rest, the Mountaineers came back
with a convincing 18-8 victory. Six points for McDonald, five more for
Ken Dixon and four goals from Williams, who shook the cobwebs out of his
stick. Both McMahons scored three times for the losers. Mimico next
forced the series to the limit with a 20-9 triumph. Four goals from the
sticks of Archie Dixon and McPhail. Three more from Sandford and Ken
Dixon. For the series finale the Haig Bowl was sold out and 500 people
had to be turned away. Thanks, in part, to Blain McDonald's hattrick,
Mimico entered the final quarter in a tight 9-9 tie. Then the Double
Blues erupted for eight consecutive goals from seven different players.
That clinched them a 17-10 victory and another championship.
Five days later, the champs were in Montreal to battle Quebec Mounts.
Several former Athletics were in the easterners line up, including
captain Sid Wright. The Mounts also had Punch Imlach, who would score
three points in the short series. St.Catharines took the first game
19-12, despite being without Roy Morton. A remarkable four goal five
assist effort from Jim McMahon led the way. Pat Smith and Stu Scott
both supported with six points each. Armand Bourdon was best for Quebec
with five points. The second contest was a 16-7 victory for the A's.
Jack McMahon scored seven points and Scott bulged the twine four times.
Sid Wright led the losers with a hattrick.
The Mann Cup Final commenced on Monday September 30th. New Westminster
Salmonbellies earned the right to represent the west after going through
ICLL play with a 20-8-1 record. They could boast three of the league's
top four scorers in champion Ike Hildebrand, Ralph Burton and Bert
Bryant. Both Pete Meehan and Bill Dickinson also had 30 goals and 50
point seasons. All that paled in comparison to the offensive power of
St.Catharines. Hildebrand's 55 goals and 82 points in 24 games was
impressive, however the A's had two 100 point scorers in Bill Nelson and
Jim McMahon, plus Stu Scott(91 pts) Roy Morton(88) Pat Smith(87) Joe
Cheevers(80) Tom Madsen(77) and George Urquhart(71). The westerners
would be sorely tested.
The opening game was played in front of 6,640 fans. New Westminster
carried the lead throughout much of the contest. They led 5-3 after 30
minutes and 8-6 by the three quarter mark. With 5 minutes remaining the
westerners were still up 10-9. The Fishmen were controlling the ball
and working the clock when a wild pass led to disaster. 200 pounder Ham
Nelson pounced on the loose ball and sent Pat Smith into the clear to
tie it. St.Catharines won the ensuing draw and Jack McMahon took
control. He methodically worked his way in close, backing in on the
defence, before flipping a shot into the top corner. 11-10 A's and they
won the next draw and held the ball until the final minute. Stu Scott
led the Double Blues with three goals. The speedy sniper slipped past
the defence to take passes at the side of the crease. Twice he was
knocked flat as he shot. Burly defenceman Bill Dickinson scored a
hattrick for New Westminster. The work of referees Carl Madsen and Joe
Murphy was approved of by both teams. The Salmonbellies only complained
about the close checking on Ike Hildebrand.
The crowd increased to 7,698 for the Wednesday night encounter. New
West won the initial quarter 5-4. Referee Max Peart was calling a very
tight game and displeased the Fishmen by giving Ed Downey a major
penalty for a hit on McMahon. The A's were held to one goal, thus the
Salmonbellies escaped the first half on even terms. The Double Blue
second half explosion floored them. St.Catharines broke things open
enroute to an 18-9 victory. Goaltender Bill Scuby was claimed to have
gotten a lame back from bending over to pick so many balls out of his
net! The local press went on to boast that the westerners had better
rush out and get their last minute shopping done before the trip home.
For once the media got it right. New Westminster would be heading home
after Friday's third game, however they wouldn't go without a fight.
Coach Jack Wood changed Salmonbelly tactics, having his chargers apply
lots of forechecking. The result was they controlled two-thirds of the
play, nailed most of the loose balls and even won some draws! However
impatient shooting, coupled with the netminding of Doug Favell would be
their downfall. The contest went into the last fifteen minutes with the
A's up 8-7. Pete Meehan had an excellent chance to tie it but bounced a
shot off Favell's ear. Favell later robbed Ed Downey. Meanwhile
St.Catharines began to run the clock down. Jack McMahon deliberately
worked the ball up floor. Eventually three Fishmen ganged up on him.
So he tossed a pass to Doug Cove who went in to score the ninth
St.Catharines goal. Two more late markers followed, giving the
Athletics an 11-7 win and their fifth Mann Cup.
It appeared to only be the beginning for a franchise destined to
challenge the Salmonbellies as Canada's greatest team. With yet another
championship and so many good young players on the team, the sky looked
to be the limit. Better still, the Junior A's had won the Minto Cup
that year. Another would soon follow, plus four straight OLA titles.
The timing was perfect for the veterans to retire. Wandy McMahon(aged
33) Pung Morton(31) George Urquhart(31) and Joe Cheevers(31) all
announced that they'd be retiring AGAIN! "This time we mean it" they
chorused. Cheevers would jump to Hamilton while the other three would
be back in Double Blue again the next spring. Yet Cheevers would be the
only one to ever win another Mann Cup. The Athletics were about to
begin a drought which still hasn't ended. The famed youth movement
would win more Mann Cups...for teams in Peterborough, Victoria and
Nanaimo.
The year ended on a sad note. Diminutive Brampton goaltender Pete
Anthony survived fighting in Europe to return to the Excelsiors.
Unfortunately we was unable to survive an off season auto accident.
Anthony had starred in Orillia's early Mann Cup triumphs, then helped
the Salmonbellies end eastern dominance of the Dominion Championship in
the mid thirties.
