1961 - A YEAR OF FIRSTS 


This was the year lacrosse abandoned Peterborough, however Peterborough
did not abandon lacrosse.  The Senior club folded thus players like
Larry Ferguson and Bob Batley headed down the road to Brooklin and
joined their new Senior franchise.  The Junior Petes also left town,
relocating to the east.  Thus the first Hastings Legionaires club
entered Jr.A play.  It was an all Peterborough side, however they would
be based in Hastings for the next seven years.

The Legionaires wasted no time making history.  They finished second to
Brampton during regular season play but produced the greatest comeback
ever in Jr.A..  Brampton won the first three games in the League Final
by scores of 8-2, 12-10 and 10-9.  Then the Legionaires fought back with
victories of 9-6, 7-6 and 9-5.  For the seventh game in Brampton they
were at their very best, winning 11-5!  The first and only time a team
has come from three games down in league history!

Hastings odyssey was far from complete.  Being an odd numbered year they
should have hosted the Minto Cup, however Port Credit had been chosen as
the site for the series.  Despite strenuous appeals to have the series
moved to Peterborough the CLA would not budge.  Thus the final was
played in front of small crowds.  The most fanatical supporters of
Peterborough lacrosse thought the CLA was still out to get Peterborough.
 Such fanatics would soon be joined by less biased fans as the CLA was
about to pull something out of its hat - and it wasn't a rabbit!

The last neutral site Minto Cup began as any Dominion championship
should.  Burnaby won the opener 13-11, then Hastings rebounded to win
the second contest 11-10.  Burnaby scored the tying goal at the buzzer
but the referee ruled the ball had entered the net too late.  The
westerners appealed the decision.  Brampton pick up John McCauley was
outstanding with six points for the second straight night.  For the
third game, Saturday night, Grant Heffernan scored four times as the
Legionaires won again.  The next night Ken Ruttan and Whitby pick up
John Davis scored hattricks as Hastings took a 3-1 series lead.  Thus by
Tuesday evening the Peterborough kids made the long trip back to Port
Credit knowing they could win the Canadian championship that night.
They got quite a surprise to arrive at the arena and discover that the
CLA had overruled the referee's decision at the end of Game Two, awarded
Burnaby the goal and declared the game an 11-11 tie!  The first and only
tie in Minto Cup play since the field era.  By the end of the night the
series was even at 2-2-1 as the Lakers won Game Five.  Temporarily
stunned but undaunted, the Legionaries responded like true champions.
Jim Vilneff scored five points as Hastings won Wednesday's match.  On
Friday they clinched the championship as Fergus pick up Gary Landoni
scored twice and Dave Drummond had three points.  Hastings 4 Burnaby 2
and 1 tie.

In Senior, Peterborough was replaced by Niagara Falls Scobies and
Brooklin Hillcrests.  Niagara Falls did not work out.  Their one year in
the league saw them win only three times and give up more than twice as
many goals as they scored.  On the otherhand, Brooklin was a great
success.  Rookie Terry Davis won the scoring championship, Brooklin
finished fourth with a 10-14 record and they gave a good account of
themselves in the Semi Finals by battling Brampton for seven games.  It
was defensive lacrosse at its best as both teams managed to score 10
goals in a game only once.  Brampton took the last game 9-5.

The league continued to be as defensive as ever as only Port Credit and
St.Catharines averaged over ten goals per game.  Junior lacrosse was
just breaking out of its offensive slump, thanks in part to John Davis
setting a rookie record with 92 goals.  John also won the scoring
championship, on a team that missed the playoffs!  Thus the Davis
brothers swept the Jr.A and Sr.A scoring races, something that had never
been done before.  To compare Junior to Senior, Davis' 92 goals were
almost twice what anyone in Senior scored, though both leagues played 24
game schedules.  Gary Moore led Senior with 47 goals, followed closely
by Terry Davis and Larry Ruse both with 46.

Port Credit finished in first place and met third place St.Catharines to
start the playoffs.  Their six game series was the shortest of the OLA
post season.  The last game went to double overtime before Lou Nickle
beat Buff McCready.  Russell and McCready surrendered only fifteen goals
in 74 minutes.

The defensive struggles continued in the final.  The Sailors took the
opener 7-6.  Larry Ruse scored the winner with seven minutes remaining.
Brampton won at home 8-7 as Bob 'Duke' Savage outdueled Dave 'Porky'
Russell.  Jim Thompson got one period of work in the final and it was a
disaster for Brampton.  He surrendered nine goals as Elmer Lee's crew
won 11-4.  That was the only time in the series Port Credit scored more
than seven goals in a game.  Brampton leveled the series with a 7-6
victory.  Bruce Wanless broke the tie with over five minutes left.  Game
Five was ultra defensive until late in the second period.  Port Credit
took advantage of a Wanless penalty and scored two power play goals.
That extended their lead to 4-1 and broke the game wide open.  The
Sailors won it 7-3.  The Mann Cup holders were looking good in Game Six
as well.  They won the opening period 3-1.  Brampton battled back to tie
it and grabbed their first lead with a Bill Castator goal late in the
second.  They exploded for seven more in the third and won going away
13-7.  That was the only time in the series Brampton scored more than
eight goals in a game.  The goaltending duel was back on for Game Seven.
 Duke Savage was solid but Porky Russell blinked during the second
period.  Brampton ran three goals past him to grab a 5-1 lead.  Port
Credit fought back and cut the lead to 6-4 with six minutes remaining.
Gord Thompson scored two minutes later to clinch the win.  It was
Brampton's first championship since 1931!