MINTO CUP PLAY DOWNS- THE 1940'S

MINTO CUP PLAY DOWNS BACK IN 1940 

After some backroom wheeling and dealing, the Minto Cup play downs were re-started in the Fall of 1940.

For a second time in three years, Orillia comes to Winnipeg on its March to the Minto Cup. Quite a rivalry has been built up between these two cities- with Manitoba falling to Orillia in two Mann Cup play downs in recent years.

The Eastern opponent will be built around a core of the current Minto Cup champion and Ontario champions- the Orillia “Baby” Terriers. Rule changes negotiated over the off-season allowed each province to be represented by an all-star team. The change was made to end the bickering between Ontario and BC over allegations of stacking their Minot Cup teams. This rule change did not affect Manitoba, which had been allowed an all-star team since 1937. Manitoba all-stars are hand picked aggregation from the only two junior team in Winnipeg (the league champions Elmwood Pats and the West End Argos). The two teams played in the newly formed Winnipeg Intermediate league, composed of the two junior teams and the Glenwood Tigers comprised of former Elmwood junior stars. The goal of this new league was to provide variety of competition while raising the level of competition. This move was hoped to improve Manitoba’s presentation in the Minto Cup play downs.

This all-star team under went a two a day weekend training camp under the watchful eye of coaches Oliver Redpath and Bert Ogston prior to the Minto Cup games on September 17 and 19. The series is a two game total goal competition. After the tryouts the following roster was selected: 3 time Minto cup goalie, Andy Branigan, Dave Ross, Dick Watt, Andy Millar, Lloyd Sinclair, Johnny Arondus, Brownie Krochak, Bill Pearce, George Johnson, Richie Ward, Norm MCAllister, Johnny Hossack and K. Lawson. The bulk of the roster should be ready for the competition as they played in the ’38 series.

The results were predictable as the well-organized smooth passing Baby Terrier swept the two game total goal series. Also predictable was the pattern within the two games- Manitoba started slow and as they became more comfortable with the pace of play, the All Stars were able to compete with the Eastern representatives. The Manitoba scoring was spread through out the roster, with Ken Hunter, Norm McAllister leading the offense. Many of quality scoring chances were swallowed up by Terrier net minder Doug Favell. Favell kept the late Manitoba in the second game rally from ending in a “Toba victory.

Orillia moved on defeated to New West Minister where they defeated the Salmon bellies to capture another Minto Cup.

MINTO CUP PLAY SUSPENDED FOR WW II FROM 1941-46

Most sports stops national competitions for the war- lacrosse was one of these sports.

MANITOBA FIGHTS FOR RESPECT IN 1947

After five years of war and one year of negotiations the Minto Cup play downs were set for the fall of 1947. Changes negotiated included that provinces would be represented by their junior provincial championship team with picks, the series between British Columbia and Manitoba will be a two game total point affair, and that the winner of the Manitoba BC competition would go forward and play the Quebec champion, with the winner of the Quebec/ Western Canadian series moving on to play the Ontario Champion. This final point was over turned and the BC unit went to St. Catherine’s for the Minto Cup.

Manitoba will be represented by a new name on the national stage- the Elmwood Terriers. The Terriers, winners of one juvenile crown and two junior titles over the past three years, took the Senior league champion Elmwood Pats to five games in the senior league playoffs- losing in the fifth game 11-9. The talented Terriers will be bolstered with pick-ups from Isaac Brock and Deer Lodge. The young lads have been groomed by playing a four full schedule of league games and playoffs- a first for any Manitoba representative team. In the past four years the Winnipeg Minor Lacrosse Association grew from 19 teams in three divisions to over 25 teams in five divisions. The Tribune described this all-star team as a tribute to Tom O’Brien and the volunteers of the Winnipeg Minor Lacrosse Association. This was just the start and it will take another 3 years before this work will yield Manitoba its first Western Canadian Junior Championship.

The Minto Cup squad topped off three weeks of training by playing the Elmwood Senior Pats in a pair of exhibition game. The Baby Elmwood team defeated the senior Pats 14-9. Mark Flynn and Ernie Martin accounted for seven of the All Stars’ goals and Gordon Fyfe was steady in the Terrier net. The junior team also won the second game.

The Manitoba roster, described by the Tribune- “The Elmwood boys, under the coaching of Les Swaffer, have developed a first rate team”:

• Goalies- Gordon Fyfe and Keith Gray
• Defense- Gordon Mussell, Andy Hebenton (Juvenile aged), Norm Stanger
• Forwards- Allan Smallwood (Juvenile aged), Jerry Bates, Jeff Liggett, Harold Ford, Mark Flynn Midget aged), George Skelly, Ernie Martin (Juvenile aged), Bill Curtis (midget aged), Bill Lakey, Tom Barefoot.

The British Columbia team will composed of a core of the provincial champion, Vancouver Burrards, and selection of the pick-ups from other teams in the BC junior league. With lacrosse being a major sport in BC, the BC team was heavy favourites to move on to Montreal.

The Winnipeg Tribune described the first game as a “trouncing” as the BC crew ran the young Terriers out of the Olympic Rink 16-3. After being blitzed in the first half of the game, the much smaller and much younger team pushed back keeping BC to just seven goals, while scoring 3 goals. Goal scorers were Al Smallwood, Hal Ford, and Jeff Liggett. The crowd of over 1200 pushed the home squad right until the final whistle. The Winnipeg Free Press described the play of goalie, Gordon Fyfe as “sensational” keeping the score respectable. The game was a bit rough with 25 penalties and two fights, but under complete control of referees Charlie Harding and Porky McCaine. The “Trib” summarized game one: “they were certainly outclassed, but were certainly weren’t out fought”.

The Terriers showed a vast improvement in the second game, falling 19-11. Using speed to attack the much larger opponent on offense, and hustling on loose balls to minimize the Burrards’ offense opportunities the Winnipeg boys kept pace with the much bigger and talented opponent. Two defensive lapses, one in the second period and another in third, allowed the BC champs to score seven and then four goals. Solid goal tending by Gordie Fyfe keep the “Dogs in the game until the end. Offensive the Elmwood squad was lead by Hal Ford (3 goals), Al Smallwood (2 goals), and Mark Flynn (1 goal and a three assists). The boys from Elmwood would not be pushed around by the heavier and more aggressive BC squad and did not give up an inch. The crowd of over 600 left the game thoroughly entertained and the Burrards left Winnipeg with a new respect for Manitoba lacrosse.

The 1947 Minto Cup play down was a glimpse of what Manitoba could do on the national stage.

1948 THE BEST OF TIMES AND THE WORST OF TIMES

When most Winnipeggers think of lacrosse the first thing that comes to mind is Elmwood. For thirty years, under the banners of the Elmwood Pats, Elmwood Terriers, and Kelvin Terriers, this region East of the Red River and North of the CP mainline was the hot bed for lacrosse. What most Winnipeggers don’t know is that prior the emergence of Elmwood, the dominant power in the game of lacrosse was West Winnipeg- south of the CP tracks and East of Maryland. In the 1920’s, the Tammany Tigers, working out of Mulvey School yard, produced junior and senior teams that dominated their respective leagues. The senior Tigers captured four provincial senior titles and representing the province in the Mann Cup over a ten-year period. The Tigers were a multi-sport club, providing lacrosse, football, baseball, and basketball, decided to focus on football- ultimately becoming the Winnipeg Football Club and today the team Winnipeggers know as the Blue Bombers. In the 1930’s, the Argonaughts Athletic Club, a multi-sport club based upon an abandon lot on Preston Street, South of Portage Avenue, picked up the mantel. With many former Tigers, the Argos dominated junior and senior play, with the senior team competing in 3 Mann Cups in ten years.

The Argos, now playing out of the West End Memorial, on Logan Avenue, continued to compete until the outbreak of World War II. Over that period of time the name Argos disappeared, with the team occasionally be referred to as the West End Argos. Until the mid-forties, West End was the number one rival in junior and senior lacrosse, with Elmwood squads capturing the bulk of league titles.

With advent of the Winnipeg Minor Lacrosse League, lacrosse boomed in West Winnipeg, with teams at West End Memorial, West End Community Centre, Orioles, and Isaac Brock. These teams, in the younger age groups, started to compete with the Elmwood Terriers- capturing titles a the bantam and midget age groups.

Since the re-establishment of the Minto Cup play downs in 1937, only teams from the Elmwood area represented Manitoba in the play downs. The Elmwood teams bolstered their rosters with “pick ups” from the west end squads, the name on the front of the jerseys read “Elmwood”.

That was until 1948, when the Isaac Brock junior team pilfered the title from the Elmwood Terriers. For the first time Manitoba was going to be represented by a team not wearing the Elmwood Colours. After four years in operation, the Winnipeg Minor Lacrosse League developed a team of players, outside of Elmwood, with enough talent to represent the province. The Brockers were composed of 14 players from the champion junior team and one pick up from Deer Lodge- Mark Flynn.

Bill Curtis, an efficient scorer and tough defender, led the west group with 2 years experience playing as a pick up with the Elmwood teams. Along with Curtis, Flynn, Skelly and Hebenton were the only other players with inter-provincial experience. The remainder of team; Palmer, Hesselwood, Morrison, Shotbolt, Henley, Martin, Sabo, McMillian, Miller, Dawson, and Dailey were playing in their first Minto Cup. The squad was going to compete against the perennial Ontario powerhouse and defensing Minto Cup Champions- the St. Catherine’s Athletics in a best two of three series.

1948 was the best of times for Manitoba lacrosse and the worst of times. The best of ’48 was having a number of competitive teams in the junior category, with Isaac Brock battling their way to represent the province. The bad times came in the form of the St. Catherine’s Athletics. The current Dominion Junior Champions held over eight players from the Cup winning team. The holes in the roster were filled with graduates from the midget and junior B teams. What these youngsters lacked in experience, they more than made up for by playing a swift fast moving game.

Eleven hundred fans packed the Olympic Rink for the first game of the series. The lacrosse enthusiasts had little to cheer about as the visitors scored early and often romping over the Brockers 28-10. Lead by the McNulty brothers, Jim and Joe, every member of the St Kitts team scored at least one point. The potent offense was anchored by spectacular goal tending by Ralph Speck. His acrobatic saves nullified most of the “Toban attack, bring thunderous ovations from the partisan Manitoba crowd.

The Manitoba team was led by “pick up” George Skelly with four goals. Bill Curtis, Johnny McMillan, Ernie Martin, Andy Hebenton, Mark Flynn, Gord Morrison, and Charlie Sabo scored singles. Goalie, Palmer, kept the game from getting really out of hand making numerous saves.

In the second game of the series, St. Catherine’s continued it scoring display, taking only six minute to score their first goal in a 25-5 triumph. Every IB attempt to get back in the game ended with it being smothered by the 15-year-old Athletics goalie Ralph Speck. Any success the “Tobans had came on the back of Bill Curtis- scoring 1 goal and assisting on the other four. Charlie Sabo potted two g’s, while singles went to Johnny McMillian and Ernie Martin.

While the score did not indicate, the Brockers were vastly improved from the first game. The disappointed fans did not leave the game discouraged realizing it was going to take time for Manitoba to close the gap. They saw the future of Manitoba lacrosse lay in the booming Winnipeg Minor Lacrosse Association. What the fans did not know, Manitoba was only a couple of years from competing and beating the historically strong teams from Ontario and British Columbia.

’49 MORE THE SAME AT MINTO CUP

In 1949, everything that was old is new again, as the provincial champion; Elmwood Terriers represented Manitoba in the Minto Cup play downs against the BC junior league all stars. Coach Les Swaffer built the team around the champion Terriers, with leading stickmen from the West End Memorials and Deer Lodge clubs were selected to bolster the team. The final roster was made up of goalies , Keith Gray and Clark Hicks, with William Lakey, Jack Bownass, Ted Ermet, and Al Bennett anchoring the defense and forwards Victor Heaton, Jack Rafferty, Al Smallwood, Stewart Holms, Cliff Hamilton, George Skelly, Lionel Merrick, and Ray Catton.

The young determined team ‘Toba team had their hands full with the extremely large, talented, and experienced BC All Star. With most of the BC all stars with Minto Cup experience and only two players under 200 pounds, the powerful west coasters proved to be too much for the younger, smaller Manitoba team.

In the first game of best of three series, BC overwhelmed Manitoba 15 to 4 at the Amphitheatre. The BC team after a slow start had a 7-2 lead in the second period, increasing their lead to 10-2 in the third period. At the start of the fourth period, Manitoba struck for two quick goals, and BC responded with five straight goals. Manitoba scorers were Stu Holm with two and singles going to Jack Rafferty and Lionel Merrick.

In the second game, marred with a half dozen fights, BC coasted to a 20 to 8 victory, sweeping the series two games straight. The small crowd in attendance had little to cheer about as Manitoba was down 11 to 1 half way through the game. Goal scorers for Manitoba were Al Smallwood with three and singles by George Skelly, Al Bennett, Jack Bownass, Ted Ermet, and Ray Catton. Undaunted by the two defeat, Manitoba coach Les Swaffer told the newspapers: “The day will come when we will have our innings”. In may take two more years but Manitoba will prove its worth in the Minto Cup.