APRIL 16, 1951
NAHC FINAL SET: VALS VS BEES
In a rematch of the 1946 Challenge Cup final it will be the Montreal Valiants and Boston Bees meeting to determine who will be crowned champion of the North American Hockey Confederation for 1950-51. The Valiants, winners of last year's Cup, knocked off the Detroit Motors in six games after winning the final three of the series including two in overtime. Boston, which finished fourth in the regular season, knocked off the first place New York Shamrocks in last night's game seven to reach the finals for the first time in three years but are making their 9th finals appearance over the past 14 seasons.
Boston, which beat Montreal in six games in the 1946 final, also eliminated the Valiants in two of their three meetings since 1940 in the semi-finals. The Bees have hoisted the Challenge Cup on 7 occasions, trailing only Toronto with 8 Cup wins, but have not won one since the spring of 1947. Montreal owns 4 Challenge Cup victories including last season's victory over the Shamrocks in the finals which snapped a 0-4 Valiants streak in Challenge Cups since 1928. All-time the Bees and Vals are 2-2 in Cup finals with Boston prevailing in the two most recent meetings- 1946 and 1938- while Montreal had the upper hand in the 1924 and 1928 finals against the Bees.
The Valiants dropped the opening game of their series with Detroit on home ice and trailed two games to one before reeling off three straight victories with two of those wins coming in overtime. In all three of the six games needed extra time to determine a winner including Tuesday's fourth game. That one was a 3-2 Montreal win as Jimmy Backus scored twice before the game was five minutes old. The hometown Motors got one back on a Nick Tardif tally late in the frame and it remained 2-1 until Vincent Arsenault pulled the Motors even with a goal nine minutes into the third period. The Vals dominated much of the game, outshooting Detroit 18-5 in the opening frame and 14-7 in the third period but Detroit goaltender Millard Touhey made some big saves to force the extra period. It was all Montreal as the Motors failed to register a shot in overtime and the Vals fifth shot on goal of the period, a deflection from just outside the crease by Brett Lanceleve of a Shel Herron point shot, gave the Valiants a 3-2 victory and evened the series at two games apiece.
Montreal dominated game five on home ice, blasting Detroit 4-1 led by two Wayne Augustin goals in a game that saw the Valiants once more outshoot Detroit -this time by a 30-19 margin. Shel Heron and Clarence Skinner also scored for the winners while Bob Pilon's first period marker was the only Detroit shot to eluded Tom Brockers in the Montreal net.
***Wild Third Period Highlights Game Six ***
As they had in games four and five the Montreal Valiants struck early with the opening goal of the sixth game. Clarence Skinner would get his first of two in the game just past the two minute mark but Moe Treadwell would even things for Detroit a minute later. The second period saw each team score once more with Skinner collecting his fifth of the playoff before Ben Witt again pulled Detroit even.
That set up a wild third period that saw Montreal score three times in the first ten minutes to take a 5-2 lead only to see Detroit storm back with three of their own including Treadwell's second of the game, with 1:28 remaining on the clock, to force overtime. The first overtime was wide open with Detroit, hoping to prolong the series and return to Montreal for game seven, firing everything it had including 18 shots at Brockers but the veteran goaltender who already owns four Challenge Cup rings seemed dialed in on getting a shot at fifth one by stopping all 18 of the Motors shots. The game went to a second overtime and it took just two minutes for Paulie Mosca to end the game and send Montreal to the finals with his first goal of the playoffs.
It was a hard fought series that left both clubs banged up. By series end the Motors were missing four forwards from their top nine including a pair of 19 goal scorers in Graham Comeau and Lou Barber. The Valiants also have four players nursing injuries including key defenseman Shel Herron and Isaac Finnson along with 30+ point producers Jimmy Backus and Arlen Doherty. There are some questions about the availability of each of the four for the Challenge Cup Finals opener tomorrow night.
*** Bees Nearly Squander Big Lead ***
When Bryant Williams scored in overtime of game four to give the Boston Bees a commanding three games to one lead on the New York Shamrocks it looked as if the Bees would have an easy time of things eliminating the top team in the regular season. The Shamrocks had much different ideas as New York came out flying at Bigsby Garden Wednesday evening for game five. Rusty Mullins scored just 2:16 into the game and that opened the floodgates as Greenshirts rolled to a 6-0 victory with Alex Sorrell making 28 saves for the shutout of this years playoffs. Simon Savard would score twice with Jerry Finch, Joe Martin and Orval Cabbell adding singles.
Armed with a little momentum the Shamrocks went into Boston Friday evening looking to even the series and force a seventh game. Of that they were very successful in skating to a 5-2 victory. Rusty Mullins opened the scoring for the second game in a row before Tommy Hart and Mickey Bedard replied to give the Bees a 2-1 lead. Three second period New York goals, off the sticks of Martin, Eric Abbott and Geoff Hartnell turned the tide and Hartnell's second goal of the game, early in the third frame finished off the scoring. There was a scary moment for the Shamrocks when Martin was clipped near his eye by a high stick and did not return. The injury would later be diagnosed as serious enough to end his playoffs but not bad enough to cause any long term damage to his eye.
Last night's game seven saw another early goal but this time it was Mickey Bedard of Boston doing his best to silent the cheering of 14,300 rabid Bigsby Garden fans when he beat Sorrell just 2:10 into the game. Jack Watkins would tie it up for New York a little less than five minutes later but Wilbur Chandler restored the Boston lead with a goal late in the opening period.
Midway through the second period league scoring leader Orval Cabbell was whistled for interference and late in the ensuing power play the Bees extended their lead to 3-1 when Jacob Gron notched his fourth goal of the series. Rusty Mullins, with a goal for the third straight game, cut the deficit to 3-2 just over a minute after Gron's powerplay marker but New York would get no closer. Robert Walker, with his first of the playoffs, rounded out the scoring late in the second period and Oscar James and the Boston defense held tough the rest of the way, sending the Bees to the Challenge Cup finals with a 4-2 victory in game seven.
The best of seven Challenge Cup Finals will open Tuesday evening in Montreal. The regular season series between the two was close with the Valiants holding a slight edge with 7 victories while Boston had six with the final meeting ending in a draw. What might be telling is in each of the last four games the two clubs met, Montreal came out on top and outscored the Bees 16-6 over that stretch.
TALES FROM THE LAIR
Wolves Head North To Begin Season -
The Toronto Wolves finished their preseason on a positive note by winning to two of three as they head north for game 1 of 154 on Wednesday in Philadelphia to face the Sailors who are the early favourites in the CA if the early March OSA predictions are to be believed.
The team brought the roster down to 24 which will consist of 14 hitters along with 10 pitchers. One the last two pared from the roster was as expected, Tony Ballinger will begin the campaign in the Union League. Brett feels that fans at Dominion Stadium will see him in Toronto sooner rather than later this summer if his bat continues at the pace he showed in the south. The other move came as somewhat of a surprise. In a series of moves in the bullpen Lou Burrows was sent to Buffalo with lefty John Marsh joining the relief corps. The third move necessitated by those two changes was to DFA 29 year old Jim Carter. The move to bring Marsh into the mix was made when Bobby Mills, who prior to last week had enjoyed a fine camp, was hit hard and often in two of the last three spring games. Brett was told that the original plan was to have Mills as the only southpaw in relief until this week. Mills' performance exposed the need for another left handed option for manager Fred Barrell. Starting Les Ledbetter in the bullpen was an optioned discussed then rejected with a consensus that his long term value in Toronto is in the rotation.
Brett is trying to secure a sit down interview with Fred Barrell before Opening Day to discuss the team's outlook for 1951. Most prognosticators have the Wolves as also-rans in '51 with little improvement from the 100 loss of last season. Brett, who also has one eye on the NAHC final, sees signs of hope for the fans. Although 1951 may turn out to be only a little less trying than 1950 the foundation is in place for the future. Pitching and defense will be the key this year as run scoring could prove to be challenging for this group.
- Veteran outfielder Luke Berry appears to be a casualty of the deep collection of young talent the Cleveland Foresters posses. The 32-year-old, who has spent parts of 11 seasons in the big leagues with 3 teams but nearly exclusively as a backup, has been released by the Foresters after hitting just .185 in 172 plate appearances for the World Championship Series winners last season. Berry, who was an all-star with Pittsburgh in 1944, started two games in the WCS last year but went 0-for-8 at the plate. He had just 2 hits in 14 spring training plate appearances.
- Jimmy Long, who had back to back 15 win seasons for the Detroit Dynamos during the war, was released by the club last week. The 33-year-old was out of options and would not have accepted a minor league assignment so he is free to sign a deal with any other FABL organizations. He spent most of last season in the Detroit pen, going 4-5 with 4 saves and a 4.87 era. Dynamos skipper Dick York said he hated to see Long depart, but noted there was just too many young arms deserving of a shot with the big club.
- Looks like the Cougars have decided there is no room for Otto Christian on the big league roster as the 28-year-old former first round pick is on the trade block along with several other Cougars who have exhausted their minor league options. Christian has never lived up to the billing that prompted the Cougars to select him 13th in the 1941 draft after he hit more career high school homeruns than any other player except early feeder-era star Roger Landry. Christian did hit 15 longballs in 78 games for the Cougars in 1949 and has 23 in 199 career big league games but the third baseman known as 'The Walla Walla Walloper' owns a career FABL batting average of just .214
- As the FBL season enters its final week the hottest races for the playoffs are centered in the Western Division. Rochester (41-22) holds a tight two-game lead on red-hot Toronto (39-24) and four games on Chicago (37-26). For the bulk of the season, it has been a fight between Rochester and Chicago for first place. Toronto may end the year atop the division and earn a Division Semifinal bye. Toronto will have to earn it with a home and home against Detroit sandwiching a game in Chicago to play the Panthers. Rochester is finishing its regular season on a five-game road trip and the final three games will be in Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago, but star center Marlin Patterson is out for another three weeks with a broken foot. The door is open for Toronto, but the Falcons will need Rochester to falter.
- Chicago is three games up on fourth-place Detroit (34-29), likely earning a playoff spot, but it is not a done deal just yet. Chicago has lost six of 10 and 13 of 20, which has opened the door for the Mustangs to jump ahead, but Detroit has lost 8 of 12 since its seven-game winning streak in early March. Chicago and Detroit both play the top two teams in the division, but Detroit has an extra game against Toronto, while Chicago will have an easier time in Buffalo against the Brawlers. Detroit has had a tough schedule to end the year, as seven of its last eight games have been against likely playoff teams.
- Washington (43-20) has clinched the Eastern Division and with a two-game edge on Rochester for the best record with three games left, the Statesmen are close to securing home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Washington has a six-game lead on New York (37-26). New York is up by a half-game on third-place Boston (37-27) and the fight for second place is the only matter left to settle over the final week of the season. New York will have the extra game to play and it will be in Baltimore to face the last-place Barons. Washington will have something to say about the New York-Boston battle for second place, as the Statesmen will face both teams at home this week.
KURTZ WANTS OUT
A thoroughly disappointing season is about to come to an end for the Detroit Mustangs in just the latest chapter of a series of disappointments thrust upon growingly discouraged Motor City sports fans. More on that in a moment but lets look at Jack Kurtz first. He may have been born in Louisiana but make no mistake about it, the Mustangs veteran center is a Detroiter. He came to this city in the fall of 1940, as a top ten recruit for Detroit City College and over the ensuing four years he left his mark in helping DCC win one Great Lakes Alliance title, reach the quarterfinals of the AIAA tournament twice and the national semi-finals once as a starter each of his final three years with the Knights.
Kurtz made a brief trek to Washington to play for the Statesmen in 1945-46 but when Rollie Barrell announced there would be a Detroit entry in the new Federal Basketball League that he was creating, Kurtz was one of the first to sign with the new loop and of course chose the Detroit Mustangs. Over the past five years he averaged more than 17 points a game and 9 rebounds. Kurtz was instrumental in back to back West Division titles for the Mustangs but for some reason, even last season when all was going well on the court, he privately asked to be traded. When the Mustangs struggled this year Kurtz has renewed his demands and Mustangs owner Rollie Barrell says the club will do its best to accommodate their longtime center.
It seems like there is a row between Kurtz and young star Ward Messer as the trade demands began shortly after Messer became the darling of the league and won rookie of the year two seasons ago and league MVP last year. Head coach James Williams was willing to overlook the differences his two big men had with each other when the team was winning - and they did claim back to back West Division titles each of the past two seasons.
This year has been different as the Mustangs, while not officially eliminated with 3 games left in the season and trailing the Chicago Panthers by 3 games, appear destined to finish out of the top three. This after the bitter disappointment of a collapse against an injury ravaged Toronto Falcons five in the playoffs a year ago.
Detroit fans, long starved for a title in any professional sport, had expected one a year ago after the Mustangs had reached the finals two seasons back. Instead came the collapse against a Toronto team missing its two best players. Now this season the club has been plagued by inconsistent play - long winning streaks to be sure but also far too many stretches of indifferent play and multiple instances of consecutive losses.
Kurtz is certainly deserving of some of the blame, just as he received plenty of the credit for past successes. His numbers may be down slightly this season but the 29-year-old is still one of the better big men in the league. It just feels like Thompson Palladium is not big enough for both Kurtz and Messer these days so that fact, combined with an underachieving season from the team as a whole, has prompted the Mustangs to consider moving their long-time center.
The Detroit Mustangs are not the only team that has left local fans wondering what went wrong. I won't dredge up old wounds about the Maroons -Rollie Barrell's foray into football- as we all know just how awful the grid eleven has been in recent years but let's look to the ice where the Detroit Motors just squandered a 2-1 series lead against Montreal with three straight losses in their semi-final series.
Given time for the wound to heal we will probably look back at this as a successful season for Badger Rigney's bunch. They at least made the playoffs after a terrible collapse in the second half of last season when the Motors went from challenging for first on Christmas Day to breaking out the golf clubs early when April rolled around. There were shades of a similar slump this time around - the Motors certainly fell off in the second half of the season but part of the reason for that can be the injury to leading goal scorer Graham Comeau that cost him most of the final two and a half months of the season.
Give the Motors some credit. They regrouped and held on to a playoff spot. They then taunted us with a terrific road game in the playoff opener against Montreal but followed that up with a real stinker in taking a 6-2 thrashing in game two. The game three 3-2 victory in which the Motors outshot the defending Cup champions 56-28 and pulled out a win on a goal by, of all people, Joe Todd after firing 20 shots in the extra period alone at Tom Brockers, had fans dreaming of an appearance in the Challenge Cup finals for the first time in a decade and maybe even a small glimmer of hope for a chance at just the second Challenge Cup in franchise history.
If the Motors have taught us nothing over most of their existence it is that we should always be ready for the other skate to drop. And it did. With a thud. Sure we almost won the series with two overtime losses in the final three games but truth be told Montreal dominated all three of the contests and was clearly the better team in the series.
So to recap. The Mustangs have yet to win a cage title. The Motors have missed the playoffs in a league where four of the six teams qualify, four out of the last seven years and have not won a playoff series since the spring of 1942. The Maroons 4-8 season is considered a success on the football field after back to back 2-10 debacles. Then we have the Dynamos who have the longest running pennant drought in the Federal Association, stretching back to 1929.
But Detroit sports fans always look to find a small glimmer of hope to hang on to so today, as we prepare for another lid-lifter on the ball season with the Dynamos opener in New York against the defending champion Gothams tomorrow I am certain that many of us are thinking - "hey the Dynamos finished tied for the best record in all of FABL in Florida play and Edwin Hackberry won the 'coveted' Citrus loop batting crown. This just has to be our year!
Yet another injury for the Panthers as the season winds down. This time its second year guard Riley Petrillo, who had started the last four games and has spent time this season at point guard, shooting guard, and small forward. With a broken foot he's expected to miss the next three weeks, potentially ending his season. Petrillo was averaging just under 20 minutes a game, averaging 2.5 points and rebounds per game with 2 assists.
Richard Campbell is now healthy and ready for the final week, but after getting Cory Myers healthy, he's now dealing with a broken finger and is day-to-day for the final week. With just three games left, and one win needed, the Panthers can take it easy with Myers, who has averaged 8.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. It is expected that Eliseo Worth, who started all 181 games he appeared in from 1947 to 1949 with Chicago, will start at small forward while Myers rests up. He has just one this year, averaging 17.3 minutes per game in 31 appearances. He's provided 3.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, and has dealt with some injuries of his own.
CAGE ALL-AMERICAN TEAM ANNOUNCED
Collegiate basketball officially came to an end for another year with news of the season ending awards and selection of the All-American teams. The national player of the year award, known as the Art Barrette Trophy after the legendary Coastal California coach, was presented to Pierpont University center Chris Rogerson. The 6'10"senior center from Jersey City, NJ, averaged 14.0 points per game and 8.1 rebounds to help Pierpont to a 21-11 record this season. Rogerson follows 1919-20 winner Joe Redding as the second member of the Purple to be named the collegiate basketball player of the year.
Joining Rogerson as first team All-American selections are forwards Solly Morris of Whitney College and Chris Martines of Coastal California along with T.J. Grimm from Rainier College and Western Iowa's George Sommer as the guards. Martines and Sommer, both seniors, hooked up in the AIAA championship game a week with Martines scoring 26 points in the Dolphins 70-62 victory. The California native averaged 18.8 points per game, second highest total in the nation. Because he helped lead the Dolphins to the national title, Martines played 34 games this season, helping him accumulate 640 points. That is the second highest scoring total ever record in the AIAA, trailing only Luther Gordon's 677 as a senior at Liberty College last year.
Sommer, who hails from Tampa, FL., scored at an 8.6 ppg clip while his 202 assists led the nation and was only the third time in AIAA history that a player topped the 200 assist mark. Former Carolina Poly and current Toronto Falcons star Major Belk owns the single season record with 233 assists in 1948-49.
Morris and Grimm are both underclassmen. Morris, a junior from Chattanooga, TN., and the number two ranked recruit behind only Junior College transfer Luther Gordon in his class, led the Engineers in scoring with 11.8 points per game. Grimm, who hails from Salt Lake City, is just a sophomore but was among the top scorers in the nation with his 15.5 ppg average.
Three seniors and two juniors were named to the second team. They included senior center Darryl Bougher, a teammate of Sommer at Western Iowa and with Adam Cheatham of Mississippi Tech, who's 19.3 ppg topped the nation in scoring average. The third senior to make the second team was Frankford State guard Rod Bookman. The juniors selected were forward Rankin Egbert of the AIAA champion Coastal California Dolphins and Central Carolina guard Danny Thomas.
Evan Frank, who led Opelika State to a 28-4 record in his first season at the Alabama school after previously serving as an assistant at Carolina Poly and St. Blane, was named the coach of the year. The 60 year old had previous head coaching experience at Coastal State and Henry Hudson. He guided the Wildcats to a 13-1 section record, claiming their first Deep South Conference title since 1927.
The top freshman was Lambert State guard Ray Wilson. The St. Louis native was not a highly sought after recruit, landing at just #223 in OSA's ranking of his senior class a year ago, but he started all 27 games for the Stags, averaging 8.9 ppg and 3.2 assists per contest.
RECENT KEY RESULTS- Max Bradley, the pride of Merchantville, NJ, took top billing on the big stage at Bigsby Garden with a unanimous decision over Lewis Jones on Friday evening in the main event in New York City. The 24-year-old Bradley is now 20-1-1 after the win over Lewis Jones, who drops to 24-4-1. Jones had been ranked as the #2 contender to Hector Sawyer's title, and lost to Sawyer in a 1949 title fight, while Bradley, fifth in TWIFS last rankings, is sure to move up.
- Saturday night at Lakeside Auditorium a pair of Chicago middleweights duked it out with 27-year-old Rip Rogers scoring a 9th round victory over 26-year-old Dan Drewery. Rogers is now 25-5-1 while Drewery falls to 27-3-5.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- April 21, 1951- Baltimore, MD- Heavyweight contender John Jones (18-2-1) vs Irwin Hoffman (19-2-2)
- April 25, 1951- Oakland, Ca. - Canadian heavyweight Ken Yetman (20-2-5) vs Rodney Bruce (25-16-4)
- April 27, 1951 - Buffalo, NY - Middleweight Mark McCoy (23-2) vs Nathan Sears (34-14-3)
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 4/15/1951
- Gen. MacArthur, already in hot water with President Truman, made it known that he intends to keep right on fighting for a freer hand, and more American troops in the Korean war.
- Meanwhile the President and his top advisors wrestle with what to do about MacArthur. A day later the answer came when Truman decided to fire the General from his post as head of forces in Korea.
- Republican leaders have called for a probe into MacArthur's removal and the General has stated he would be 'delighted and honored' to return home and present his views to Congress.
- Late in the week came word MacArthur would be in Washington by Wednesday and would address a joint meeting of Congress shortly thereafter.
- As part of the fallout there was a call to impeach the President, to which Truman telephoned one Senator and sarcastically offered to 'help
if the Senator wanted to start impeachment proceedings against him.
- The United States Far East Air Forces chief Gen. George E. Stratemeyer warns the Red Air Force is preparing to mount heavier air assaults in Korea.
- Fierce Red resistance slowed the Allied advance on the western and central Korean fronts over the weekend.
- The Premier of Iran is seeking a vote of confidence from Parliament as new demonstrations were threatened in Iran's turbulent southern oil fields.
- The United Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the Government's appeal from a District Court decision which had cleared John L. Lewis' United Mine Workers of contempt in their 1950 contract strike.