The O.L.A. turned to the box game towards the end of the '31 season. Several Senior and Intermediate teams played an exhibition league in the late summer and autumn. They would meet every Tuesday and Thursday night at Sunnyside Park in Toronto. Charles Querrie donated a trophy for the league championship. Thus the Ontario league was prepared for the official transition to box lacrosse the next spring.

With such a major change the minnows suddenly became giants. Two minor powers took to the box game immediately. Both Mimico and Fergus jumped to Senior and the first impression they made was impressive. Meanwhile matters went from bad to worse for the Mann Cup holders.

Excelsiors once again fell victim to Professional raiding. They lost Bucko MacDonald, Bill Anthony, Oddie Core, Mooney Gibson, Stew Beatty and Claude Jennings. Plus George Sproule retired for good. Coupled with the previous year's losses, Brampton went from potential dynasty to a club embarking on nearly a half century Mann Cup drought.

The International Lacrosse League took on an ambitious 30 game schedule in its sophmore year. At the mid-season break it all ground to a halt. Conn Smythe complained that he could not keep Toronto going with such small crowds. Meanwhile Montreal owners Joe Cattarnich and Leo Dandurand, who also owned the hockey Canadiens, took one glance at their accounts, saw that they were losing money, then shutdown the team. Thus ended the first professional box league.

Don't feel too sorry for Joe and Leo. They had plenty of money to lose on the horses. As for the players, talk about being played for suckers. Every one was now a pro and inelligible to return to the amateur leagues. All would have to apply for reinstatement and many had to wait up to three years before they could return to competitive lacrosse. The list of talent was awesome. One need only look at the top scorers, as of July 1st 1932 - the end of the league. Scotty Martin(Six Nations) Chuck Davidson(Oshawa) Art Pim(Toronto) Norm Zimmer(Brampton) Bucko MacDonald(Guelph) Irv Loundsbury(St.Catharines) Bill Anthony(Brampton) Toots White(Fergus) Jerry Kendall(Brampton) Oddie Core(Brampton) . . . and so on. Plus the goaltenders: Roy Sutherland, Bert Large and Bill MacArthur. The first Pro Box folly had taken its toll.

The transition to Box Lacrosse in Ontario was remarkably swift. Overnight the field game, which had ruled for better than half a century, was replaced. Like talking pictures, the box game created new enthusiasm which was impossible to ignore.

At the club level, Senior Lacrosse was witnessing equally rapid changes. St.Simon's declined to enter the boxla era. Plus Oshawa was out of the league. Meanwhile Mimico, Fergus and Orangeville all returned. The difference between field and box was when games were played.

Prior to 1932, game day was always Saturday or a holiday(OrangevilleWednesday games being the rare exception). Box Lacrosse introduced night games and matches six days a week. Thus the stage was set for increased schedules.

In '32, the Senior schedule wasn't much longer, however it was truly chaotic. In Group One the intention had been for each team to play twenty games. Only one made it. By mid-September there were only seven league games left, six involving Brampton! Excelsiors needed to win all of them to make the playoffs. They nearly succeeded. After four wins they lost to Mimico, then did not bother to play the final one.

Group Two had a more sane 12 game schedule. Fergus topped the division with 11 wins 1 loss, followed by Niagara Falls at 7-5. They met in a best of three Group Final. Thistles won the initial contest 5-4. Opposing snipers Robert Ritchie and Bill Pennie both scored a pair. The difference was Norman Russell's late winner. Game Two also went Fergus' way, a wild 11-10 overtime affair. The clubs were level after 60 minutes, thus a ten minute overtime followed. Ritchie again starred with four goals. Deuces to his teammates Russell, Joe Bergin and Rex Lovell. The scotsmen next waited for Group One matters to sort themselves.

The top four squads entered Group One's playoffs: Mimico(13-6) Orangeville(12-5) National Sea Fleas(11-10) and Hamilton(9-8). Mountaineers met and disposed of the Sea Fleas with two consecutive wins. Dufferins and Tigers dueled over two crazy games. On Octorber 3rd, Orangeville won 13-8 as league scoring champ Percy Bradley notched five goals. Two days later they prevailed 18-17. Thirty-five goals in one game! Had Newsy Lalonde and the Montreal Nationals returned? Bradley again scored five. Alex McPherson led the losers with seven! Jack Worthy, a Brampton defector, counted four markers.

The division final lasted two games. The Mounties won at home 15-9. Five goals for Bill 'Duke' Harrison and four for Lorne Brydson. Up in Orangeville, Mimico won again 11-8. Tom Scott led with a trio, followed by two goals each from Harrison, Norman Gair and Maurice Murphy.

Thus the minnows met for league honours. No surprise really. Mimico was essentially the old Weston Suburbanite squad, except that they played their home games closer to the lake - at Drummond Bowl. Fergus had taken the junior championship in 1931. Senior in 1932? Most experts doubted it because Thistles had come through a very weak division. Yet the scots were ready to prove the experts wrong.

On October 13th, Fergus gave Mimico a terrible scare. A narrow 10-9 home victory for Mountaineers. Harrisons' hattrick, plus Ken Kingdon's winner saved the Mounties. Up in Fergus, history was made by Jim 'Flick' Graham. He became the first and only goaltender to post a playoff shutout in league box history. Thistles humbled Mimico 8-0. Wattie Henderson led with a trio and Barney Richardson chipped in a pair. Alas it would be the scots final win of the year. Also Mimico's final defeat. The next evening Mountaineers won the deciding match 4-3. A brace from Joe Murphy carried Mimico to its first championship.

Their first and only Mann Cup title would quickly follow. North Shore Indians were B.C. champs but they lost a one game playoff to Winnipeg Tigers. Rumour has it that the night before the contest, the North Shore players were talked into a drinking bout. They thought they were drinking with the Winnipeg players but they turned out to just be fans. With no B.C., the coast was clear for Mimico. Mountaineers hammered Verdun 15-3 for East Canadian honours. Five goals and eight points for Duke Harrison. Two more wins followed over Winnipeg. They outscored the Manitobans 20-8. Norman Gair and Joe Murphy led with eight points each. Fred 'Frip' Harrison took care of matters at the other end.

One final note. St.Catharines won the junior championship this year. At the time it was hardly an event to concern Senior Lacrosse. Yet those young Athletics would soon reshape lacrosse in Ontario.

It was not a happy year for the previous season's James Murphy winner. Hugh Houghton had followed Gordon Thom as the second defensive specialist to win Most Valuable player honours. Houghton had combined the trophy with a Mann Cup win. Quite a year! The Mimico native's '33 campaign was short and catastrophic. The big fellow broke his leg and was forced to retire. The second of two major losses for Mountaineers. Tom Scott had jumped ship during the off season and headed north to Orillia.

A greatly expanded Senior League was split into four groups. As in '32, there was no inter-divisional play. The groups winners would eventually playoff for provincial honours. The premier group had Hamilton take top spot with a 10-4 record, followed by Mimico(7-2) Fergus(4-5) Orangeville(4-10) and Brampton(1-5). Excelsiors did not last the summer, which threw the schedule off terribly. Group Two was headed by an undefeated Orillia squad and included Richmond Hill and Native Sons. Mount Dennis Mounties claimed Group Three. The Niagara-Brant Group featured St.Catharines(9-4) Ohsweken(6-4) Brantford(3-5-2) and PortDalhousie Lakesides(3-8-2).

No point in mentioning the league's top scorers because not all scoring is available. Thanks to the Hamilton Spectator and Orillia Packet & Times we know the top scorers for those local clubs. Tigers were led by Alex McPherson, Matt Rohmer, Bill Wilson, Hal Wallace, Peck O'Malley and Jack Worthy. Terriers best men were: Ernie Curran, Gord Boettger and Bill Wilkes.

St.Catharines and Ohsweken paired off for their division title. On August 30th, the Double Blues won the opener 11-9. Hattricks for Max Peart, Bill Fitzgerald Jr. and Winston Millar. Athletics took the rematch 16-6. Ryan and Rowdon both scored four goals and Fitzgerald added three. St.Catharines run was ended the next week by Mount Dennis. They won at home 13-10. Millar's five goals was a bit better than Ted Hatton's trio. The Mounties rebounded with a resounding 17-5 victory, giving them the series 27-18. Jack Graham fired seven goals, while Len Wilkes chipped in three.

Two rounds of playoffs, beginning August 11th, decided Group One honours. Hamilton opened by doubling Orangeville 10-5. Hugh Kelly and Matt Rohmer both scored a pair. Five days later they finished Dufferins off with an 11-2 rout. Peck O'Malley and Alex McPherson both had hattricks. Mimico and Fergus duelled through two tough games. Mountaineers took the opener 9-5. Three goals each from Joe Murphy and Duke Harrison led the defending champs. Wattie Henderson stepped into the spotlight for Game Two by scoring five goals. The trouble was he only got support from Joe Bergin and Jack Simpson. The Mounties got goals from six different players to prevail 11-7. The division final was a best of three affair. Tigers took the initial contest 8-6. Four points from Matt Rohmer, while Bill Coulter was 2 and 2 for the losers. Mimico rebounded with a thrilling 11-10 victory. Jack Campkin counted three and Maurice Murphy, Joe Murphy and Norman Gair each scored a pair. The final match was a tight goaltender's duel between Bob Rohmer and Fred Harrison. Alex McPherson's deuce was the difference as Hamilton won 6-4.

Orillia and Hamilton would meet for the first time in Senior. Both longtime Intermediate teams had surged to the top in a flash. Terriers helped themselves by importing Tom Scott from Mimico, Bill Wilkes from Toronto and Howard Clarke from Brampton. They also had veteran Terrier Gord 'Butch' Boettger, originally from Hanover. Still, the '33 squad was essentially a local team.

Which was more than could be said for their rivals. Tiger town had never been much of a lacrosse centre. Big Four football had always monopolised the city's interest. Hamilton Lacrosse did have one chief asset, its geographic location. The bay area was relatively near three major lacrosse centres: St.Catharines, Six Nations and west end Toronto. Manager Russell Kelly's ability to lure nearby stars to the Steel City would mean three decades of Senior Lacrosse for Hamilton. Brantford Warriors, of the seventies, and the Mann Cup winning Six Nations Chiefs, of the nineties, were basically Hamilton Tiger squads. The difference was that Manager Kelly was no longer around to dress those players in black and gold.

The '33 Tigers were packed with imports: Bill Wilson and Ed Downey(St.Catharines) the four Rohmers(Orangeville) Jack Worthy and Claude Clarke(Brampton) and Hugh Kelly(Brantford). Shipwreck Kelly was not the famous flagpole sitter of the twenties. Hugh Kelly had never been up a flag pole in his life! Nevertheless, he received the nickname 'Shipwreck' because of his notorious namesake.

The league semi-final was a classic tale of two cities. Up north, Orillia won 14-9. Scott, Wilkes, Larry Arisenault and Ernie Curran all recorded hattricks. In Hamilton, goaltender Bob Rohmer shut the door on the Terrier offence. Tigers rolled to a 16-5 victory, taking the series 25-19.

Orillia was Hamilton's chief threat, however Mount Dennis did have a game crew. Their problem was that they couldn't score more than five goals on Rohmer. Tigers took the opener 13-5 - five points for Matt Rohmer. The second match was only slightly closer, 11-5. Hal Wallace led with three goals and an assist.

The road west for Kelly's heros started with one more provincial challenge. They paused at Thunder Bay long enough to defeat Fort William Pontiacs 21-2! Five goals each from Shipwreck Kelly and Dunc Littlefair. Next stop was in Winnipeg. They routed the Argos 16-5. Five more for Littlefair, while Alex McPherson had four goals and four assists. Calgary Shamrocks were the next victim, 15-4. Six for McPherson!

On the west coast, little changed. Tigers opened by routing New Westminster 15-5! McPherson scored three, with two goals each credited to Littlefair, Peck O'Malley, Bill Wilson, Kelly, and Ed Downey. No wonder the BC boys had missed the first boxla Mann Cup. This was all too easy. Yet a change was in the wind. Hamilton also won the second game in the best of five final, narrowly. 13-11 was the score as Hugh Kelly's five goals saved the Bengals. With their backs to the wall, Salmonbellies struck back. They took the next two games by scores of 8-7 and 12-10. Suddenly Hamilton was reeling. They recovered. In the deciding match Tigers defeated the Fishmen 12-7.

This was the Mann Cup Final Canada definately needed. Box Lacrosse hadnot yet been entirely accepted by the purists. The exciting Hamilton-New Westminster series settled the debate once and for all. Box Lacrosse washere to stay.

Orillia was not the first, nor the last team to win a Mann Cup before the season had started. Naturally the Terriers had to play and win many games throughout the summer, however it was their pre-season acquisitions which virtually guaranteed a championship. They strengthened themselves by weakening the defending champions. Two of Hamilton's best players, Ed Downey and Bill Wilson shifted allegiance. On top of the two St.Catharines natives, Orillia added a pair of Bramptonites - Bill Mulliss and the diminutive goaltender Pete Anthony. Frank Carroll's boys were all set.

Orillia headed Group Two and ran away with top spot thanks to a 16-1-1 record. They were followed by Mount Dennis(8-10) Oakwood Bulldogs(5-12-1) and Malvern Grads(1-7). Group One competition concluded with a first place tie. Both Hamilton and Mimico finished with 11 wins and 5 losses. Tigers took the tie break game 13-9 as Peck O'Malley and Ross Gimblett both scored three goals. Fergus grabbed the final playoff spot with a 9-7 mark. St.Catharines(5-11) and Brantford Spaldings(4-12) fell short.

The semi-Finals commenced on August 28th. Mount Dennis defeated Oakwood 10-6 to advance to the division final. The journey was far more difficult for Fergus. They entered the post season without their regular goaltender Lorne Smart. Youngster Austin Tott was rushed into service. They battled Mimico to a 12-12 tie. Eric 'Rusty' White set up Thistles' final two scores but Jack Campkin saved the Mounties with a late deuce. Two days later, Mountaineers won 6-4. The match ran late and was tied 4-4 when darkness fell. The teams kept playing and Mimico got late goals from Bill Coulter and Donie McCallum to apparently win the series. Much fussing and fighting followed as to whether it should count. Consequently the O.L.A. stepped in and ordered it replayed on September 2nd. Thistles went into the match without their top scored Rusty White. Yet they doubled the Mounties 12-6 as Barney Richardson scored three and Jack 'Teamer' Bergin a deuce. The game was played inankle deep mud.

Orillia made short work of Mount Dennis up north. First a 9-5 win, including a Bill Wilson hattrick, then a 14-7 victory. Len Wilkes scored four points in the losers last game and Fred Hatton counted a pair of goals. All the series cost Terriers was the services of Tom Scott. He would miss the rest of the O.L.A. playdowns, plus the East Canada battles. Fergus tackled the titleholders and were knocked out of contention early. Hamilton defeated them 12-6. Matt Rohmer scored four, Peck O'Malley three and Ross Gimblett added three assists. Down six goals Thistles had slim hope of coming back. They didn't. Tigers took the second contest 6-4. Rusty White returned to the squad and scored a brace. Howard Clarke cancelled out that effort with a pair of his own.

Terriers once again opened their playoff with the Bengals at home. Once again they won the first game. A convincing seven goal victory of 16-9. Dunc Littlefair donned his Tiger jersey for the first time all season and scored a deuce. The question was: would Orillia choke down in Hamilton again. Terriers responded with an 11-9 victory, their first O.L.A. Senior championship. Their work was just beginning.

Orillia's perfect playoff record was extended in Cornwall. Cornwall Island Indians were their first inter-league opponent. Terriers twice defeated them by scores of 16-9 and 10-4. The next to last test for the soon to be crowned kings of lacrosse came in Montreal. Verdun nearly pulled the upset, losing only 10-8. Meanwhile, New Westminster had started their trek east. They paused in Winnipeg long enough to eliminate the locals. Alfie Davy scored twelve goals in one of the games, a Mann Cup record. A controversial record because it was not achieved in the final series. In Toronto, the shoe was on the other foot. Three straight embarrassing losses for Salmonbellies. The scores were: 21-8, 19-6 and 13-6. Bill Wilson was top scorer in the final with thirteen goals and ten assists. It was an amazing playoff run for Wilson and Ed Downey. In ten games Wilson scored 34 goals and 15 assists. Downey counted 24 and 18. Bill Wilkes was the other offensive force with 20 and 15. In goal Pete Anthony sparkled. He held the opposition to under 10 goals in every game. Naturally turnabout is fair play. New Westminster may have limped home a beaten club but they took Anthony with them. The other three above mentioned players would eventually follow.

The year concluded with the dominion champions clashing with the C.L.A.. Due to the Mann Cup being held in the east, B.C. fans had missed seeing the great Terriers. The solution was to invite them to Vancouver for an exhibition series. Orillia could certainly draw 10,000 spectators a game, making such an idea very profitable. The C.L.A. stepped in to run it. They offered to pay Terriers' expenses. Not good enough. The St.Helen's Hotel Club of Vancouver had already offered Orillia $4,000 to participate. With that offer Terriers stood to make $2,500 profit. Thus they snubbed the C.L.A. and accepted St.Helen's offer. The C.L.A. tried to block the deal, failed, then suspended every player who participated in the games. Trouble was that both the B.C. and Ontario Associations supported the series. They would reinstate every suspended player. Faced with that opposition, the C.L.A. backed down.

The lacrosse world lost one of its greatest ambassadors on July 15th. After a serious throat operation George Sproule failed to regain consciousness and passed away. The 44 year old, born in Napanee, had grown up in Brampton and played with Excelsiors from 1909-31. He also coached the junior squad to their first provincial championship in 1922 and coached the seniors in '32. The Conservator gave the story front page coverage, including a picture of Sproule with the James Murphy Trophy. Write ups on his passing appeared across the province. The list of columnists who paid tribute to George read like a sport's writers' dream team. Jim Fitzgerald, Lou Marsh, Ted Reeve and Mike Rodden all had nothing but praise for the Bramptonite. Eddie Allen wrote of the 1930 Mann Cup and described one of Sproule's goals as the greatest he had seen since the days of Harry Hoobin. Jimmy Burrell, of the Conservator, commented on how personable the star was. "Hello Jim. Thanks for the write up, old boy," was his usual greeting. Burrell further reminisced about an incident when he was a young boy. Trying to get to a game at Scarborough Beach, but without the necessary cash, the youngster had tried to sneak onto a streetcar. When he was caught none other than George Sproule came to his rescue. The athlete solved the difficulty by going deep into his own pocket. He also initiated Jimmy as assistant to the water carrier so he could get into the game for free. Such kind acts were commonplace for the faithful baptist and insurance agent. Thus it came as no surprise when condolences arrived from everywhere. The old Weston Lacrosse Club, St.Catharines,St.Simon's and the O.L.A. all sent their best wishes. The legendary George Sproule was gone but not forgotten.

The senior League was made up of two groups of four, however the bottom team in each division quit in mid season. Hamilton won three times while Toronto Maple Leafs were victorious only once. That meant the remaining six clubs all made the playoffs. Burlington topped Group One with an 18-7 record. St.Catharines was next(13-9-1) followed by Fergus(13-10) Group Two was won by Orillia(21-5). Brampton(14-9) took second place, then Mimico(7-12).

Burlington Beavers rise from Intermediate was a major surprise. They were led by the Isaac brothers. Bill won his first scoring championship with 66 goals, making him the second 50 goal scorer in league history. Lance counted 35 markers, followed by Dick Walsh(33) and Herb Hess(31). Athletics young star Roy 'Pung' Morton finished second in the league with 46 goals. This was the first of three times Morton would finish runnerup. He would never win a scoring title. Fergus was led by premier playmaker Rusty White. Wattie Henderson also had a fine year. The most notable top ten scorer was Bill Anthony. He had been reinstated as an amateur and returned to the Excelsior roster.

Division semi-final winners were Brampton and St.Catharines. Excelsiors tied 10-10 then defeated Mimico 14-8 to advance. Athletics lost in Fergus 14-10 but made up the four goal difference with a convincing 15-3 win at home. Brampton threw their best at Orillia to start the best of three group final. They lost the opener 9-7 in overtime. Terriers took the second contest 11-3. Burlington/St.Catharines went the distance. Beavers broke loose in the deciding match with an 18-7 romp. The league final also went the three game limit. Orillia won 14-8, then Burlington replied with a 16-9 victory. Finally Terriers prevailed by taking the concluding game 11-8.

Next was another battle with Cornwall Island. The Indians had such stars as Angus George and Louis Sunday. George would score seven points in the two matches against the Mann Cup holders. Hardly enough. Orillia won twice, 16-9 and 16-7. Verdun was taken care of in a 19-6 game. The B.C. champs, Richmond Farmers, also went quickly in three straight. The games were competitive as Terriers only outscored the westerners 29-21, however they finished on top each time. Len Wilkes was top scorer with six goals. Shipwreck Kelly, Bill Wilson and Al McLean each contributed four. Bill Morphett led Richmond with six goals. John Cavallin and Vinnie Hartney each added four. It was the final series for Ed Downey, Bill Wilkes and Bill Wilson as each would head to New Westminster the next summer.

Burlington and Hamilton merged for this campaign making them a force to truly challenge Orillia. The move put Bill Isaacs in Tiger colours for the first time. He would easily become their greatest scorer ever. The defending champs were coping with several losses, yet they remained strong. Bill MacArthur was an amateur again and Terriers starting goaltender. Even at the age of 45 he still had his incredible wanderlust. Through all his playing days Ol' Bill had never come close to a Canadian championship. This would be his chance. Another Toronto native on the team was defenceman Piper Bain. The 27 year old joined Orillia in April. Another defender was Lorne 'Hank' Munro. He was in his last season with Terriers before jumping to New Westminster. A second Brantford resident on the club was Shipwreck Kelly. He was no stranger to the Mann Cup and looking for another trip. Overall the imports were numerous: 23 year old defenceman Don Willson from Bradford, 29 year old centreman Dick Walsh from Inglewood and 22 year old wing player George Snowden from Huntsville. Most notable of all were the two new additions straight from St.Catharines juniors. Picking up rover Jack 'Wandy' McMahon was a simple matter. Joe Cheevers was not.

Cheevers had agreed to play with Oshawa. The Motor City was back in Senior Lacrosse for one final time. With reinstated amateurs Kelly Degray and Charlie Barron they hoped to make a good impression. Cheevers was a key grab which slipped through their fingers. He had signed on the dotted line but after an exhibition game in Orillia, Cheevers was persuaded to switch teams. Really disreputable stuff, yet Terriers got away with it. The O.L.A. did punish Cheevers by suspending him half the season, however he was playing for Orillia by playoff time, which is what counts. As for Oshawa, they did not win a game nor did they complete the schedule. Record wise they were credited with a 0-28 mark. More of a black eye on the O.L.A. then Oshawa.

Orillia did have local talent. The Curran brothers, Bill and Ernie, were prominent. Ernie Botting was the youngest team member. Substitute Andrew Tudhope the oldest runner. The 44 year old had been playing for Terriers all the way back to 1910. Another sub was Ken Pethick. Originally from Seaforth, he was an Orillia resident and had been with the squad since 1930.

League scoring honours went to Fergus' Rusty White. His 79 point effort was 13 better than Mimico's Joe Murphy and 20 ahead of Brampton's Bill Anthony. The Excelsior only played 12 out of a 28 game schedule. The season ended in disgrace for Brampton as they quit midway through. They were contending for top spot in Group One when the suspension of Mooney Gibson was announced the first week of August. In an earlier game Gibson had attacked referee Hank Gowdy. In protest, Excelsiors quit the league, defaulted their final games and fell to fourth place.

Hamilton-Burlington Combines tied with St.Catharines for Group One honours, both at 16-12. The tie break was held on August 24th and Athletics won 17-11. Pung Morton's six goals made the difference. Fergus took third in the division at 14-14, even with Brampton. Excelsiors were no longer around for a tie break.

There was a first place tie in Group Two as well. Mimico and Orillia both recorded 21-7 marks. Mountaineers took the tie break. Toronto Marlboros were next at 10-18, then came poor Oshawa. Toronto's schedule lasted only two more games. Terriers defeated them 15-7 and 11-8. Joe Cheevers was 3 & 1 in both matches. The titleholders then turned their attention to the Mounties. They began the best of three series with a 15-5 rout. Seventeen year old Orillia junior Arnold 'Onions' Smith was called up and he scored four points. Mimico extended their season by winning 10-8, thanks, in part, to Ross Gimblett's hattrick. Fred Harrison shone in goal, delighting the Maple Leaf Gardens crowd of 3,500. The finale was all Terriers. A 13-2 slaughter with Wandy McMahon scoring five goals. Over 4,000 fans packed the Orillia Arena. It was still a close 5-2 game at three quarter time. A Cheevers goal opened the floodgates. Harrison stopped him in close but, in attempting to pass the ball, the goalie let it slip out of the crease. Cheevers grabbed it behind the net, dashed in front and scored. Mimico claimed that he was in the crease but the goal was allowed. Seven more followed as the Mounties' season closed.

Combines also took the long way in winning Group One. Fergus was little trouble, wins of 16-8 and 18-4. Fat Young led with seven goals in the series. Combines got a rude shock when they next travelled to St.Catharines. The Double Blues beat them 21-9! Veteran Irv Lounsbury had eight points, while Tom 'Tank' Teather and Bill Fitzgerald Jr. both added three markers. It was different in Burlington, an 18-11 win for the home side. Young scored five goals and Alex McPherson chipped in five points. Morton was top man with six points, in a losing cause. The deciding match also went to Combines. They doubled St.Catharines 14-7.

The final commenced on September 7th. Four scores from Bill Isaacs gave Combines an upset 11-6 win. It was a clean game, with the only penalty going to Ernie Curran for striking a Burlington spectator. Wandy McMahon was contained by the checking of Jerry Johnson. Orillia responded with great defence. They surrendered only four goals in each of the remaining two contests. First came a 14-4 win. It was over early as Orillia won the opening half 9-0. MacArthur's shutout was broken when Bill Isaacs set up brother Lance. A deceiving 9-4 win followed. It was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in front of 4,000 fans. The titleholders only led the orange and black Combines 4-3 after 45 minutes. The final quarter started with Lyman Jackson tying it. Shortly after, Dick Walsh grabbed a high rebound off the backboards and beat Bob Rohmer to put Terriers ahead for good. George Snowden followed, thanks to a beautiful pass from McMahon. Snowden scored again from close range to make it 7-4. That spurt gave Orillia another championship.

Four more wins advanced Terriers to the Mann Cup Final. More than 1,700 turned out in Cornwall to see the Mann Cup holders double the home side 14-7. The second game in Orillia was a disaster. Terriers won 30-8! They next topped Montreal Canadien 10-4 at home. The rematch in Montreal drew 5,000 spectators. The frenchmen scored the first three goals but gave up the next six. Orillia went on to a 12-4 win. With less than two minutes to play a disagreement between Coco Blanchard and Joe Cheevers sparked a massive brawl. Pete Jotkus joined in as did Wandy McMahon...followed by everyone else! The four protagonists each received 20 minute penalties.

Next came the real challenge: the colourful and highly popular North Shore Indians. They swept New Westminster three straight to win the Inter City Lacrosse League(I.C.L.L.). They were no kinder in Winnipeg, routing the locals by scores of 16-5 and 19-5. The ghosts of 1932 had been exorcised. Thus they arrived in the east prepared to do something no B.C. club had done since the Salmonbellies of 1908, win!

The strength of Andy Paull's team began in goal. Henry Baker was only 168 lbs but he could be a miracle worker when it came to blocking shots. He had several brothers on the team. Most notable was the crafty fox Ray Baker. The 37 year old had been with New Westminster during their Mann Cup loss in '33. Stan Joseph also had national final experience. The hard hitting defenceman had come east in '34 with Salmonbellies. The other Joseph was Chief Moses, a furious checker who played rover. The club also had two Smiths. Heavyweight Russell 'Beef' Smith was well over 200 lbs. Brother Hubie was a 155 lb speedster. The team roster was split between Squamish and Six Nations. Ontario was represented by several stars. Stan Bomberry was in his second year with the team. He was rated one of the best defencemen in the game and had one of the hardest shots. He played along side Cec Van Every, a six foot giant and former professional. Stan's brother Oscar Bomberry was one of the highest scorers in the western league. Another from the Mohawk tribe was Jack Squire. Not only was he the fastest man in the game but he was also a great stickhandler, plus he was considered the cleanest player in the Intercity League. Jack would eventually hook up with Hamilton Tigers.

The Indians had to adapt to the hard floor of Maple Leaf Gardens. They were used to playing on dirt. "No worries," said Paull. He was confident the new surface would enhance his teams great speed. Nevertheless, Orillia were slightly favoured to defend their title.

Their first day in Toronto the North Shore club took in afternoon theatre. Some members caught the wrestling card that evening. The following day, they rested up for the big game.

The series commenced on October 2nd, in front of 8,000. The high flying Indians did not disappoint. After sharing the first two goals, the Terrier defence wobbled as North Shore concluded the quarter with five straight. Ol' Bill did not look good on three of the scores. In Quarter #2 Orillia checked the westerners to a stand still. Two power play goals sparked a six goal revival. At halftime Piper Bain was presented with the James Murphy Trophy by Charles Querrie and Mike Kelly. The Terrier defenceman was out of the lineup with a broken shoulder. Wandy McMahon scored the only third quarter goal to put Orillia ahead 8-6. They would maintain that lead to win the opener 10-8.

After two days rest, the clubs met in a terribly physical game. The Cupholders decided to pound North Shore into submission with terrific bodychecking and lenient officiating let them get away with it. The visitors led 5-4 when Bill Curran scored to tie it. On the play Dominick Baker was crashed to the floor and had to be taken off on a stretcher. While he was down, Curran took advantage to score. Much of the crowd booed the Terriers. The Indians still hung in. They were blessed with better footing than in Game One. Each player was wearing newly bought, suction-soled running shoes. The goaltenders starred throughout this encounter. MacArthur made 26 saves, while Baker stopped 23. Orillia took six out of the nine penalties in the game. On their three power plays they were frustrated by Squamish ragging. Outstanding stickhandling from Beef and Hubie Smith, Ray Baker and the Bomberry boys. In the end North Shore prevailed by an 8-6 margin.

Game Three was another tight one. Orillia outshot the visitors 44-34, while the Indians took five out of the nine penalties. Yet the westerners led throughout much of the contest. Pint size Hubie Smith was their best player and Ernie Curran starred for the Terriers. The difference in this one was the final period, when the Cupholders swept North Shore off its feet. The visitors led 8-6 with fifteen minutes remaining. Wandy McMahon's shooting had been off but he got his second goal four minutes into the last quarter. It was a key goal as he beat three defenders to score it. Twenty seconds later, Butch Boettger tied the match. Two minutes passed then Curran put on a good fake from twenty feet out then beat Baker. He scored again 29 seconds later, putting Orillia up 10-8. Moses Joseph kept the Indians alive by scoring with under four minutes left. A Dominick Baker slash on Curran earned him a penalty and set up the Terriers' final goal. A dramatic 11-9 win - the turning point in the series.

A crowd of 10,000 gathered for what turned out to be the final game. Butch Boettger scored 26 seconds into the contest. It was all downhill for North Shore after that. The Indians looked tired. They lost the opening period 3-1 and trailed by halftime 9-3. George Snowden scored six goals, along with two assists as Orillia romped to a 20-9 win. At the end there was a touching and heartfelt tribute to Ol' Bill MacArthur from his teammates and the fans.

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