Would a rose smell so sweetly by any other name? Senior A lacrosse in Ontario experienced a transformation with the creation of the OLA Major League. With frontrunners Peterborough and Brantford it was basically the Senior.A League of the previous season. Aurora Astros became Toronto Shooting Stars and joined the Big Two. A new team in Windsor rounded out the circuit. As for the Brampton Excelsiors and Brooklin Redmen, they remained in the Senior League, sans A, only now they would not be permitted to compete for the Mann Cup. It was all very puzzling. Nothing like change for the sake of change.

Once again the Warriors and Lakers dominated the Senior A...err...Major League. Perhaps they only dominated it for the first time? Brantford won 22 games, during an 32 games schedule, while Peterborough followed closely with 19 victories. They also tossed in a tie for good measure. The first tie in Major League history! Windsor was next with 14 wins. They were called the Warlocks but it should be pointed out that male witches are only called Warlocks on the television show Bewitched. They are properly referred to as witches - just as actresses are technically known as actors. Sorry if all that sounds frightfully unheterosexual but I don't make the rules! A better name for Windsor might have been West Gaels or Old Gaels. The team succeeded in being competitive by bringing in Jim Bishop to coach and he promptly filled his roster with all the graduated Green Gaels he could lay his hands on. Last but not least was Toronto. The Shooting Stars were better suited to the Major League, where they claimed 10 wins and 1 tie more then they accomplished the previous year in Senior A. Plus fourth place was merited a playoff spot - only 8 wins away from a Mann Cup berth!

The Shooting Stars would never get any closer. Brantford swept them four straight. Meanwhile Peterborough struggled past Windsor in six games. For the fourth consecutive year the Warriors and Lakers paired off to decide the Ontario champion. The previous three meetings the second place finisher had prevailed in the end. Brantford stopped that trend as they edged Peterborough in seven games.

Whether it was a record setting year for scoring or not depended on whether one considered the Major League a new league or a continuation of the old OLA Senior A circuit. Most historians prefer the latter. Either way, 32 games meant impressive scoring totals for Ontario's top gunners. Jim Higgs led Windsor and the league with 99 assists and 153 points. He finished 10 points ahead of Brantford's Paul Suggate for the scoring title. Another former Gael, John Davis, was top goal scorer. He sniped 61 and was the Lakers' only top ten scorer. The Warriors had five, all with 100 points or more.

Out west Morley Kells chargers disappointed badly. New Westminster Salmonbellies swept them four straight in the Mann Cup Final. Paul Parnell won his second Mike Kelly Award. Parnell's 97 career points gave him the most in Final history, one point more than fellow Peterborough native Bob Allan. Allan had topped Bill Wilson's record six years earlier. Wilson, however, with 121 points in all Mann Cup games would only have his mark eclipsed by Geordie Dean and John Tavares.

When it came to offensive goaltenders, there were none better than Bob McCready. Appearing in his final Mann Cup series, Buff added 12 assists to his already substantial total. He was involved in 27% of Brantford's goals. That effort rocketed him past Pat Baker - 26 career assists to Baker's 19. The Laker netminder would get one last chance the next year, however 1973 would be a one game final. Thus McCready's mark would never be topped and would only be equaled by Wayne Colley seventeen years later.

Peterborough juniors were near perfect in 1972. Their record in all games was 46-1-1. Oshawa Green Gaels spoiled things with a round robin playoff win and tie. J.J. Johnston led the P.C.O.'s and the league with 85 goals and 149 points. He also followed in the footsteps of Ron MacNeil by becoming the second scoring champ to have over 100 minutes in penalties. The season was capped with a four game sweep of Richmond - avenging the previous year's heartbreaking loss. John Grant and Jim Wasson led the final series with 7 goals apiece. Grant, the great playmaker, was named Jim McConaghy winner.

This was to be the final season for many players. Some, like John Davis, went out in style. 'Shooter' Davis became only the second OLA player to produce four consecutive 50 goal seasons. In his six year Senior career he counted better than fifty every time, which tied Bill Brunskill's record. He also won his fourth scoring title, second only to Bill Isaacs' mark of six. Davis scored over 100 points every year he played, making him the only one to ever do it six times. Which meant that he also recorded four straight 100 point seasons. Once again the only player to do it in league history.

Another professional league loomed on the horizon. Thus 1974 marked a mass extinction of the league's top talent. Consequently a four year Mann Cup drought followed for Ontario. The trophy would come east in '73 but not return again until 1978. In between the OLA champs would take their lumps.

Brampton and Brooklin returned to Senior A, with mixed results. The Excelsiors were a competitive side. They won 11 out of 24 games to finish third ahead of Toronto. The Redmen lasted half the year, lost all twelve games, then dropped out.

Lacrosse's best rivalry in recent years would go head to head one last time. Again Brantford won the regular season pennant. Twenty-one victories gave them a runaway first place finish. Peterborough was a distant second with a mere fifteen wins. A 3-5 start killed any chance they had at top spot. The frontrunners dominated the scoring records as well. Four out of five of the league's 100 point men came from Brantford or Peterborough. Brampton's Steve Mastine slipped into second place, thanks to a 77 assist year. John Davis' scoring championship meant that former Green Gaels had won six straight. Davis became only the third player in OLA history to score over 1000 points. His 503 goals and 1148 points topped Roy Morton but were not quite enough to overtake Bill Isaacs. The Warriors had three players reach the 100 point plateau. Ron MacNeil led the league with 78 goals. Paul Suggate and Earl MacNeil finished with 104 and 103 points respectively.

The Semi Finals were a mere formality. Both the frontrunners won four straight to set up one last showdown in late August. The series opener in the Telephone City was a wild affair. The home team led 16-15 after two periods. The lead see sawed back and forth over the last twenty minutes. First Jim Wasson and Ken Henderson put Peterborough in front. Next Earl MacNeil tied it after being set up by Bob McCready. Bill Coghill put the home side ahead but Henderson tied it 18-18 with 6 minutes remaining. Jerry McKenna notched the winner for Brantford with less than 3 minutes on the clock.

The Lakers returned home to put their perfect record on the line. They would use Game Two to propel them on a three game winning streak. Terry Davis led them with 4 goals and 4 assists. Six power play goals would decide the contest. A four goal run early in the third period put the Petes up 14-10. They would come home 16-12 winners. Ken Henderson was named first star.

Brantford also had an undefeated home record. Their first loss came at the worst possible time. Cy Coombes scored four times as the visitors built up a 13-7 two period lead. Brantford came at them with everything in the last session. They outshot Peterborough 21-9 but could not solve the outstanding goaltending of Wayne Platt. The Lakers hung on for a 16-11 win.

Pat Baker was in goal for the fourth contest. This one was dominated by the Peterborough offence. The rookie line of Gord Floyd, Jim Wasson, John Grant, Len Powers and Jim Vilneff scored six first period goals. Floyd finished the evening with five tallies. During the second session Davis potted five markers. By the time 60 minutes had concluded the Lakers had doubled the Warriors 20-10.

The champions were on the ropes but rallied for a 17-10 victory at home. They outscored the Lakers 5-1 in the second period to pull away. Back in Peterborough for Game Six it was a different story. A crowd of 2,263 watched the home side win the opening period 3-2 while outshooting the visitors 23-12. Jim Hickey dominated the draws the full 20 minutes. Carm Collins stepped up as the second period hero. His penalty killing - at one point ragging the ball for over a minute - allowed Peterborough to take an 8-6 lead to the third. They then clinched a series deciding 14-9 win. Pat Baker scored the final goal from his own crease. With McCready out of goal, Baker fired a two bouncer into the empty net.

A remarkable accomplishment for a club which had lost half its players from the previous season - either to retirement or out west. The Lakers began the year with only 14 signed players and injuries reduced their roster to 10 at one point. 33 year old Jim Vilneff was coaxed out of retirement and he led the Rookie Line. Peterborough finished 7-1, before their playoff success. Brantford coach Morley Kells predicted that, "Peterborough should win the Mann Cup easily."

Obviously Kells was not calling for a four game sweep. Simply because the Mann Cup would be a one game final. Even during the field era finals were at least two games. Yet the CBC wanted to televise the game nationally, therefore they had to have a one game final. Peterborough fans lost out as the game was hosted by Brantford. But it would be the losing team of the final which would always wonder what might have been in a seven game series.

Coach Bob Allan planned to use Wayne Platt in goal. Call it divine intervention but he changed his mind and went with 36 year old Pat Baker. Baker's final game in a career going back to 1959 would be one of his best ever. He would make 53 saves while endlessly frustrating the Vancouver shooters. The Burrards started Dave Evans in goal but he'd be replaced in the final period by Don Hamilton. Hickey was again solid at centre, continuously outdrawing Gord Frederickson. The Ontario champs came out fast and won the first period 4-0. Pat Differ and Bob Salt cut the lead in half early in the second frame, however the Lakers maintained a 6-3 advantage heading home. They would proceed to register a 9-5 final score. A short and sour trip east for the western champs.

Next came the Peterborough juniors bid for a Kawartha Double. They romped to a first place finish with a 26-2 record, while scoring a league high 459 goals. Yet the P.C.O.'s did not place a single player in the top ten. Rexdale's Blair Campbell won the scoring title. His 171 points barely exceeded his 161 penalty minutes. At the other end of things, the mighty Gaels fell to last place in the eight team circuit.

Peterborough won two playoff series without too much trouble. Bramalea Excelsiors challenged them in the OLA Final by beating them twice. The fight they put up on the floor wasn't always legal. Game Three in Peterborough turned into a donnybrook when Ian Robinson high sticked Ken Byers. The benches cleared, fans joined the players on the floor and the brawl took thirty minutes to subside. One could only hope for nothing but lacrosse in the Minto Cup.

The P.C.O.'s returned to Richmond, scene of their dramatic seven game loss two years earlier. They were given a rude welcome, losing the opener 15-5. Paul Evans said it best, "we've never had to play hard all year. But now we will." True to those prophetic words, it was a different Peterborough squad the rest of the way. They threw a zone defence at the Roadrunners in game Two. It worked early, however Richmond solved it in the second period and ran in six straight goals for an 11-7 lead. Brian Evans and Steve Plunkett both scored late in period to switch momentum back. The eastern champs followed that with seven more goals to start the last period and waltzed to a 16-12 victory. The third contest was very evenly played. Richmond held a 42-38 shots on goal edge. Peterborough took a 7-5 lead into the final 20 minutes but it didn't last. With the affair knotted 7-7 Plunkett scored to give the visitors the lead for good. Roadrunner coach Ron Phillips claimed the goal came after the 30 second shot clock had expired. Nevertheless it counted and the Petes went on to a 10-9 win. 3,150 attended the fourth game at Queen's Park Arena and the westerners were inspired to greatness. They outshot their opponents 49-35 and chased goaltender Fred Gardner(picked up from Mississauga) to the bench during the second period. Four goals in 92 seconds put the contest out of reach. The 16-7 triumph would not be an uneventful one. At one point someone tossed a octopus onto the wooden floor. Later there were fights near the Peterborough fans' section. The players were ordered off the floor for 25 minutes and the police were brought in. In the end the series was even at 2-2, with memories of '71 dancing through everyone's heads. For the P.C.O.'s it was a troubling image. Not only had they been thumped twice but they'd lost two star players - J.J. Johnston and Mark Vitarelli - to injury. Matters only got worse the next night. Richmond led all the way, including an 8-4 edge at the 40 minute mark, and hung on for a 10-9 win. Weak goaltending hurt the easterners. Both Gardner and Tim Barrie played. Barrie struggled with long shots. Game Six the Petes danced on thin ice much of the night. They barely escaped the second period still in contention. Three Roadrunner power play goals gave them a 6-3 advantage. It could have been much worse. Fred Gardner stopped three breakaways before having to leave injured. At the other end John Lewis was outstanding. Barrie would be even better in the third period, while his teammates would figure Lewis out. Brian Evans began the rally 11 second into the session. Paul Evans concluded it with the game winner 61 seconds from the end. 10-9 Peterborough as they were outshot 50-49. Another seventh game, with 3,875 in attendance to witness it. Gardner was back between the pipes. He led the Petes to a 5-0 start. Richmond battled back to deadlock it 6-6. Ken Byers scored the winner early in the third period. Most Valuable Player Paul Evans counted the final two goals. 9-6 Peterborough as 1971 was put behind them.

46-0. An extraordinary record and one only the '74 junior Petes can boast about. They outclassed all comers from May to September enroute to their third consecutive Canadian championship. They went through the regular season 28-0 and set a record by scoring 606 goals. With Tim Barrie in goal they surrendered only 244, over 100 goals less than any other team. Paul Evans won the scoring championship with 102 assists and 180 points. He was closely followed by teammate J.J. Johnston who scored 102 goals. Brian Evans and Steve Plunkett were also top ten scorers.

Yet the P.C.O.'s job was only half finished. New challenges awaited in the playoffs and they were equal to them all. The top four tams entered a double round robin with three advancing to the Semi Final. Six more wins for Peterborough as they scored 102 goals and gave up only 49. They ended up facing the eighth place Legionaires anyway as St.Catharines won the B Pool to advance to the next round. The P.C.O.'s swept them then disposed of Mississauga four straight in the Final. The last challenge would be Burnaby in the Minto Cup. Hosting the series, Peterborough once again was flawless. It was no cakewalk however. In the four competitive games the easterner champs only outscored the Lakers 53-42. Barrie played every minute and took home the Jim McConaghy medal. Burnaby's Mike Holden led all scorers with 17 points. The Pete's high man was Randy Bryan with 14. Bob Wasson and J.J. Johnston both scored 7 goals. Thus history was made as the P.C.O.'s set a mark which likely will never be equaled. Bravo to Ben Floyd and his coaching staff, General Manager Lee Vitarelli and the players: Tim Barrie, Randy Bryan, Ken Byers, Gord Duncan, Brian Evans, Paul Evans, Ted Floyd, James Gow, Dan Green, Terry Hughes, Moe Jodoin, J.J. Johnston, Guy Legault, Greg Lustic, Angus McKay, Steve Plunkett, Mark Vitarelli and Bob Wasson.

To compare the Major League's leading scorers of '73 and '74 it was hard to believe that only one year had passed. None of the previous season's stars returned to the top ten. There were eight first time appearances on the list. Only Windsor's John MacDonald and Six Nations' Bill Squire had made the elite group before. The turnover had as much effect on the teams. Owen Sound and Fergus returned after long absences. Six Nations debuted at the A level, while Windsor made their second appearance. Meanwhile more recent powers like Peterborough, Brampton and Brooklin were gone. Only Brantford and Toronto returned from the previous season.

Windsor topped the standings with a 14-5-1 record. Unlike the team of two years ago, Jim Bishop and all his Gael imports were gone. This time the Warlocks were led by top playmaker MacDonald. Norm and Bill Hope were also top ten scorers. Brantford followed three points behind. They were a mere shadow of the previous year's team and placed no scorers in the top ten. Owen Sound and Fergus rounded out the playoff participants. Six Nations won only seven times despite having the league's only two 50 goal scorers, Richard and Bill Squire. Richard won the scoring championship too. Toronto Shooting Stars concluded their brief Senior A career with a 4-16 record.

Windsor defeated Owen Sound in a five game Semi Final. Fourth place Fergus upset Brantford in six. That would be the final playoff series for the once mighty Warriors. In the Final the Warlocks claimed their first and only OLA championship. The Thistles first trip to the OLA Final in 52 years ended in six games.

The Mann Cup would be another one game final. This time one game would be enough. While Ontario's top talent was playing professionally in Philadelphia, Rochester, Maryland, Toronto, Montreal or Syracuse, the WLA retained all their best players. Thus the New Westminster-Windsor match up heavily favoured the BC champs. The Salmonbellies beat Windsor 18-5.

A short note on the National Lacrosse League. I won't bother with team results because no one really cares about who did what in the shortlived league. But the circuit was dominated by Ontario boys. Former Warrior Paul Suggate won the scoring title. His ex-teammates Gaylord Powless, Bill Coghill and Rick Dudley all made the top ten scorers. Former Lakers John Davis and John Grant also made the top ten. Gael graduate Larry Lloyd finished third in scoring. Lest we forget Pat Differ, Bob Haw or Paul Cioci. In short, the OLA swept all the top scoring positions. Also the first and second all star teams. Wayne Platt was voted top netminder, followed by Merv Marshall. Jim Higgs, Dale McKenzie and Dave Wilfong all made the second team.

Peterborough juniors changed their nickname from P.C.O.'s to Gray-Munros but it made no difference. They still won their fourth consecutive Minto Cup. Again they were simply too good. Western import Dan Green set league high marks for assists, 150, and points, 205. Yet the powerful Petes did lose 5 regular season games, plus playoff defeats to Mississauga and the newcomers from Whitby. They even dropped one Minto Cup contest to Burnaby. Unlike the P.C.O.'s, perhaps the Gray-Munros might be had?

Senior A in Ontario was the most competitive it had been in years. Brampton returned to the Major League. They finished 15-9, good enough for a first place tie with Owen Sound. The Excelsiors were led by league leading goal scorer Brian Robinson. His chief support came from Bob Haw and Barry Richardson. Robinson narrowly lost the scoring race by three points. Owen Sound's Norm Hope registered 99 assists - tied for third highest in league history - enroute to an 135 point season. North Stars' Pat Fallon finished third in the league.

The other three clubs all had losing records. Six Nations grabbed third place with an 11-13 record. Fergus followed with 10 wins. In their final year, Brantford Warriors won only nine times and missed the playoffs.

Brampton defeated Six Nations in a six game semi final. Meanwhile Owen Sound ended the Thistles' season in five games. The top two clubs appeared to be evenly matched. Not only did they have identical records, during the season one had scored 371 goals while the other scored 370. Yet the final series would be all Brampton. They won every game. The Excelsiors ended a five series losing streak in the OLA Final - four of those losses in seven games! It was their first championship since 1962.

The Mann Cup would be a best of three affair. Brampton got a break by avoiding the defending champion Salmonbellies. Led by Wayne Goss and Paul Parnell, New Westminster finished first in the WLA, only to be upset by third place Vancouver in the semi final. The Burrards then defeated Victoria in the western final, making everyone forget their 14-10 regular season record.

Don Hamilton faced the Excelsiors in Game One. This was the same Don Hamilton who had shutout Brampton in a game 14 years earlier. On this occasion he struggled. The surprising Bramptonites took Vancouver to overtime. The Burrards pulled out the win thanks to a power play goal by Gord Frederickson. After that 11-10 defeat, the Excelsiors were clearly deflated. Hamilton held them to 8 markers in Game Two. Vancouver scored 16 times for the easy win and the championship. Ron Pinder led with six goals in the contests. Frederickson and Rico Bellusci contributed four each.

With the conclusion of the season came the end of yet another professional lacrosse league. The result was the end of many playing careers. The OLA had forgiven such players in 1968-69, yet many of the same players displayed their lack of loyalty to the organisation by leaving a second time in 1974. They would not be given another chance to come back home. The OLA slapped five year suspensions on every player who had participated in the second pro league. These suspensions were lifted after two years, however all the veteran players had already retired. Arguably many would have retired anyway. The ones who chose not to retire still had the option of playing in the WLA. Ron McNeil, J.J. Johnston, Ivan Thompson and Brian Evans did exactly that. Each made a significant impact out west. Johnston even came east for the '76 Mann Cup. Thus it was quite a bold move by the OLA. Their Major League had been deprived of its best talent for two years running, yet this action was still taken, essentially locking those players out for good. On principle the OLA made its stand that it would no longer tolerate its players running off to renegade leagues every five years. And there would be no more summer professional lacrosse leagues. It was a controversial move, virtually sacrificing the next two Mann Cups in order to make a point. A similar action today would be for the Major League to demand that none of its players be paid, thus sending many superstars into the arms of the WLA. But we all know better than to expect anyone to do anything based on principle in the 21st century.

Behind the scenes there was talk of an ulterior motive. Many believed the suspensions were instituted to prevent the Major League from being flooded with Peterborough players. The junior Petes had won four straight Minto Cups and five consecutive Ontario crowns, most of them with great ease. The last thing Senior lacrosse wanted was for the Lakers to dominate their league. Three of the top ten scorers(J.J. Johnston, John Grant and Jan Magee) in the last pro league were Peterborough boys. There were many others in the league, plus outstanding juniors about to graduate to Senior. Teams like Owen Sound and Fergus would have had slim hopes against a Peterborough powerhouse in '76. Besides, Brampton and Brooklin remembered how they'd gotten the short end of the stick when the Major League was created in 1973 and their teams were bumped down to Senior B. None of the current Major teams were eager to see a return of the Lakers. Even if it meant sending the second best team to the Mann Cup in '76 and '77. For Peterborough would remain out of Senior lacrosse until the suspensions were lifted. Then they would return in 1978 and promptly win a Mann Cup.

A quarter century and running. That's the stretch of time Brooklin has been in the Major League without break. They returned to Senior A in 1976 and have never looked back. The smallest community to ever be Canadian champions(in '68 the population of Brooklin was under 2,000) the Redmen didn't fare so well upon their return. They finished last in the five team circuit with a 7-17 record. John Reed led them in scoring despite missing nine game. He registered 74 points in 15 games.

Once again Owen Sound finished tied for first. They were led by the league's top goal scorer Ted Greves. Greves counted 68 markers and narrowly lost the scoring race by 4 points. Pat Fallon was third best in the circuit. Mike French was also a major contributor with 78 points in only 14 games. Officially first place went to Fergus. It was the first time since their 11-1 record in 1932 that the Thistles had the best record in the league. True it was an unimpressive 14-9-1 but still good enough for top spot. They also had the best defence. Larry Smeltzer returned home. With him between the pipes the scotsmen surrendered less than 12 goals per game. Smeltzer also won the James Murphy Trophy as league MVP. He was the first Thistle to ever win the honour. Teammate Steve Plunkett would follow in his footsteps two years later. Plunkett had finally graduated from the Peterborough juniors but not before winning four straight Minto Cups, plus establishing a new OLA record with 242 career games played. He teamed up with Terry Sanderson to lead the Fergus offence. Both scored over 80 points plus accumulated nearly as many penalty minutes. Ironic as their sons would also have successful careers, without being on a first name basis with so many timekeepers.

The defending champions were the sleeping giant of '76. They only won 11 times even though Tom Patrick graduated from the St.Catharines juniors to lead the Excelsiors and the league in scoring. Brampton not only finished back of the top two, they also ended up 4 points behind Six Nations. The Excelsiors and Braves did have the two top offences in the league, however they both had two of the worst defences.

Offence mattered in the playoffs this year. Brampton upended the North Stars in six games in one semi final. The other series also went six, before the Thistles defence prevailed over Six Nations. For the first time ever, Fergus had home advantage in the Final. Still they would face an Excelsior team which had been excelling ever since John McCauley took over as head coach in mid-season. Home advantage instantly evaporated as Brampton took the opener 11-9. The Thistles responded by winning on the road 13-9. Back in Fergus, the Excelsiors again won a close one. 9-8 was the score. They then became the only home team to win in the series thanks to an 11-10 overtime victory at Victoria Park Arena. The champs wrapped the Final up in five games with a third road win of 13-11. Hard luck for the Thistles as they were only outscored in the series 49-47.

The Excelsiors returned to the Mann Cup, carrying a ten game losing streak with them. It had been forty-four years since the club had won a game in the Canadian championship. Even with home advantage they were heavy underdogs against the mighty Salmonbellies. After all, their losing record was the worst ever for an OLA champ. The '67 Redmen turned a 12-12 regular season record into a championship. Then surprised everyone by winning twice in the Mann Cup. Brampton would go one better, giving lacrosse fans the first competitive final since 1967.

The opener was a tight contest. The home team trailed by a goal on five different occasions. They didn't take the lead for good until pick up Ted Greves scored with 12 minutes left. They added three unanswered markers for a 14-10 triumph. Chuck Medhurst scored six times for the losers. He would only score five more the rest of the series. WLA scoring champ Brian Tasker was lost in the first period when he took a shot in the eye. Excelsiors' Gary Powless and New Westminster's Joe Comeau both played great games.

Comeau was even better the next night. The turning point in this defensive struggle came at the end of the second period. Coquitlam pick up Dave Durante scored at the buzzer to put the Salmonbellies ahead 6-4. They went on to win 10-4. That momentum carried right into Game Three. The Fishmen blasted their hosts early and led 9-3 after 40 minutes. At one point in the final period their lead was still a healthy 11-7. Then Greves set a Mann Cup record with a 27 second hat trick in the final two minutes! Poof! the lead was gone and Brampton took the game 12-11.

Brian Tasker played with his sore eye the previous two matches but had not made a huge impact. His turn for heroics came in Game Four. His three shorthanded goals were the difference. Salmonbelly special teams dominated the night. They registered four power play and four shorthanded goals. The contest was tied 2-2 early, then the visitors pulled in front 7-4 before coming home with a 10-6 victory.

New Westminster had another strong second period the next game. They chased Powless from goal, to be replaced by pick up Larry Smeltzer, and took a 9-5 lead into the last period. Yet again that Greves fellow popped up. His third and fourth goals of the evening tied the match at 10-10. Tom Patrick won it with a breakaway winner in the final two minutes.

Three come from behind wins had served the Excelsiors well. Playing with the lead would be their undoing in Game Six. A Dave Wilfong hattrick kept the Salmonbellies in a 10-10 tie after two periods. Bram Wilfong missed an opportunity to put Brampton ahead 11-8 late in the second. The westerners took advantage by winning the third period 5-2 and the game 15-12.

Now you couldn't have a seven game Mann Cup without some controversy and behind the scenes bickering. This year it was over the schedule. The Salmonbellies wanted Game Seven the next evening, making three games in three nights. The CLA ruled against them because they did not want to go head to head with the Canada Cup hockey game on television. Thus a day of rest allowed the clubs to prepare for one of the most unforgettable games ever.

Victoria Park Arena was overflowing for the contest. It was so crowded and so hot that a sweaty floor would play a role in the contest. The game had to be delayed a half hour during the second period because conditions got so bad. The floor was no worse than the home team's start. The Fishmen were all over them early, winning the opening period 6-1. Yet the Excelsiors had one more miraculous comeback in them. They reversed the score the next period and tied the match 7-7 heading home. But Brampton were never able to get ahead. Coach McCauley lamented after, "If we ever took the lead once, I believe we would have been all right. But we never did take the lead." In a tight final session Dave Wilfong's second on the night put the Fishmen ahead. Chuck Williams tied it midway through. Bob Tasker scored the winner at the 12:26 mark. Up 9-8, New Westminster played defence the last 7 1/2 minutes. Brian Robinson did beat Comeau at one point. However the referee had already called play, though no one heard his whistle over the crowd noise.

Triumphant Joe Comeau had concluded his career in style. Not only was he sensational in goal but he also contributed 9 assists in the series. That took his career total to 23, second only to Buff McCready.

Immediately after the victory Salmonbelly coach Bob Babcock said, "They played like they weren't suppose to play - they were suppose to be underdogs but they didn't play as underdogs as far as I could see." Small consolation for John McCauley who believed that, "Twenty years from now they'll remember who won the Mann Cup in '76 but they won't remember who the finalist was." Wrong. We do remember the amazing Brampton Excelsiors of 1976.

The Junior League was the most wide open in sometime. Four clubs made furious challenges for the championship. Whitby had quickly developed into a contender and were narrowly beaten by Bramalea in a seven game semi final. Mississauga had the best offence, most exciting club and the lethal Chandler-Gemmell combination. Rob Gemmell won the '76 scoring title and had over 100 assists. What the Chiefs lacked was defence. It cost them in a heartbreaking seventh game loss to Peterborough. It was the third year in a row the Gray-Munros had eliminated the Mississauga squad. Yet the titleholders days were numbered. They were upset by Bramalea in a six game final.

As in 1962, Excelsiors again met Victoria for the Minto Cup. Controversy dominated even before the series began. It was customary for the B.C. representative to pick up players to give them a chance against the stronger Ontario clubs. The eastern champs had rarely added players since 1965 and Peterborough had gone with their own players the past two years. It was understood Bramalea would do the same, however the Excelsiors had other ideas. They came west with Oshawa star Stan Cockerton. The westerners insisted that Cockerton could not play, yet the OLA titleholders were determined to dress him. Was junior lacrosse about to have its own Bob Allan fiasco? Not likely. No one in BC wanted to fly out the four time defending champs to replace the inexperienced Excelsiors. So Victoria gave in and Cockerton was allowed to play. The Green Gael was in the twilight of an illustrious career. At the time, he sat fifth in OLA Junior A career scoring and would pass Gaylord Powless in his final game. Proof that small players can be stars in lacrosse. In four games against Victoria he scored 12 goals and 8 assists. Yet Bramalea lost every game. Doubtless Cockerton came as close as anybody on a losing team to winning the McConaghy. The trophy went to Kevin Alexander, another superstar wrapping up his junior career.

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