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By BUNNY MORGANSON: TORONTO TELEGRAM

It just wouldn’t be a Mann Cup final playoff without St.Catharines representing the east.

Well, it seems that way. Perhaps, it is boxla tradition

But our good friends of Mimico did their best to up the old tradition angle, but they just didn’t make it.

And before we get too deep in our little say-so about the Garden City (that’s St. Catharines, you know, where it never rains on lacrosse night, not much), let’s review the super-sensational “sport-aintment” put on by the O.L.A. senior clubs this past summer.

Mimico and St. Catharines raced through seven highly exciting games with the Athletics getting the nod only after a last period scoring spurt in the seventh and final game. Mimico went down three to one in the first four games but came back to win the next two, and by decisive margins to tie the series up, three-all, after six games. All attendance records were smashed during this particular series. It is estimated that nearly 25,000 fans took in the seven final play-off games and many, many hundreds were turned away for the very simple reason there wasn’t just room enough to accommodate all who wished to attend.

And that was the same story throughout the regular season. Mimico jammed in at home all season. They set a new all-time attendance record for the Drummond Street Bowl in Mimico when 3400 fans packed themselves into the available space for a league game between Mimico’s Mounties and the St. Catharines Athletics.

Owen Sound, Brampton, Hamilton and even the homeless Lakeshores didn’t suffer from “red inkitis”. Only the hopelessly last place Orillia Terriers suffered financial difficulties, but now that Frank Curran has regained sole control things should once again boom up that way next season.

Three straight times Ontario senior lacrosse champions, St. Catharines Athletics are out to redeem themselves in the current Mann Cup argument for their failure last fall out in Vancouver against the Burrards.

They defeated the same New Westminster Salmonbellies here for Mann Cup again, in the 1944 series which introduced Ike Hildebrand to the eastern boxla fans and to the Maple Leaf Hockey Club. Ike not only starred in boxla, and won Maple Leaf attention and has been receiving his hockey schooling as a member of the Oshawa Generals.

With several of their veteran championship performers of other years on the side-lines, this year’s mixed team of veterans and rookies didn’t have things all their own way. They ran into strong opposition from Mimico and Hamilton at times, but once Coach George Cleverly got things working smoothly, the championship for Ontario was their successful goal.

Cleverly, St. Catharines coach, is not a showman, he doesn’t put on the “we was robbed act”, although a strong man in the committee-room and one who is determined to make his point in any argument, regardless of the obstacles. George knows his lacrosse. He played the game and, later, spent many years in the vineyard of sport knowledge, the minors, where everything happens to an up and coaching mentor.

Good goal-tending is an asset to any team championship-bound, but Athletics were double in spades as they had two super-fine goalies in Art Whittaker, their veteran of many a torrid campaign, and the up and coming Percival Douglas Favell. And both can be very good at times. Favell worked most of the season, as “Big Bill” led the sidelines cheers for the youngster. When Favell ran into the flue germ during the Ontario play-offs, Whittaker jumped back into the game and once again displayed all his old-time finesse. Until Whittaker gets himself right with the C.L.A., ruling body for all lacrosse in Canada, Favell will be handling the St. Catharines’ net-minding duties. It seems Whittaker “socked” a referee out west last fall, without first saying “pardon me”.

Three veteran performers and up and coming youth give the Athletics a real defensive front against all kind of opposition. Frank Madsen, “Gyn” Myers and Dougie Cove have experience, class and plenty of what it takes to give two-way defensive performance. Tommy Madsen, brother of Frank and also the famous Carl Madsen, who is now refereeing, has all the necessary speed and dash and only needs experience on his side to round out a mighty fine senior boxla career. Hal Crooker is another young lad who plays the double blue defence with marked ability.

Bill “Ham” Nelson, who swept his way to a place on the senior Athletics, wound up the past season as top scorer for his mates and second best in the entire senior O.L.A. circuit. Nelson has played all his boxla in the Garden City from bantam up to senior. He used to sweep out the A’s dressing room when a small tot just to be near his heroes, the senior Athletics. And now “Big Ham”, as his pals call him, is one of the most promising players to hit senior boxla in post-war competition. He can mix it up, or play clean, regardless, but he can come up with the ball and get away for a shot on goal, or a goal, from the most usual angles. A “Dead-Eye Daniel” when it comes to getting rid of that ball, Nelson’s scoring ability is feared by his opponents of the boxla crease and admired by his mates and many friends.

Four Mann Cup veterans, champions all, have come through with true lacrosse performances, once again, and have contributed much towards the current success of the St. Catharines Athletics.

We don’t need to say much about these four young old-timers, Mr Editor, in fact, as Rexford “Voice” Stimers would scream. “They don’t need any introduction”.

Here they are, Joe Cheevers, centre star. Just try and beat “Curley” on the draw.

Wandy McMahon, the best ball hawk in the boxla business when it comes to killing off penalties.

Roy “Pung” Morton, the grand player with the piano legs and the bullet-like drive.

And of course, George “Galloping Scot” Urquhart, who is still plenty sound in boxla action, despite the beating he took during a four year stretch in the Navy.

We shudder, with all of St. Catharines, to think what could have happened to the “beloved Double Blues” if they didn’t have any of the four young old-timers on hand during the regular season. When chips were down and something had to be done about it, Messrs. Cheevers, Wandy McMahon, Morton and Urquhart saw to it that it was done, and immediately. That is why St. Catharines A’s are representing Eastern Canada this year in the Mann Cup finals.

What good is bread without butter, or ham without eggs? What good is experience unless youth is on hand to carry the ball?

And St. Catharines has that youth in the four young pups from “Little Brooklyn”, across the canal in Stuart Scott, Jack McMahon, Patrick Smith and Gerald Fitzgerald. All up and coming stars only a year or two away from winning individual boxla fame across Canada.

Jack McMahon and Pat Smith, along with Stuart Scott, supplied that certain something extra for the Athletics which aided them in their Ontario campaign. It was not unusual to have the above threesome steal the show during league play with an outbreak of three or four goals, individually.

Gerry Fitzgerald, still eligible for junior competition, jumped into the play-off breach and immediately astonished his mates and experts with an amazing display of boxla talent. The lad is definitely marked for future greatness in this game. He may turn up as the sensation of the Mann Cup series. Don’t say you were not warned.

There is an old saying that a team is only as good as its spare players. Such is true with St. Catharines. For the A’s are blessed with capable reserves in “Whitey” Whitley, Norman MacDonald and “Knit” O’Hearn. All three can travel and check like nobody’s business.