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From ST.CATHARINES STANDARD

MAY 29, 1954

ST.CATHARINES -- Playing the type of lacrosse which could return the Mann Cup to St. Catharines after an eight-year absence, the Athletics decisively defeated the Hamilton Tigers 16-8 last night at Garden City Arena. The victory enabled the A’s to remain in a tie with the Peterboro Trailermen for first place in the OLA senior “A” standings.

As hinted earlier this week, the Tigers have the best-balanced squad to come out of the Ambitious City in many a year but unfortunately (for them) they caught the blueshirts in one of their truly great all-round displays.

From goalie Doug Favell through the two sets of defencemen and three forward lines there wasn’t a weak link in the Athletics chain and they tossed the ball around and made plays with much greater confidence than in their earlier games at home.

For better than eight minutes neither club could pierce the excellent goaltending of Bud Smith of the Tigers and Doug Favell. However, once the A’s started connecting they did it with a vengeance.

Roger Smith turning in his top effort since joining the Athletics, made a terrific play to open the scoring. Charging into the Hamilton end, Smith checked goalie Bud Smith who was fielding the ball in the corner, picked it up and from an almost impossible angle fired it into the unprotected net.

Fifteen seconds later Jim McNulty was penalized for slashing Bill Nelson and then the A’s went promptly to work. Derry Davies scored on a twisting run through the centre. Ted Howe came up with goal number three on a play with Al Frick and Doug Smith and Ross Powless scored the fourth with Doug Smith and Howe assisting. Those four St. Catharines goals came in one minute and nine seconds and the Tigers never completely recovered.

Bob Dobbie finally beat Favell with only 59 seconds of play remaining in the first period but the A’s went on from there to lead by 8-2 at the half and 13-6 at the end of three quarters.

Tigers, who had held their own for a good part of the game but were unable to solve the great goaltending of Favell, showed their best in the scoring columns in the fourth stanza. In those 15 minutes Tigers were only out-scored 3-2.

The game was well handled and despite some fairly free-swinging stick work on both sides referees Roy Morton and Walter Smart never lost control. Only one fight developed and that was of a minor nature. In the third quarter Ted Howe, who was named 1954 Athletic captain last week, tangled with Chub Brown in a brief wrestling match and both were given major penalties.

In a scoring sense the top men for the Athletics were Al Frick, Derry Davies and Roger Smith. Frick and Davies both scored four times, Smith three and Frick in particular had his low bounce shot working to perfection late in the game.

The loose-limbed Al scored the best goal of the game at the 4:40 mark of the third period when he took relay passes from Ted Howe and Doug Smith and in one motion blazed an ankle high shot which entered the Hamilton net before Bud Smith could make a move.

For the Tigers the only two-goal man of the night was Bob Dobbie, former star with the Fergus Thistles.

It should bear repeating that despite the defeat, the Tigers still look as if they will give any team in the group trouble aplenty when their entire team rounds into top condition.

Hamilton Tigers: Goal, M. Smith; defence, Davidson, Passmore; centre, Rankin; forwards, Dorney, Walton; alternates, Brown, Guthro, Dobbie, Hill, Passmore, McNulty, D’amico, Conradi.

St. Catharines Athletics: Goal, Favell; defence, Soper, D. Smith; centre, Howe; forwards, Moore, A. Frick; alternates Nelson, Davies, Powless, R. Smith, Croft, Martin, J. Bradshaw, Corcoran, B. Bradshaw.

Referees: Roy Morton, St. Catharines; Walter Smart, Brampton.

1ST QUARTER

St. C. – R. Smith 8:03
St. C. – Davies 8:25
St. C. – Howe (A. Frick, D. Smith) 8:35
St. C. – Powless (D. Smith, Howe) 9:12
Ham. – Dobbie 14:01

Penalty: McNulty (slash) 8:18

2ND QUARTER

St. C. – Corcoran 3:42
St. C. – A. Frick 10:54
Ham. – Walton (Dorney) 12:09
St. C. – Davies (Martin) 14:15
St. C. – Davies 14:55

Penalty: Rankin (slash) 6:07

3RD QUARTER

Ham. – D’amico 0:39
St. C. – R. Smith 2:45
St. C. – A. Frick (Howe, D. Smith) 4:40
Ham. – Rankin (Dorney) 8:07
Ham. – Landoni (McNulty) 8:30
St. C. – R. Smith (Favell) 10:35
St. C. – A. Frick (Nelson, Howe) 11:41
St. C. – A. Frick 12:05
Ham. – Hill 14:08

Penalties: Howe and Brown (majors, fight); Dorney (high stick) 14:42.

4TH QUARTER

St. C. – B. Bradshaw (Corcoran) 5:03
St. C. – Croft (Powless) 7:16
Ham. – Dobbie (McNulty, D’amico) 7:37
Ham. – McNulty (Passmore) 8:12
St. C. – Davies (Nelson) 11:59