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ST.CATHARINES -- In 1921 the “Alerts” of the St.Catharines junior lacrosse league had a very strong team with a number of standouts including Percy Oille, Bill Pennie and Vince O’Brien. This team won the O.A.L.A. junior championship the year before and they seemed poised to make another good run at the provincial title once again.

In August of that year they played an exhibition game against the senior Athletics and came away with a decisive 10 to 3 victory. The St.Catharines Standard would report that they “romped home with a lead of seven goals, thus upsetting all the dope of the dopesters who had the seniors all picked to win in a walk.”

After winning the city championship, the Alerts met Shelburne in a home and home, total goals to count, playoff series. The Alerts had built up an 18 to 7 margin with a big win in the first game in St. Catharines, but only managed to squeak out a hard fought 7 to 6 win in Shelburne.

Shelburne then lodged a protest with the O.A.L.A. claiming that the Alerts had in fact used an overage player. And they were quite correct. But the quick and firm decision of the league executive was, to say the least, a bit lenient to the St. Kitts youngsters. They ordered the two games already completed be thrown out, and a sudden death playoff game be played at a neutral site (the Scarboro Beach grounds) to determine the victor (minus of course, the guilty over-aged players).

The Standard would report in a rather stern announcement that the team would be “without the services of Phipps” and “LaFrance, who was obliged to leave the city since the last game.” Vince O'Brien also didn't play another game that season but no explanation was offered for his absence.

The big showdown in Scarboro was played on Wednesday, Sept. 22nd 1921, and the Standard would report that later that evening, “loud applause greeted the announcement by Ald. J. D. Wright at the band concert in the Opera House when he announced that the Alerts of St. Catharines had won the sudden-death game at Scarboro Beach against the Shelburne team on a score of 9 to 4.” What a great time it must have been to be a young lacrosse player.

The Alerts would beat out the Toronto Beaches in the next round before squaring off against far-off Hanover in the finals. Hanover at 120 miles distant from St. Catharines, would be an over-night excursion by motor car to reach in 1921. To some locals, it seemed like the end of the earth. A headline in the Standard on October 12th read, “Alerts Start For Hanover; Are They There?” The paper would state that “the Standard was unable to find out where they spent the night, but it is probable that with any luck, they should reach Guelph to spend the night. It is possible, however, that the rain held them up in Hamilton; if so they will have to shake a leg in order to get to Hanover in time to take the field for the game.”

The team, along with thirty supporters, made it on time and the Alerts beat the Hanover team by a lowly 2 to 1 count on an extremely cold, mid-October weekday. That set up the championship game in St. Catharines the following Saturday with the teams nearly deadlocked in the total goals to count series.

And the rest is history.

From The St.Catharines Standard

Monday October 17, 1921

ST.CATHARINES -- For the second consecutive year St.Catharines has landed the junior championship of the O.A.L.A.

The Alerts, winners of the city league, on Saturday concluded a season of unbroken victories when they put the ambitious Hanover team for the second time in second place in the provincial roll of honor on a score of nine to two.

The Alerts, after capturing the St. Catharines city league, which now appears to be paramount with the O.A.L.A. championship, walked over the greatest obstacle in the way by trimming the Toronto Beaches with less trouble than they had in defeating Hanover. But in the latter achievement there entered elements that were foreign to all other contests.

Firstly a team must travel 120 miles in Canadian October weather in motor cars, cannot be expected to be at its best. Each team had that experience.

After the strenuous season without sufficient revenue the Alerts on Saturday were favored with a bumper attendance and while they won, it cannot be stated that in the first half of the game they produced championship lacrosse. Just what the cause may have been is hard to determine. The travel-worn visitors were but one goal behind shortly after half-time, and had they been able to pull off two-man combination plays on their home end in the first half with the same alacrity that they did it once in the third and once in the fourth quarters they could have had a lead of at least ten goals at half time.

This does not mean that the spectators were not given a full bill of lacrosse by any means. The game was fairly won and the losers, runners-up in the association fought gamely, but they chose mainly the defensive attitude. For a team to exhibit such gameness after adopting such tactics is indeed unique on the local field. Right to the last second they were fighting tooth and nail in a losing struggle. It may have been that their peculiar style disrupted to some extent the St. Kitts plan of attack, in the first half. The last half with brief exceptions developed into the old game of “put in and keep out” with Messner, the Hanover goal tender in the limelight. His work was nothing short of marvelous. There were times when he was ably assisted by Lang, Beamish and Muter and other times when nearly the whole team was playing defence, but less than half the shots that Messner stopped in the last two quarters of the game would have doubly increased the Alerts score.

Individually the disparity between the teams indicated by the score did not exist, but they lacked a combined system of attack and an accompanying desire to get in on the nets. They evidenced good sportsmanship and the champions showed their appreciation of this spirit by entertaining the runners-up for the championship to a dinner at the New Murray hotel after the game. That dinner was participated by several supporters of the club and certain representatives of the civic corporation.

Ald. J. D. Wright, who in the absence of the Mayor had faced the ball for the game, was the toastmaster at the banquet. Fraternity and harmony reigned supreme at this gathering.

Charles Driffell, B. Dankert and J. O. Reid were among the Hanover spokesmen who expressed the visitors appreciation of the honor bestowed upon them.

Aldermen Graves and Dakers tendered civic congratulations to the champions and paid tribute to the gameness of the runners-up.

Others called upon include, W. J. Westwood, past president of the O.A.L.A., Referee Harcourt, F. J. Dixon, James McIntosh, Fred Cunningham, Trainers Brown and Tufford, and Geo. Kalls, Jno. Phelan, W. A. Moore in response to “The Press” and Major H. B. Burgoyne for the management of the Standard, donors of the city league championship cup, who stated that this year, The Standard would supply individual medals for the players on the Alerts city league championship team.

Thos. Phelan, Manager James Lee and Frank Colton, accompanist contributed to the musical offerings of the evening.

The Game

The game was featured by the close checking on the part of both teams, the Alerts defence in particular showing up to good advantage in that kind of game. Haynes looked like the best on the defence, many times intercepting passes and carrying the ball up to the Hanover net, and if he could have shot straight, there would have been a larger score, for he had many chances, nearly all of which went wild.

Loosemore went on the field in the second period and heralded his coming with two goals inside of the first two minutes of play. Pennie and Milligan showed up very well all during the game on the home, along with Percy Oille who played both defence and home and was always dangerous.

Mr. R. J. Harrison of the Allen Theatre, presented the Alert players with passes to the Allen, good for two months.

First Quarter

The game started with the play at the St. Kitts end of the lot, but close checking kept the ball out of the net. After about five minutes of even play Milligan received a pass and scored, and Barber and Hopkins both got the bench for slugging. The Alerts made a couple of fast rushes but loose work around the net kept them from registering again. Haynes showed up particularly well in this period with his rushes down the field. Near the end of the quarter, Brookland tossed the ball into an empty net. There was no more scoring in this quarter, which ended two to nothing for the Alerts.

Second Quarter

Hanover started strong in the second, and after playing around the net, Zimmer shot a hard one that fooled Harris, for the first Hanover goal of the game. Muter took the count and Pennie got the bench for five minutes. Oille took a clever pass from Milligan and made it three for St. Catharines. Hanover got wild after that and threw the ball to the four winds, not seeming to care where it went. But the good work of Messner kept it out of the net and the quarter ended 3 to 1 for the Alerts.

Third Quarter

In the third quarter, Loosemore went on for Bye and Beamish and Brunt went on in place of Bushlin and Hopkins. Loosemore got started right away and scored with two hot ones in succession by some pretty individual work. The Alert home showed some flashy work in this session and Pennie and Haynes both accounted for one each. Birmingham was off for five minutes when Hillgartner went down, minus most of his wind. The score at three quarter time was 7 to 1.

Last Quarter

St. Kitts got possession of the ball at the face off and inside of one minute Barber found the net, making it eight for the Alerts. Brookland threw the ball over the net and Pennie knocked it into the net, but the goal was not allowed because Pennie got on the goal tender’s property. George scored the second for the Hanover bunch, beating Haynes and Harris. Pennie was laid out and Hopkins got the bench for the usual five. Near the end of the game, Loosemore received a pass in front of the net and sent in a hot one that got past Messner for the last point of the game. The final score was 9 to 2.

A bit of excitement was caused near the dressing room when some over zealous fan from Hanover tried to hit Brookland over the head with a megaphone. Sergt. Brett galloped to the scene and restored peace before the melee got beyond bounds.

The Teams

St.Catharines – Harris, goal; Haynes, point; Birmingham, cover point; Barber, Pennie, defence field; Oille, centre; Brookland, Milligan, home field; Bye, outside; McIntosh, inside; and Loosemore, spare.

Hanover – Messner, goal; Lang, point; Beamish, cover point; Muter, Brunt, defence field; Hopkins, centre; Beaman, Zimmer, home field; George, outside; Bushlin, inside; Lamont, Hesch and Hilgartner, spares.