History of the A's

 
 

A's Return To Good Crowd

 
 

SENIOR LACROSSE LEAGUE OPENED HERE YESTERDAY 

TORONTO ST. SIMONS DEFEAT ST. CATHARINES BY SCORE OF 5 TO 3 

ACQUIRED MARGIN IN LAST QUARTER 

TWO THOUSAND FANS SEE GREAT GAME - WAS EVEN FOR THREE QUARTERS 

The St. Catharines Standard 

Friday May 25, 1928 

Senior lacrosse came back to St. Catharines with a bang yesterday, when, after a four-year lapse, St. Simons of Toronto and the Athletics renewed hostilities. The only fly in the ointment was that St. Kitts lost the decision by a 5 – 3 score. But local fans need not be discouraged by this reverse. It was one of the best games played here in a great many years. To use the words of one fan: “St. Catharines will play worse games than that and win ‘em.” 

St. Simons, with nearly the same team that St. Catharines’ Juniors beat back in 1921, played a wonderful game. They are a rangy, fast and rugged outfit, and have been playing together for a long time. But even with that advantage, they were not much, if any, better than St. Kitts. The game was very even for the first three quarters and going into the final session the score stood 2 – 2. Ty Silk, alone, missed two tries that were both labeled “goals.” Once he went through the defence and had only the goaltender to beat when he slipped and fell, losing the ball. Another time he was inside and ready to take a pass. He got it, but it bound right on the ground at his feet. With any luck, these two and the one that Stewart missed when he hit the goalie’s pads with only the goaltender to beat, night easily have been counters and given St. Kitts the game. 

Upwards of two thousand people saw the game and proved that senior lacrosse will still draw in this city. 

The St. Catharines defence was one of the shining points of the game. With Gow in goal and “Farmer” Brown, Purdy, Doucette, Silk and Burnside in front of him, the opposing home did not exactly have any bed of roses. 

The home was a little over-cautious, especially in the first quarter. But they brightened up as the game went on and threw many a single-handed rush past his man; any one of which might well have resulted in a goal. The fielding of Bennett, Wagstaffe, Pennie and Silk was of the best. Before this season is very far advanced some of the other senior teams will know they have had a busy afternoon. 

For the first ten minutes of the game, both teams set a fast pace but were unable to score. Davis finally broke through to take a pass inside the defence and register the first counter. Lounsbury broke through a couple of times but could not quite make the grade. “Red” Miller (sp) had a nice chance but his pass to Stewart was a trifle high. 

Davis started things in the second quarter which he went down right at the face-off to score the visitors second goal. The ball was deflected off a defence stick and it went past Gow. St. Kitts then settled down and Pennie nearly scored when he took a pass on the gallop. It went wide by inches. Silk went past his man and had only the goalie to beat when he slipped and fell full length on the ground. It was certainly a tough break. St. Kitts, however, kept right on pressing and their persistency was rewarded. Lounsbury gave Pennie a pretty pass right in front of the goal and Bill made no mistake, making the score 2 – 1. After a minute afterwards, the ball was scooped into the St. Simons net from a scrimmage in front of Sutherland. Bennett got the credit for the goal, although it was hard to tell whose stick did the necessary. The half ended with the score 2 all. 

There were several exciting moments in the third period, but the defence tightened up and there was no scoring. The play was mostly at the St. Kitts end of the field, although Stewart missed what looked like a sure goal when, on a pass from Miller, he hit Sutherland in the stomach. 

Virtue repeated Davis’ trick at the beginning of the fourth quarter when he scored at the face-off to put the visitors one goal up. Silk missed a chance to even matters up when he hit the outside of the net. He just missed the opening by a hair’s breadth. Stewart made it 3 when he took a pass from Lounsbury well inside the defence. 

Rowan put Toronto in the lead once more with a long shot that slipped past Gow. Shortly afterwards, Silk went down when he was hit by a hard St. Simons shot. McGregor picked up the ball while Silk was still on the ground and tossed it into the net. St. Kitts protested but the goal was allowed. It was the final score of the game which ended 5 – 3 for the visitors. 

St. Simons – Sutherland, goal; Bullen, point; Thom, cover; Leighton, Nettleship, Hutchinson, defence; Rowan, center; McKinnon, Davis, Robertson, home; McGregor, inside; Carroll, outside; Virtue, Bleaker, Sanderson, subs. 

St. Catharines – Gow, goal; Brown, point; Purdy, cover; Doucette, Silk, Burnside, defence; Wagstaffe, centre; Pennie, Bennett, Lounsbury, home; Miller, outside; Stewart, inside; Peart, Bye, Green, subs. 

Officials – Barnett and Bennett of Toronto. 

Mayor J. D. Wright made a short speech before the game and was assisted at the face off by the Hon. J. D. Chaplin, M. P. and E. C. Graves, M. P. P., both ex-St. Catharines players.

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