History of the A's

Athletics Find Scoring Touch

THISTLES HERE FOR FIRST TIME

MEET ATHLETICS IN SENIOR BOX TILT TOMORROW AFTERNOON

The St. Catharines Standard

Friday June 15, 1934

League Standings

Fergus Thistles, who were extended in taking a slim 9 – 6 win over the Athletics on their home floor Wednesday night, will play the return engagement with the blue shirts at the city sports park box tomorrow starting at 3:30.

The A’s have played fewer games than any other senior group 2 entries and while they have dropped four straight, all by narrow margins, their belief that they will get into the win column tomorrow is more than a mere hope. Holding the classy Fergus crew to a three-goal victory indicates that the Millar team are hitting a stride that should produce results.

Following the Thistle engagement the Saint team was quite confident that they would and could take the measurement of the black and white squad in their next engagement and all they need is a little moral support in the form of a capacity crowd. Saturday’s tilt will be the first afternoon game of the season.

Included in the Thistles line-up will be Hal Wallace and “Fat” Young, who helped the Hamilton Tigers capture the Canadian championship last season; “Rusty” White, a husky who played with Richmond Hill last year; Brown of Guelph and Dean of Durham. Garden City fans will remember goalie Smart, J. F. Bergin, Ritchie, Campbell and Simpson who performed here in recent years with junior and juvenile teams representing Fergus.

ATHLETICS GO ON GOAL RAMPAGE TO DEFEAT FERGUS THISTLES

SAINTS BREAK LOSING STREAK BY EARLY LEAD AND NEVER HEADED

FINAL TALLY WAS 17 – 12 FOR BLUES

CLEAN GAME PLAYED BY BOTH TEAMS ENTHUSES 500 FANS

The St. Catharines Standard

Monday June 18, 1934

A scoring spree that has been a threatening factor since the start of the season gave vent to its stored up fury Saturday afternoon when Herb Millar’s Athletics, playing determined and inspired lacrosse rapped home their opening goal in the first 40 seconds of play to thrill 500 faithful fans and imbued with confidence from this opening tally they swept on to crush the Fergus Thistles 17 – 12.

The Athletics victory that snapped their four-game losing streak installed the blue-shirts as favorites with fandom and provided major box lacrosse in this city with its biggest boost yet.

The game that produced a total of 29 goals was everything the score indicates. There were but five penalties called, with three going to the Thistles. The A’s scored two of their goals while the visitors were shorthanded, while the latter team tallied once during the Saint penalties.

But the Millarmen did not need penalties to assist them in gaining their win, for from the opening goal virtually until the final whistle they swarmed over the Fergus clan, dominating the offensive with a great passing attack and thwarting the visitor’s attacks with a stonewall defence.

The scoring honors of the afternoon went to lanky Winston “Red” Millar and tricky Hugh Arbuthnot, both of whom freed themselves from goal-depriving bonds to pile up ten counters between them. Millar tallied six times, four times unassisted, while Arbuthnot scored four times.

Bill Fitzgerald got but two goals and three assists out of at least a dozen “sure” chances, while Barnard, McMahon, Pinder, Doucette, and Rowdon added single counters.

Jack Blair added three assists and figured in several other scoring plays, while Steve Lines was the main factor in holding Hal Wallace, starry Thistles scorer, to one goal. Lines virtually checked Wallace to a standstill. Cleverley, Hope and Lines were the only blue-shirts who did not figure in the scoring plays, but they worked like Trojans defensively.

The power of the Saints offence was demonstrated in the fact that they out-shot the visitors 28 – 14 and it was only the smart netminding work of Lorne Smart in the Thistles net that deprived them of many more goals. Bill Whittaker handled his chances well for the Athletics.

“Rusty” White, the six-foot Thistle rover was their greatest scoring asset as he tallied seven times. Henderson, Wallace, Ritchie, Richardson and Bergin all accounted for one goal each.

 First Period

penalty: Young

Second Period

penalties: Richardson, Bergin

Third Period

penalties: Lines, Rowdon

Fourth Period

penalties: none

The teams:

Athletics – Goal, Whittaker; defence, Blair, Barnard; rover, Pinder; centre, Fitzgerald; wings, Millar, Arbuthnot; subs, Doucette, Rowdon, Cleverley, Hope, Lines, McMahon, Manning.

Fergus – Goal, Smart; defence, J. Bergin, Young; rover, White; centre, Richardson; wings, Wallace, Barron; subs, Henderson, Campbell, Thompson, Ritchie, Brown, Simpson.

SPORT DONE BROWNE

by CLAYTON BROWNE

The St. Catharines Standard

Monday June 18, 1934

Seeing the senior Athletics in action for the first time and presuming to attempt a reason for their previous losses is rather difficult. The fact of a little team upsetting a bigger one is music any time and when both clubs are next door to full strength, there can be no excuses offered for the defeated Thistles. Joe Bergin was off the Fergus defence and Mac McCartney absent from the Athletics but outside of that the rivals fielded their best rosters and the better team won.

With plenty of time to size the performers up, one thing was apparent, nevertheless. Fergus were better conditioned than the A's and that was patent to the side liners, as the visitors never asked for relief and seemed to take their training more seriously than the boys of Herb Millar. Outside of that comparison, there was nothing to criticize other than the tendency on the part of the second string A's to let a centre wide open for the enemy, which can be rectified by the city coach.

One other thing. The asset that made the late Chuck Gardiner the greatest goalie of all was his ability to gauge angle shots. If the blues work out tonight for the Tiger test to-morrow evening, let them concentrate on shots from any other place than straight in front. Whittaker is sure-fire on those kind but he cannot seem to guess the angular kind and you'll note that eight in ten come from the sides of a goal.

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