History of the A's

 
 

Joe Fires Up The A's While Son Eyes NHL

 

MAGIC WORDS? 

ATHLETICS BEAT BRAMPTON AFTER FACING 7 – 2 DEFICIT 

The St. Catharines Standard 

Saturday June 12, 1965 

It would be interesting to learn just what magic words or mysterious potion St. Catharines Athletics Coach Joe Cheevers used in the dressing room between the first and second periods of the senior lacrosse game here last night. Regardless of what they were they certainly worked miracles. 

The Athletics, out-played, out-hustled, and out-scored by a 7 – 2 margin by the Brampton Armstrongs in the opening 20 minutes suddenly got serious. By midway in the second period they had scored six consecutive goals to take a short-lived 8 – 7 lead, gave up the tying goal by Gord Thompson just before the second intermission, then regained complete control again in the final period. 

The result…a solid 13 – 9 win for the Athletics, their second in seven starts this season. 

Harsh Words 

After the game Cheevers allowed that he used some pretty harsh terms on his club after the first period. “I told them they weren’t playing lacrosse, that if they didn’t want to get out there and work they might as well pack it up,” he said. 

The Athletics did “get out there and work” and turned in by far their best lacrosse of the season in the last 40 minutes. 

As far as scoring was concerned, the St. Catharines players leading the comeback were Brian Thomson, Gerry Cheevers, Ron Roy and Doug Smith. Thomson scored four goals, Cheevers and Roy three each, Smith two. Smith sat out the final 21 minutes after pushing referee “Scoop” Hayes and incurred a game misconduct. 

Dave Hall added one goal for the Athletics but it was more team effort than individual performance that brought them out of their recent slump. 

For Brampton Jack Madgett scored four goals, all in the first period, Don Arthurs had two, Bob Chard, Gord Thompson and Ed O’Keefe singles. 

Cheevers drafted by the Boston Bruins for $30,000 from the Toronto Maple Leafs last week, will play with the Athletics when they meet Huntsville at the Haig Bowl Sunday night. However, his lacrosse future in uncertain. 

Boston apparently frowns on its players performing in anything more dangerous than tiddly-winks during the off-season. 

Brampton: goal, Kitto (0-1); defence, Chard (1-0), G. Thompson (1-0), Caruso (0-2), J. Richardson; forwards, Arthurs (2-1), W. Thompson, K. Richardson, Wanless, Madgett (4-0), O’Keefe (1-1), Haw (0-1), Ford. 

St. Catharines: goal, McCready (0-1), defence, Hind, Smith (2-0), Armstrong, Teather, Hugar; forwards, Cheevers (3-1), Hall (1-0), Doberstein, Coull, Thomson (4-0), Berge, Roy (3-1). 

Referees: Lou Nickle and “Scoop” Hayes of Toronto.

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