Two weeks in, and we have a lot of movement in the AltHL power rankings!

1926 MHL Offseason: Off the Ice

For the first time in the MHL’s history, no teams relocated or folded following a season. Every team was more or less financially stable for another year. As a matter of fact, one team even recovered so well that they returned after a 1-year hiatus. The Peoria Foxes were given 1 year to attempt to recover their finances, and they did just that, getting together enough money for James Burris to welcome them back to the MHL. As for their roster, part of the proposition of their hiatus was that they were to start from scratch with players, but that they could negotiate with former players to return. Free agency will be interesting from their perspective.

Expansion

Newark Yellow Jackets

The newest expansion team for the MHL was the 4th team in the NY metropolitan area, on the other side of the Hudson River. The Newark Yellow Jackets came to fruition thanks to Simon Pethes, a Newark-based newspaper tycoon who wanted a team to represent his city and the state of New Jersey. The Yellow Jackets will wear gold and blue, and their logo features one of the namesake insects in the team colors. The jersey is gold with blue arms, and two gold stripes on each arm.



Other Changes

Toronto Lakers 

The Lakers added more arm stripes to their look and modified the “TORONTO” font on the front of their jersey. They also added a navy away, featuring a white chest stripe with red numbers on the front and back. Toronto becomes the second team to have a designated away jersey, after the Chicago Wildcats.

Ottawa Lumberjacks

The Lumberjacks keep making changes to their set, this time unveiling a new striping, consisting of one red and one white stripe on the arms and hem. They elected not to create a designated away jersey, as club owner Terrance Surch does not believe them necessary.

Montreal Greys

The Greys decided their jerseys wer

1926 MHL Playoffs: Abbott Cup Final

(E2) New York Blue Birds (37-18-1) vs (W2) Pittsburgh Internationals (29-26-1)

Game 1 was held at New York Stadium, one of the most intimidating rinks in the league. the Birds had won 21 out of 29 games there in 1925-26, while the Ints were barely above 0.500 on the road.

The game started, and New York did as they usually do, get a bunch of shots and dominate play. However, the Ints were doing well not getting completely outplayed. They got some chances of their own to start off. The first bit of the game didn’t have any scoring, and the first goal came with just over 6 minutes to play in the frame, from Pittsburgh’s Alexander Walters. New York’s Moses Addison rarely seemed have one goal get him down, but that first goal did something to him, as the Ints would get an easy second goal soon after. Before long, they had scored 2 more, making it 4-0 after 1. The New York crowd was stunned. Nothing like this had even come close to happening the past few seasons.

New York wasn’t playing bad, but they definitely tightened up the defense in the second. It came at the cost of more scoring chances, but they did prevent the Ints from getting any more good looks. Eventually, Lewis Urban got a goal for the Birds, putting them on the board. Just 46 seconds later, Danny Prince found twine, and suddenly the lead was down to 2. The building was starting to come to life again, and when Jacques Barbe made it a one-goal game in the final few minutes, it was almost deafening. Eventually, in the dying seconds of the period a shot from the point went off a defender’s skate, off Barbe, and past Denis Jones, tying the game at 4. New York Stadium erupted, and it was a brand new game.

Pittsburgh must have got a good talking-to in the second intermission, because they started the third period with a mission. They were finding ways through the New York defense, and less than 5 minutes in, Allan Dyck’s 2nd goal of the game

1926 MHL Playoffs: Semifinals

(W1) Toronto Lakers (33-23) vs (W2) Pittsburgh Internationals (29-26-1)

A rematch of the previous year’s Abbott Cup Final would determine who would be the West’s representative in the 1926 edition.

Game 1 started with the visiting Ints getting on the board first, thanks to Larry Nelson. Toronto would tie it up fairly quickly though. The Ints had most of the momentum in the period, outshooting the Lakers 14-8, but the 1-1 scoreline remained through 20. The second was more even, though Pittsburgh would take the lead once more, thanks to Jean Mercier. Toronto wasn’t looking at their best. After 40, Pittsburgh retained that one-goal lead. In the third, the Lakers still couldn’t get anything going, and while Jerome Bouchard did what he could to keep it close, two late goals from Nelson and Michael Stevenson sealed the deal for the Ints, and Pittsburgh took game 1 in Toronto, 4-1.

Game 2 saw Toronto finally look like the #1 seed that they were, as Greg Mullins gave them the lead just 90 seconds in. However, Pittsburgh would tie it up before the halfway point, and they once again did a great job limiting the Lakers’ chances. In the second period, Toronto lit it up. Kenneth Moore gave them the lead again early on, then Robert Andrews doubled the lead 5 minutes later. Later on, Sylvain Ermengille made it 4-1, giving the Lakers a commanding lead heading into the third. Toronto would continue being the better possession team in the final frame, but Pittsburgh would capitalize on their chances. They would get two goals to open the period, making it a 1-goal game. However, a late goal by Greg Mullins negated any comeback, and tied the series at 1.

Game 3 started off heavily in Toronto’s favour, as they dominated shots and possession. Ermengille opened the scoring, and all was going smoothly for the Lakers until Nelson tied it up in the final minute of the first. This gave them momentum, which they took into the

Sydney Harbour Football Club

Sydney Harbour Football Club