1934-35 MHL Season: Second Half

The second half of the season saw lots of movement, and it made for a very intriguing playoff picture in the end. There will be rivalries old and new in the postseason.

Finishing atop the west for the first time are the London Locomotives. This was what they needed, as the division win bonus could be enough for them to stay afloat. It was nervy to the end, but they finished with a 2-point gap. Jack Lilly exploded in goals to finish out the year, and he became London’s first major stat leader when he finished atop the league in goals, with 28. Will Breton also played strong after Simon Peters suffered an injury, finishing 2nd in points. The Locomotives’ fate is still up in the air, and an Abbott Cup win will guarantee their survival. They finished at 24-13-13.

Finishing second and having home ice for the single-game round 1 game are the Chicago Wildcats. They were neck-and-neck with London and Toronto at the end, but they remained in the same position they were in at the halfway point. The offense died down a little, but it was still enough to finish second overall. However, of all the playoff teams, their defense struggled the most. They will definitely need to make some adjustments if they want to go far. The Wildcats finished at 25-16-9.

Finishing third were the Toronto Lakers, who fell but still finished 23 points clear of missing the playoffs. Their second half wasn’t pretty, as their second half record was below 0.500. However, of the Western playoff teams, they had the best road record, so being the lowest seed may be an unexpected advantage. Young centre Benoit Cyr had his best year in the 1C role, finishing in the top 5 in both assists and points. Second-year winger Ajax Sorensen also finished top 5 in goals, so the Lakers aren’t without individual talent. Toronto finished at 23-15-12.

Finishing fourth are the Detroit Guardians, who had a much better second half. However, it’s hard not to improve when you only win 3 games in the first half. That being said, the team played a lot better under new coach Peter Chervenny. Their second half actually led them to having a home record above 0.500, but their road record continued to be abysmal, as they had a single win away from home all season. They finished at 1-17-7, the lowest road win% in the league’s history. Detroit finished the season overall at 10-25-15.

Finishing fifth are the Philadelphia Minutemen, who had a disappointing second half. Their defense remained league-worst, and they went their last 11 games without a win. Off-season trade acquisition Richard McGrath disappointed, scoring only 14 goals and 20 points in 45 games. Overall it wasn’t a great year, but still the best the Minutemen had so far. They will look to keep growing as a squad and eventually make a playoff push. Philadelphia finished at 13-28-9, finishing behind Detroit on a tiebreaker.

Finishing at the bottom of the West were the Washington Bats. They’re taking a path you don’t want an expansion team to take, as their record has gotten worse each year they’ve been in the league. While they weren’t last overall, it’s still concerning for a team that hasn’t had much to begin with. What the Bats have going for them is their defense, which is much better than the other Western basement teams. The offense, despite having a budding star in Martin Valley, was dead last in goals scored, and that will be the biggest thing to work on. Washington finished at  11-27-12.

In the East, it was the Nassau Scouts claiming their second division title and first ever #1 seed. Their great second half happened all thanks to Mike Whitlow, who posted career highs in both GAA and SV% in easily the best year of his career. Unfortunately though, he finished 2nd in every major goalie statistic. Their offense wasn’t dominating, but still got the job done collectively. The Scouts are going to be the team to beat this postseason, as they look to win their first Abbott Cup. Nassau finished at 29-14-7.

Finishing second were the Montreal Barons, who will be looking to defend their Abbott Cup title. It was the regular storyline for them, as they have the best defense but worst offense of all the playoff teams. Frank Pangos had another great year, finishing first in GAA and SV%. As well, despite the low-scoring offense, they had Earl Cyr finish 4th in the league in goals, and James Bos 3rd in assists. Their 17-5-3 home record is also going to be hard for others to overcome. The Barons remain a legitimate threat, as they finished at 28-16-6.

Finishing third, 4 points behind their crosstown rivals are the Montreal Greys. They finished the year with an uncharacteristically good offense and an uncharacteristically bad defense. C William Smith finished atop the league in both assists and points for the 3rd time in 4 years, cementing his case as the best offensive player in the game. G Alan Clercius also finished atop the league in wins, for the second time in his career. The Greys are an interesting team, and not one to count out in the postseason. They finished at 26-18-6.

Finishing fourth, and just outside the playoffs are Les Quebecois. They had a real solid finish to the year, but just could not leapfrog any of the playoff teams. Their offense was absolutely playoff-calibre, but the defense struggled at times, and ultimately that would end up being what cost them a spot in the postseason. Daniel Gallimore struggled in net, but at 20 years old the team’s fortunes aren’t entirely on him. Overall, it’s a year to build off of, but Quebec will need to make the playoffs sooner rather than later. They finished at 23-17-10.

Finishing 5th and 6th were the New York Blue Birds and Boston Harpers. Despite finishing below Quebec, the consensus was that the Birds were actually the best team to not make the playoffs. Their offense was good, defense was good, but the clutch factor was just nonexistent. As for the Harpers, they definitely improved over the second half, but not enough to get above 0.500, let alone make the playoffs. Boston needs to decide on a plan soon, as they’re stuck in limbo at the moment. New York finished at 18-16-16, while Boston finished at 19-26-5.

Finishing last in the East and overall are the Brooklyn Kings. They did improve their offense in the half, but there were still obvious holes in the team’s play. Defense continued to be putrid, and their record away from home was not pretty. They did win 5 of their last 10, so they had something to be happy about at season’s end. Besides that, Brooklyn is hoping to get back on track, as they’ve gone from the team that Broke New York and Toronto’s Abbott Cup streak to a basement dweller. Brooklyn finished at 13-31-6.



Season Leaders:


Playoff Predictions:

W2 - Chicago Wildcats vs W3 - Toronto Lakers
Previous Meeting: 1934 Semi-Final
Result: 2-1 Chicago
Series Record: 3-2 Chicago

These two teams have met a lot, both regular season and postseason. As a result, these two teams don’t like each other one bit. This one is gonna be physical and aggressive.

Chicago won 3 of the 5 matchups this year, and have the recent playoff success. However, this matchup should be close, and obviously there will be some blood shed, and fights fought. This matchup is turning into the MHL’s first purebred rivalry. Expect a defensive affair too, these teams love to tighten their gaps when they face off. It legitimately could go either way, but regardless, this will be must-see TV.

My pick: Toronto outplays the Wildcats, but Chicago ends up taking it, 2-1.

E2 - Montreal Barons vs E3 - Montreal Greys
Previous Meeting: 1934 Semi-Final
Result: Barons 2-1 Greys
Series Record: Barons 1-0 Greys

Well, you’ve got a rivalry in the West, and another rivalry in the East. These crosstown rivals met in the postseason for the first time last year, and the hatred increased exponentially. 

The head-to-head series this year was tied at 2 wins apiece. The Barons won their matchups 5-1 and 3-2, while the Greys took theirs 4-1 and 3-2. Pretty identical scores between the two. In previous years, this would no-doubt be a defensive battle, but with the Greys now boasting the highest-scoring offense, it’s now a guessing game on whether offense or defense wins. the Barons’ Frank Pangos has been a brick wall in net, while the Greys’ William Smith is putting up great offensive numbers. Which will prevail?

My pick: the Barons take this all-Montreal battle, 3-2.

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