Love the player spotlight! Super cool. Siskakos kinda reminds me of Martin St. Louis.

1939 Play-Offs.

First Quarter Final (Brampton VS Ottawa)
The Bandits come in hoping to finish their tenure in Brampton on high note, while Ottawa looks to bounce back from the loss of Cavillo and Anthony. In game one, Ottawa showed that they didn’t need Cavillo and Anthony. Harrison Davies would net three goals and set up Derek Smith for the fourth. Game two would fight on to overtime as Michael Francis would shut the door on Ottawa’s battery of shots. Ivan Pekar’s shot attempt from the point would be blocked by George Hamlet. From his knees, he tapped the puck up to Abner Folkes who would score on the break away with a nifty forehand deke. In game three, Yves Kaplan would get a lucky bounce that beat rookie Alex Hawley blocker side early in the first. Ottawa would stamp out Brampton’s hopes quickly with two quick plays from Folkes and Peter Darling. Ottawa would lock down in the defensive zone as Brampton lost their fire.

Second Quarter Final (Montreal VS Pembroke)
Pembroke would come out swinging, with Silas Law and Alfred King both netting two goals in a four goal shut out. In game two, the underrated players would shine. Johnny Asters, Leonard Alders, and J.J. King each notched a point as “Black Jack” Jones once more shut the door. Game three gave Montreal a glimmer of hope, as Michael Morris and McCaun decided to show up. Henri Lefras, the replacement for Daniel Popelin, would get one to help launch Montreal to a 6-2 victory. Jones and Spinelli stole the show in game four, winning 2-0.


First Semi Final (Halifax VS Toronto)
Angus Elliot and May would each score as Toronto’s big guns came alive in game one. Michael Lowry and Michael Johnson would each blast a couple of shots that made it in. May and Moore came back in the third period of game two, putting on an absolute clinic. May and Moore were the only names on the Halifax score card in 7-5 win. Game three was a tight fought game all the way through, going into overtime tied at one. Late in the period, a weak shot from the point got tipped by Patrick Watts, slipping past Milo Dunphy and in.

Second Semi Final (Ottawa VS Pembroke)
After a dominant quarter final, Ottawa showed just how much the loss of Cavillo and Anthony affected their team. Noah Wilkes and Alfred King (J.J.’s brother) would notch a point each as they shut out the Cavalry. Ottawa seemed to return to their former selves from the regular season as Davies and Folkes led the charge in game two. Goalie Mike White only allowed two goals as Ottawa beat Pembroke 5-2. The Derringer brothers would quarterback the Patriots in a 7-4 slaughter of the Cavalry, with Skippy Van Vleet finally returning to his former self, scoring off of every pass the Derringer’s fed him. Milo MacDarcy and Robert Franconi gave the Ottawa fans a spectacle as they had career nights, popping in a goal each on their way out of the play-offs.


C+C is welcome as always! Finals will be up later in the week.

Last edited by Osgiliath Guard (1/05/2021 10:24 am)

The ’39 Finals see the new top dogs take on the fallen deities. In a repeat of last year’s finals, the Bulldogs and the Patriots square off for the Borden Cup. The first period was wide open, with fast plays through the neutral zone. Pembroke’s Johnny Aster would get a quick chance on a low angle that went right across the goal line about five minutes through. Snagging the puck out of the crease, Nolan Axel broke the King brothers on a fast break that produced a juicy rebound in the corner. Lionel Ambers snatched the puck up in the corner, and fed it back to J.J. in the slot who slid it past a sprawling Armel Battier. Moore and Hay would be thrown on the ice to ride the momentum, and indeed they would. The powerful duo would undress the reeling Pats defence, beating the defence on a quick give-and-go to once more put on a passing clinic. Halifax would pin Pembroke in their zone for a couple minutes before Skippy Van Vleet poked the puck lose from the point and get a break away. With star defenceman Alex Cooke on his tail, Van Vleet tricked Houghton with a forehand deke and tucked the puck past him. The second half of the first would see a tighter game, with Halifax utilizing a tight man-to-man game style.

Silas Law opened the scoring three minutes into the second with a shorthanded goal from the right face-off dot that barely squeaked under Battier’s arm and in. Pembroke wouldn’t waste time responding, as Noah Wilkes would poke home a rebound as he got cross-checked from behind in the crease. And…the fights started. Wilkes would jump to his feet, swinging. Regan Murphy was the unfortunate victim of Wilkes’ fury as he received a flurry of punches before Wilkes was corralled by the referee. Wilkes would receive a game misconduct for roughing as blood poured from Murphy’s cut eye. Leonard Alders came through for Wilkes as he rifled a bullet off of a one timer from Asters. Halifax went to the powerplay when Law tripped May as they circled in the corner. Battier came through for Pembroke, holding down the fort on the penalty kill. Ironically, as Law stepped out of the box, Moore would tap a goal in. The score was 4-3 Halifax after 2.

As the third opened, Pembroke had the Bulldogs pinned down in their end. Houghton and the defence almost made it look like they were toying with the Pats with their blocking and goaltending. Then, newly-signed Mike Cavillo got a quick break off a blocked shot. Using his wheels, Cavillo got a clean break and left the defenders in the dust. On an easy shot, Cavillo got his first goal of the play-offs. This would be the first of seven as the flood gates opened. Cavillo decided to show Ottawa what they’ve lost and went on a tear. All of his shots seemed to go in, no matter the angle. Penalty trouble would be the only thing that stopped the bleeding since, luckily for Pembroke, Cavillo wasn’t on the penalty kill. The last two minutes were spent in the Bulldogs’ zone as Houghton held the fort. The horn sounds, and the Borden Cup appears. In their third season, Halifax would destroy the former powerhouse and would triumph. Captain Angus Elliot would receive the Cup from Harry Holmes Sr. as they began their celebrations.

1939-40 REGULAR SEASON
As the war raged on, Popelin, Barrande, and Peltier remained in service on the Western front in Italy. Montreal felt the loss of their poster boys, and Laduc was still reeling from the injury. They opened the season with a 10-0 loss to the newly-minted Saint John’s Mariners as Maxime Pelletier had an eight-point night with four goals. The Settlers would rebound going on a three-game win streak, as Morris and McCaun went on a seventeen-point tear. Their woes would continue, however, with their offence falling apart and their defence forgetting how to play. Bad penalties, sloppy giveaways and weak puck possession would plague the Settlers, and many analysts were wondering how Montreal reached 10 wins. Mattias Bell and Elias Laduc were the only bright spots on the team, as their play stole the seven other wins they gained. By the end of the season, Laduc began to show bits of his former self, giving Montreal faithful some hope for the next season.

In Saint John’s, the Mariners returned to their previous ways, finishing just ahead of Quebec since they beat the Defensuers in their final meeting. Pelletier and Griffith led the way, coming in with 31 and 24 points respectively. Pelletier was beginning to come into his own and his play showed it. His passing, previously a detriment to his play, began to be crisper and more well thought out, and he started to focus on the defensive side of the game. Twenty-two-year-old Richard Purcell started to come into his own on the blue line with his defensive talent starting to be paired with a smart offensive eye. Saint John’s was able to boost themselves to a 13-15 record, not great, but not good either. However, the play of back-up goalie John Redson was a concern for the Mariners as he put up an abysmal 5.10 GAA and a .790 SV%.
Ottawa and Pembroke decided to match each other game for game. New signings Joe Anderoa and Vincent LaLonde for Ottawa showed that they were capable replacements for Anthony and Cavillo, though not nearly to the same calibre as their predecessors. Anderoa, a big burly Ontarian, showed some promise for Ottawa on the blue line with smart defensive plays with good physicality. In Pembroke, the Derringer brothers were making fools of opposing forwards trying to cover them on the blue line. Jonathan seemed to almost have the gift of foresight for his passing, and Emmanuel had an amazing shot that always found its way in. Pembroke would fight their way to the top, beating Ottawa out due to a couple extra goals, Skippy Van Vleet again stealing the show.

Toronto spent the season foiling Halifax at every turn. Aside from shutting out Halifax in their five meetings, Toronto enjoyed a season with only eight total losses. Unfortunately for young back-up Johnathon Michaels, these eight loses came on his watch. To his credit, Michaels did have an amazing game against Quebec, posting a 3-0 shutout while facing 48 shots. Michaels will have to prove himself as Toronto goes for the Borden Cup as the top seed. Laurie Manfredi and William Gifford continued to show their prowess as Toronto overthrew the Bulldogs to take top seed. The Bulldogs continued their winning ways, despite dropping to second place. The line of Hay, Moore and Cavillo was insane. The three superstars were all but unstoppable. Their speed, dexterity, and puck handling were exemplary, and their chemistry was pristine. Unfortunately, captain Angus Elliot felt betrayed when he was delegated to the second line in favour of Cavillo. On an expiring contract, relations between Elliot and Bulldogs management soured as a result of his ire and negotiations ground to a halt as the season wore on.

Man, the Quebec teams weren't lucky.

I do have to ask something. Are the Mariners from St. John's, Newfoundland or Saint John, New Brunswick?