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1922 MHL Playoffs - First Round

(W2) Buffalo Colts (23-18-1) vs (W3) Toronto Lakers (22-19-1)

It was a battle of Lake Ontario as the Colts and Lakers faced off in the first round. The Colts had struggled in the latter half, while the Lakers were on the upswing.

In game 1, this was very apparent early on, as the Lakers stormed out to a 3-0 lead midway through the first period. The Colts managed to get some good chances back, cutting the deficit to 3-2. However, a powerplay goal by Jack Warren and a late sealer by Ernest Girard gave the Lakers a game 1 victory.

In game 2, it was a goalie battle the whole way through. Neither of Frank Clercius or Chas Clarke would let anything past them for the majority of the game. Eventually, David Burton beat Clarke with a hard slapshot, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Clercius made 37 saves in the shutout, and Buffalo was on thin ice heading to game 3.

In the third game, The Colts had a good start, scoring first for the first time. However, Jack Warren scored a late one for Toronto in the first, tying the game at 1. In the second, Roger Hall scored shorthanded, and that deflated Buffalo. The Lakers would add another, and held on to a 3-1 lead to sweep Buffalo out of the playoffs, and head to Pittsburgh to face the Ints in Round 2.

(E2) Montreal Greys (25-17-0) vs (E3) Boston Harpers (19-21-2)

In the inaugural playoff game for both the Greys and Harpers, It was Boston that had the good start. They scored twice before the halfway marker before the Greys got one back. Allan Zoet scored late in the first to give them a 3-1 lead. The Greys would tie the game in the second before Terrance Champagne’s second but the Harpers back on top. They took game 1 4-3.

In game 2, it was a more defensive affair. Allan Zoet’s first period marker looked to be the game winner before Montreal’s James Wright tied it in the third period. The two teams headed to OT for the first time in 1922. In the extra frame, it was Wright who scored his second of the game at 13:46 to tie the series at 1. Boston’s Alex Graham made 35 saves in the hard-fought loss.

In game 3, it was all Boston. The Harpers scored twice in the first before a late goal from Chris Clark put Montreal within 1. After that though, Boston dominated. They scored two more in the second, then George Morris scored a natural hattrick in the third to make it 7-1. Terrance Champagne added a late one to give the Harpers a 8-1 victory and 2-1 series lead.

With their season on the line in game 4, the Greys came to play. They fell behind early, but scored 3 straight in the first and second to take a commanding lead. Boston came within 1 early in the third, but they responded right away to restore their 2-goal cushion. They held on to the end and tied the series at 2, forcing a decisive game 5 at home.

In the winner-take-all game 5, Montreal struck first early thanks to Luc Knevel. However, Boston would tie it within 2 minutes, but the Greys restored their lead fairly quickly. In the second, it was all Greys, as they got 3 goals, including Paul Washington’s 2nd and 3rd. In the third, they would increase the score to 7-1. Boston would score 2 late consolation goals, but at that point they had already accepted their fate. Montreal took a wild series 3 games to 2, and moved on to face the mighty Bluebirds.



1922 MHL Playoffs - Second Round

(W1) Pittsburgh Internationals (26-16-0) vs (W3) Toronto Lakers (22-19-1)

To start off the series, Toronto continued their momentum from the first round, jumping out to a 3-0 lead midway through the game, shocking the home Pittsburgh crowd. Joseph Ocking got the hosts on the board, but the Lakers would strike 3 more times to make it 6-1. Brad Bagley scored a consolation goal for the Ints, who fell 6-2 in game 1.

Well embarrassed from their performance in game 1, the Ints showed no mercy in game 2. After getting a late goal from Greg MacDonald in the first, they exploded for 4 goals in the second frame, including 2 from Andrew Pierce. Pierce completed his hattrick in the third, making it 6-0 for the Ints. Toronto scored two late on the powerplay. 1 game after falling 6-2 to Toronto, the Ints gave it right back, defeating them by the same score.

Game 3 in Toronto was a much more even affair. Pittsburgh struck first via Todd Rodrick, before Kenneth Moore tied it for the hosts in the second. The third period was absolutely wild, with both teams getting multiple grade-A chances, and a combined total of 41 shots on net, but no goals. One man in the crowd reportedly suffered a heart attack from the stress. In overtime, Toronto’s Mark Poirier was the hero, giving the hosts a 2-1 lead, one game away from a trip back to the finals.

Game 4 started very well for Toronto, who took a 1-0 into the second period. In a wild frame, the two teams traded powerplay goals twice, including 3 goals in a span of 5 and a half minutes. Pittsburgh’s Bobby Gamble scored late to put the Ints within 1 heading into the third. One period away from taking the series, Toronto tried to shut it down, but Gamble scored late to send it to overtime. Todd Rodrick scored in the extra frame for Pittsburgh, sending the series to a game 5.

Unfortunately for those attending, game 5 was probably the most boring game of the series. 
The first period had barely any shots, and no goals. In the second, Greg MacDonald scored the icebreaker for Pittsburgh, and Joseph Ocking added a late one to double the lead. Toronto swarmed the Ints’ net in desperation in the third, but Denis Jones showed why we was one of the best goalies in the league, shutting them down. Pittsburgh emerged victorious, heading to the Abbott Cup Finals for the first time.

(E1) New York Bluebirds (30-11-1) vs (E2) Montreal Greys (25-17-0)

Heading into this series, virtually everyone already assumed the Bluebirds would easily get through the Greys, while they were ready to put up a fight no matter what.

In game 1, it looked like the general consensus was true. The Bluebirds were already up 3-0 halfway through the game, with goals from Nathaniel Lowe, Jacques Barbe, and David Price. Montreal showed some life with a goal from Gilbert Hughes early in the third, but Barbe’s second shut down any hope of a comeback. The teams traded goals late, and the Bluebirds took game 1 4-2.

In game 2, it was more of the same. New York once again stormed to a 3-0 lead in the second period, and peppered Alan Clercius with a total of 43 shots. The defense did an exceptional job as well, with their only mistake coming on the penalty kill in the dying moments of the game. Paul Washington’s power play goal was all the Greys could muster, and New York was easily up 2-0, a game away from the Abbott Cup.

In game 3, it was the Greys who struck first, with Jim Wright getting a power play goal. The defense did a very good job at stifling the Bluebird offense, not letting them score until the late stages of the second. Even then, a Josiah Brown goal put Montreal right back on top. Wright scored again for Montreal to make it 3-1. New York would get one back late, but couldn’t find the tying goal before time ran out. The Greys managed to steal a game, and were still alive.

The Greys’ game 3 win seemed to give them loads of confidence, as they came out super strong in game 4. Nick Hadley scored twice to put them up 2-0, and the crowd was loving it. However, they couldn’t hold down the Bluebirds forever. Andrew Moehring, who had been very quiet in the series so far, scored twice in a span of 6 minutes to tie the game. Jacques Barbe struck soon after to give them a lead they wouldn’t lose. The Bluebirds took game 4, 3-2, and advanced to their first Abbott Cup Final.



Abbott Cup Final Preview:

(W1) Pittsburgh Internationals vs (E1) New York Bluebirds
These two teams were both comfortably the #1 team in their divisions. However, the Bluebirds overall are still a whole level above the Ints, and are the heavy favourites coming in.

New York won all 3 of the regular season meetings between these two teams. However, all 3 were relatively close games. The first meeting was 4-3 overtime win, though New York dominated in shots. The second meeting was another overtime victory for the Bluebirds, 5-4. Pittsburgh actually was the better team that game, but couldn’t finish the job. The final meeting was a 4-2 Bluebird win, and they were once again the better team. Overall, New York should win, but the Ints aren’t going to make it easy.

My Prediction: New York finishes their dominant season with an Abbott Cup win, taking it in 4 games.

Go Pints!

Last edited by ThisIsFine (8/31/2022 6:06 pm)

1922 Abbott Cup Final

The 1922 Abbott Cup was the inaugural appearance for both teams. The Pittsburgh Internationals won the Western Conference in 5 games over Toronto. They finished the year 26-16, 5 points clear of the 2nd-place Colts. Meanwhile, New York finished at 30-11-1, an amazing 11 points clear of the next-closest Eastern team. They handily beat the Montreal Greys in 4 to clinch their spot.

Game 1 was held in New York’s Broadway Gardens. The home crowd was raucous, and a real-life bluebird managed to find its way into the arena. After all the commotion was dealt with, the game began. The first minutes of the game were fairly even, and neither team could break through. Eventually, with 2:51 left in the opening frame, Andrew Moehring potted a rebound past Denis Jones, putting the Bluebirds up 1 after 1. The game returned to the same pace in the second, a very even matchup. However, a Pittsburgh penalty led to the Bluebirds’ elite powerplay getting a chance. David Price made the Ints pay, putting the hosts up 2-0 late in the frame. In the third, it continued to be a tight defensive matchup, but the Ints managed to get on the board via Victor Gosselin. They had some good chances late, but nothing that Moses Addison couldn’t deal with.

New York 2-1 Pittsburgh (New York leads 1-0)

Game 2 started eerily similar to game 1, with the teams trading chances fairly evenly. Andrew Moehring once again opened the scoring, this time with a wicked wrist shot. However, Pittsburgh’s Joseph Ocking tied it a few minutes later, making it 1-1 after 1. In the second, Robert Willis gave the hosts a 2-1 lead with his first goal of the series. However, just like the first period, the Ints tied it back up within a few minutes via Bradley Bagley. The remaining minutes of the second saw a decent amount of chances for both teams, but no goals. Late in the frame, the Bluebirds took a tripping penalty, which led to Pittsburgh getting good chances late. This carried over to the third period, where Todd Roderick scored 28 seconds in to give the Ints their first lead of the series. New York seemed shaken by this, and they couldn’t fully recover by the end. Pittsburgh took game 2 3-2 and tied the series at 1 heading home.

Pittsburgh 3-2 New York (Series tied 1-1)

Game 3 saw the series shift to Pittsburgh, where the fans made it very tough for the Bluebirds. Some reportedly stayed right outside New York’s hotel all night making lots of noise. This didn’t seem to affect the players though, as David Price started off game 3 with a goal just over a minute in. The Ints responded with a power play marker from Andrew Pierce, and the majority of the period was spent in a 1-1 deadlock. However, Andrew Moehring continued his impressive series with a lead-taking goal for the Bluebirds in the late stages of the first. The second period was a defensive stalemate that saw no change in the score. In the third, this stalemate continued, but New York was getting lots of chances. Finally, the dam broke as Price scored his second and third goals of the game in a span of 1:16, putting the Bluebirds up 4-1. Robert Willis added some salt to the wound with another goal in the dying seconds. New York took game 3 5-1 and was one game away from their first Abbott Cup victory.

New York 5-1 Pittsburgh (New York leads 2-1)

In game 4, the Bluebirds once again took the lead early, this time thanks to a rebound goal from Falconer King. Both teams had other good chances, but couldn’t make any changes to the score before the opening frame ended. The Bluebirds dominated overall in the second, but due to penalty trouble, fell behind. Edgar Burton scored his first of the playoffs to tie it, then Andy Pierce gave the Ints the lead with 5 minutes to play in the middle frame. The Bluebirds peppered Denis Jones with 18 shots in the frame, but he wouldn’t be beat. In the third, it was much more tame, with the Ints trying to shut down the Bluebirds offense for the win. That was no easy task though, and David Price eventually found a way past Jones, tying it up at 2 with 4:18 to play in regulation. For the first time in the series, the two teams headed to overtime. In the extra frame, the teams played very cautiously, as neither team wanted to make a game-losing mistake. This persisted throughout the extra frame, and it ended up that neither team could find a winner. To double overtime they went. 1:34 into the extra frame, Andrew Moehring finally beat Jones, his 4th goal of the series, to win the Abbott Cup for the Bluebirds.

New York 3-2 Pittsburgh (2OT) (New York wins 3-1)



This was the first time that the Abbott Cup had been won in overtime. New York finished with an overall record of 36-13-1, and a whopping 0.730 points percentage. The league was still young, but these numbers are surely some that future great MHL teams will be compared to.

Alright, well done Bluebirds! Managed to close out an excellent season with a Cup.

Winnipeg: Bold move here, going pretty west for a league that has no team west of Illinois, wonder how travel expenses will go considering rail travel was the main mode of travel back then. That being said, the logo reminds of the Arizona Wranglers W from the old USFL but that’s a good thing if you’re me. Nice jersey and color scheme as well.

Providence: I’ve always liked the name Spiders for a team, so I’m glad it’s being put to use! Like the Leaf esque colors as well and the jerseys.

Peoria: Another bold choice considering St. Louis isn’t to far away and Chicago isn’t to far either, but maybe they can draw fans from both. Nice job on the logo and the jerseys stand out obviously with the number on the front instead of the logo.

New Chicago: Looks better than the original LOL. Not much else to say other than that.

New Montreal Greys: Maybe they should change their name lol with the Gray gone. Just sayin

New Brooklyn: I like the shield a whole lot but still prefer the B with the crown on top personally. Maybe the sheild could be a secondary logo.

Last edited by Rugrat (9/04/2022 9:44 pm)