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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School is done, heck yeah

1934 MHL Playoffs: First Round

(W2) Chicago Wildcats (25-16-9) vs (W3) Toronto Lakers (23-15-12)

It was yet another playoff meeting between Chicago and Toronto, their 6th matchup in the postseason. These two teams have seen a lot of each other, and they aren’t friendly. In a single do-or-die game, it was going to get messy. The MHL’s first organic rivalry was starting to grow in publicity, and this was much anticipated.

The game started evenly, but of course there were tussles and kerfuffles aplenty. The refs had their work cut out for them, with two major fights in the first 10 minutes. The crowd was loving it. Both teams had good chances, and the two goalies stood tall to keep it scoreless. Eventually, in the dying minutes of the period, Toronto’s Claude Brown took advantage of a giveaway, went in alone on Claude Kepkay, and shot it past his glove. The home crowd sighed in disappointment, though there was still plenty of game. Toronto led 1-0 through 20 minutes.

Chicago got a great chance early in the second period, but a blast from Lawrence Tabor hit the post and richocheted out. There was another scuffle soon after, and Toronto got a power play. On the man advantage, John Mitchell beat Kepkay on the far side, extending the visitors’ lead to 2-0. Chicago would get a chance soon after, and off an absolutely wild scramble in front, Trevor Alrick potted home a loose puck to get the home crowd back into it. Toronto dominated the late stages of the period, but couldn’t get anything more done. It was a 2-1 lead for the Lakers heading into the final frame.

In the third, play was more even. The teams traded chances early, and Chicago would get a weird tying goal. Peter Bekkering went for a pass from behind the net, but the puck bounced off a defender’s skate and past Trevor Walker. The home crowd was electric. With the score tied, emotions were running high, and there was some more pushing and shoving. However, there were no major fights for the remainder of regulation. The teams strived to get that crucial winning goal, but none were to be had. It was off to overtime between these two rivals.

The extra frame was intense and high-event early. Both teams had beautiful chances to end the game, but couldn’t connect. However, it didn’t take long for the winning goal to be scored. A rush from Toronto’s own end saw the puck come to Bradford Russell, who skated into the offensive zone along the boards. He decided to shoot from there, and the result was a picture-perfect shot past Kepkay into the top right corner. Toronto had won the game, and were moving on to London for the Western semifinals.

Obviously, the Chicago crowd was not happy. Lots of insults were hurled at the Toronto players as they left the ice, but they didn’t care. They were alive, and the Wildcats weren’t.

(E2) Montreal Barons (28-16-6) vs (E3) Montreal Greys (26-18-6)

The Western first round game was a rivalry, and the Eastern first round matchup was between the only two teams that hated each other more than Toronto-Chicago. the Barons and Greys aren’t just two teams going against each other, but two ideologies. This was bound to be a messy game.

The game got its atmosphere going very quickly. A bad penalty put the Barons on the power play, and just 2:48 in, Earl Cyr blasted a shot past Alan Clercius, giving the home team an early lead. Police had to be stationed in the crowd between Baron and Grey fans, as the early goal saw tensions flare. The game continued, and it was tied up quickly, with the Greys getting a power play goal of their own. The Barons dominated the remainder of the period, and they would get a go-ahead goal before the 20 minutes were up, courtesy of James Bos.

In the second, the Barons took a string of bad penalties, and the Greys made them pay. Anthony Wilson would score 4 minutes in, and 5 minutes later, he had a beautiful shot for his second of the game. The Greys had the lead, and there was once again commotion in the crowd. Once that was settled down, play resumed again, and the Barons quickly tied it back up, via a John Fortin goal. The Greys controlled the final minutes, getting chance after chance after chance. Eventually, William Smith beat Frank Pangos five-hole, giving the Greys the lead back. They led 4-3 after 40.

The third period saw good chances on both ends, and of course, more penalties. Neither team was playing smart, and it felt like every couple of minutes there were shoves, slashes, and skirmishes. Both teams had multiple chances on the man advantage, but nobody was able to convert. In a rare time of even strength play, the Barons hit the post, but that was the best they could muster in the final 20 minutes. The two goalies did their best despite the 17 combined shots, and there would be no further scoring in the game.

To prevent an all-out riot, the police at the arena basically forced the Greys supporters to leave immediately or be arrested and detained. Outside, they did their celebrations. They had knocked off their cross-town rivals after having the same done to them just 1 season before.



Semifinals

(W1) London Locomotives (24-13-13) vs (W3) Toronto Lakers (23-15-12)

For the second straight year, these two Ontario teams would meet in the playoffs. The first meeting was in the first round last year, where Toronto won a close game at home. London was the higher seed now, and looking to get revenge.

Game 1 was held at London’s Yoose Arena, which had not hosted a postseason matchup prior to this. Toronto would have lots of good chances early, but it was the hosts who broke the ice. Lennie Triplett’s shot got partially blocked by a defender, but still beat Trevor Walker. The home crowd was loving it. However, Toronto still controlled play after, and with around 3 minutes to play in the opening frame, a shot from Earl King deflected off of Brent Colsavage and in, tying it up. This 1-1 scoreline held to the end of the period.

In the second, a controversial play happened. Brent Colsavage made a hard move to the net, and scored on Alberto Esposito. Immediately after, he crashed into the goaltender, seemingly intentionally. Of course, London responded angrily, and there was some pushing and shoving. Despite the assumed intent behind the move, there was no penalty on the play. The rest of the period continued as normal, and there would be no further scoring.

The third period opened similarly to the second, without the controversy after. Matthew Daubney beat Walker with a seeing-eye shot, tying the game up at 2. The period overall was London’s best, but that only meant it was even, not dominated by Toronto. Despite the teams getting good looks, neither could beat the goalies for the remainder of regulation. Toronto was outshooting London 26-19, but it was still 2-2.

Overtime was needed, and London finally got to control play for once. They had multiple real good looks early on, and 8 minutes in, off a forced turnover, Denham MacDonald got in all alone on Walker, and outwaited him to but the puck in past his outstreched body. The crowd erupted, and the Locomotives got the win in game 1, their first ever postseason victory.

Game 2 was held 3 hours east in Toronto, where the Lakers looked to stay alive. On the flip side, London was looking to win and advance to their first Abbott Cup Final. The incident between Colsavage and Esposito was still fresh on people’s minds, so there was lots of tension.

Just minutes into the first period, Toronto’s Claude Brown had a breakaway, and was stopped. following right up was Colsavage, who once again crashed right into Esposito, with the puck going in the net. It was instantly waved off, and an absolutely furious Esposito beelined towards Colsavage, and the two dropped the gloves in an intense scrap that was seen as a draw. Once everything was settled down, play resumed. In the final minutes, Lennie Triplett’s second of the series beat Walker, and despite being outshot once again, London was up through 20.

Toronto’s frantic pace continued in the second. 40 seconds in, beautiful passing from Toronto led to a Benoit Cyr tap-in goal, tying the game. Toronto would continue getting everything they could at the net, but the young goalie for the Locomotives was doing a tremendous job. The shots were 25-10 after 40 minutes of play, and if it wasn’t for Esposito, the Lakers would have been running away with it.

The third period was London’s worst in terms of possession, yet once again, they were the ones who scored first in the final frame. Lennie Triplett took a shot that deflected off a defender’s leg and past Walker, and they were up 2-1 incredibly. That was one of 2 shots London mustered in the final 20 minutes. Toronto was now on a do-or-die mindset, so they kept trying to get whatever they could on net. Unfortunately for them, Esposito continued his brilliant play, and they couldn’t capitalize

As time ran out, the Locomotives celebrated. Few people predicted they would have made the Abbott Cup Final with all that was against them, yet here they were, one series away from immortality.

(E1) Nassau Scouts (29-14-7) vs (E3) Montreal Greys (26-18-6)

In the second semifinal, it was two teams that had met twice in the postseason before, with the Greys emerging victorious both times. As the #1 seed overall, Nassau was hoping it would be different this time around.

Game 1 was at Nassau County War Memorial, were it was a fast start. The teams traded chance after chance, but the two goalies obviously were prepped and ready, as they saved every single shot in the opening frame. In particular, a shot from Nassau’s Michel Pelletier was acrobatically snagged in the glove by Alan Clercius. The opening 20 minutes were not enough to find the series’ first goal.

It actually took until almost the halfway point of the game to find the first goal, which came from Nassau’s Paul Brooks. He was sent in alone on a breakaway, and made no mistake vs Clercius. The home crowd was into it now, and the hosts were looking good. Just 70 seconds later, Harold Henderson got a lucky bounce off a defender and in, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead. Montreal would find a way back, as Arthur Simpson made a beautiful move around a defender before beating Mike Whitlow glove side. The Greys had been outshooting the Scouts, so they finally got rewarded. It was 2-1 Nassau after 40.

Montreal would get the game tied in the third, with Lloyd Gardiner scoring his first of the postseason 5 minutes in. It was the opposite of the second, which was dominated by Montreal, as the Scouts ended up significantly outshooting the Greys in the third. However, they couldn’t find a game-winning goal in regulation. The two teams went to overtime.

In the overtime period, Montreal was on a completely different planet. They started off with chance after chance after chance, but Whitlow did a great job to keep them out. The Greys were eventually called for hooking, and Nassau went to a power play. However, while shorthanded the Greys managed to get a rush down ice, and Anthony Wilson got a greasy rebound goal to beat Whitlow, their 10th shot of the extra frame, less than 6 minutes in. The Greys took game 1.

For game 2, the series shifted from Nassau County to Montreal’s Victoria Square Stadium. The Greys looked to get the sweep, while the Scouts looked to force game 3 at home.

Early into the game, Montreal’s Kenneth Lalonde sniped a shot past Whitlow, his first of the playoffs. The Greys had an early lead, despite the Scouts having the majority of the play. They had a great chance to tie early via Henderson, but he waited too long to get around Clercius, and ended up hitting the side of the net with his shot. Through 20 minutes, Montreal maintained their 1-0 lead.

In the second, the Scouts got that tying goal, with a cross-ice rush resulting in a Rodney Tebow close-range shovel goal. This seemed to give them some life, as 3 minutes later, Daniel Robertson converted on a great cross-ice pass from Tebow. It was their first lead of the game, and one they looked to hold. However, in the late minutes of the period, James Urban banked a shot off of Whitlow from behind the goal line, tying it back up to the delight of the home crowd. This 2-2 scoreline held to the end of 40 minutes.

The third period started quickly, as Henderson scored his second of the series off a quick shot from the slot just 46 seconds in. They would then get a power play at the halfway point, which Stephen Keenan converted on, the first multi-goal lead of the game. Montreal would get a couple looks against Whitlow, but none were converted. Brooks would effectively put the game away in the final minute, on a great play with Dorian Chiasson, who drop passed him the puck before he deked around Clercius and tucked it in. Nassau took game 2, 5-2.

Game 3 was back in Nassau, and everyone thought the Scouts would take it, after their dominant third period in game 2. 

The game started relatively low-event, there were no early goals or early chances, but still a couple of looks from either side. The party started with around 6 minutes to play in the opening period, when a Nassau 3-1 was converted on a rebound by Yves Gosselin. The home crowd loved it, and cheered their team to the end of the period. Montreal wasn’t out, but they needed something in the second to counter the momentum.

In the second, the Greys didn’t get much going offensively, but the defense was improved, limiting all of the Scouts’ chances to outside shots or blocked shots. It wasn’t a terribly exciting period, as the two teams exited the ice to the exact same score they came on to, 1-0 for the hosts. It was a crucial third period.

In the third, the Greys finally got the break they were looking for, with Gordon McLeod getting a backhand past Whitlow, 2:09 in. The remaining 18 minutes were some of the most intense of the season. Nassau had tons of great looks, but Clercius, a known playoff performer, did his best to make sure it remained tied. With 7 minutes to go, Anthony Wilson, who was generally unknown prior to this postseason, beat Whitlow with his 4th goal of the playoffs, giving Montreal that crucial lead. The Scouts tried and tried to tie it up in the remaining minutes, but they couldn’t.

In a series where they were generally outplayed, the Greys showed up when it mattered most, and advanced to their third Abbott Cup, and their first since 1930, when they won their 2nd straight title.



Abbott Cup Final Preview:

(W1) London Locomotives vs (E3) Montreal Greys
Previous Meeting: None
Result: N/A
Series Record: N/A

It’s the fourth straight year where one of the two teams in the Abbott Cup Final is looking for its first title. Montreal is no stranger to the final, with their 2, but London has never made an appearance in the championship series, let alone won it. 

The Greys won 3 out of the 4 meetings between the two teams in the regular season, winning 3-2, 4-3, and 4-2. London did win the last meeting by a score of 3-2, so aren’t completely out of the picture looking at that. The teams have very similar offensive and defensive stats, with the Greys allowing a little more goals while also scoring a little more often. And while the Greys are a 3rd seed, they finished 3 points behind London in the standings overall. It’s a weirdly even matchup. 

My Pick: The Locomotives finish their surprising run with a trophy, beating the Greys in 6 games.

Was waiting for this to come back, and it did not disappoint! Man, the Scouts have to be angry after that loss to Montreal. Hoping the Locos take it home!