The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.2002, Page 15

Vol. 57 #3
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
99
just a little grim. They were resolute that
the great Falcon Club, which had skated
like whirlwinds onto Toronto ice only a
year before to defeat the famous Varsity
team, would not be let down by their
showing. All around the dressing room the
determined aspect of the players showed
itself. Art Somers, gamester to the core,
was in uniform. The boys, tired as they
were, went out and when the first goal was
scored Somers, and not Morenz, scored it!
Imagine the surprise when eight more goals
followed this counter into the net and the
Westerners took the first game 9-2!
Injuries and the exhausting effect of the
strenuous season combined to bring the
resistance of the game young Westerners to
a very low ebb on the second night of the
play-offs. Wally had received a wrenched
shoulder muscle in a violent collision with
Morenz in the very first flash of the first
game. Harry Neil, the stocky defenceman,
had a badly bruised hip, and Frank
Woodall, the 60 minute man, had to take a
rest after five minutes of play. They were
barely able to provide serious resistance.
Once again Art Somers, injured leg and all,
skated the puck right through the opposing
defence and notched the first goal for the
Falcons. Although the drive was not kept
up, the famous firing line of Stratford could
not turn the first defeat into final victory.
The Falcons played a determined game and
although they lost 7-2 they gained the
round by 11-9 and the first junior champi-
onship for Western Canada.
The Line-up of the Falcon Juniors - To
Connie Neil, their manager, great credit is
due. He handled the boys wonderfully.
They worked with the greatest of harmony
and no truer expression may be used than
that they were a pocket edition of the
famous 1919-1920 Falcon Olympic cham-
pions.
At a civic welcome on their victorious
return, they were presented with gold
watches suitably engraved, the gift of the
City of Winnipeg.
Here is the line-up that brought glory to
the old club: goal, “Scotty Comfort;
defence, Harry Neil and Sammy
McCallum; centre, Wally Fridfinnson;
right wing, Harold McMunn (who in 1924
was chosen as the West’s representative
player to accompany the famous Granite
Hockey team of Toronto to the Olympic
games); left wing, Frank Woodall; forwards
Art Somers, “Big” Bill McPherson and
Dave Patrick.
The Seniors of the 1921 season - In the
1920-1921 season, with the World
Champion Falcons greatly in demand by
the professional clubs—Frank Fredrickson
going to the great Victoria Cougars and
Bobby Benson and Slim Halderson accept-
ing contracts with the Saskatoon club—
new figures appeared in the Falcon line-up.
The pugnacious Bill Borland and his broth-
er Eddie, “Big” Burney McPhail and
“Crutchy” Morrison (the Selkirk Club
having disbanded) together with Eddie
Stephenson, who had been with the Young
Men’s Lutheran Church Juniors when they
won the Manitoba Championship and was
now coming into his own in senior ranks,
were all valuable additions to the club.
However, “Steamer” Maxwell was away
the greater part of the season on business
and Mike Goodman went to Saranac Lake
for the Speed Skating classic that year so
that, altogether, it was only a moderately
successful season for the senior team.
Brandon won the Western title but lost the
finals to Varsity of Toronto. In the
Brandon line-up were such great stars as:
goal, Stewart; defence, Ambie Moran and
Sandy McNeill; forwards Bob Armstrong,
Ty Arbor, Billy Hill, Coldwell and
Creighton.