History
 

The Inaugural Midget Nationals, 1977
Brantford wins 'B' Title

The Inaugural Midget Nationals took place in Brantford in 1977 hosting club teams from across Canada in A, B, and C divisions. That first year, Peterborough beat Norburns 10-8 for the "A" gold medal; Brantford outlasted Clarkson 11-7 for the "B" title and Spartan took the C's with 12-11 decision over Kitchener.

 
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1968 Brantford Warriors


 

1971 - BRANTFORD ENDS 66 YEAR DROUGHT 

In 1904 the Brantford Lacrosse Club won its third straight CLA Senior title. Since then their success at the highest level of the game had been minimal. In 1971 all that changed. Though the old Brantford squad imported several eastern stars, the majority of their players were local. The '71 Warriors had no local players, unless one counted those from the Six Nations Reserve. Regardless of where the players came from, Brantford Warriors became the newest Canadian champion. 

Their chief hurdle would be the club from Peterborough. The Lakers put together an impressive 29-3 record to finish on top of the standings. John Davis scored 197 points, surpassing Bill Isaacs record. Davis also set a new high for assists, 123. He and Gaylord Powless were both over 100, the only two players in ever accomplish that in OLA play. Cy Coombes produced his third 100 point season. That made him only the third player in league history to have three. Bill Isaacs had done it earlier. Meanwhile Davis had four in four seasons! 

Brantford was not without offence. Though they finished a distant second with a 21-9 record, the Warriors led the league with a record setting 613 goals - the best offence in OLA history! In one game they defeated Aurora 41-5. Paul Suggate, Brian Wilson and Ron MacNeil gave Gaylord Powless plenty of support. Suggate finished third in the circuit with 73 goals, one behind Davis. Brooklin's Larry Lloyd led with 80. 

There was no love lost between the frontrunners. In a mid summer game Peterborough defeated Brantford 18-17 in overtime. The affair was so violent that the Lakers were fined $500. The Warriors' fines totalled $1700, plus coach Morley Kells was suspended five games! The teams met a couple of night's later in Peterborough. Brantford showed up with only six players and were beaten 12-7. 

The Warriors swept Brampton to reach the league final. They were shortly joined by the defending champions. Peterborough needed five games to get by the Redmen. After opening with a 15-8 win, they narrowly prevailed in Brooklin 11-10. Surprisingly they lost the next contest 14-13. After a 13-6 victory, the Lakers closed out the series with a tight 11-9 triumph. 

Pat Baker started the championship series by shutting out the Warriors for the first half of Game One. Peterborough doubled Brantford 16-8. Larry Ferguson scored three times but John Davis had the most memorable goal. He was awarded a penalty shot. That decision incensed Morley Kells so much that he refused to allow Buff McCready to stay in his goal. Thus Davis scored into an empty net. Back home the Brantford offence found itself. They drove Baker from the game with 16 goals in two periods. They went on to win 22-12. Rick Dudley bulged the twine four times, plus Gaylord Powless and Bill Coghill scored hattricks. Peterborough coach Bob Allan complained that Brantford was using a zone defence. The zone defence had been outlawed after the '67 Mann Cup. Over 3,000 fans saw Peterborough win Game Three 14-12. The Lakers scored twice in the final two minutes to break the deadlock. The star of the night was Pat Baker. He made 50 saves as the Warriors outshot the Lakers 62-38. Yet Baker could not slow down the Brantford offence the next match. The Warriors struck for four goals in the first five minutes. Meanwhile the Petes hit four post in the opening period. Bill Coghill beat Baker four times as Brantford won 14-7. With the series knotted 2-2 Joe Todd returned from injury for the fifth contest. He scored four goals and had two assists for the Lakers. The game was tied 10-10 when Zeny Lipinski scored a shorthanded goal for the Warriors. That sparked them to a 19-13 victory. Rick Dudley had four markers on the night. That loss cost Peterborough home advantage. The next game they would lose the championship. Game Six was more of a defensive battle. It was tied 6-6 early in the third period when Brantford broke away. They went on to win 13-8 as Ron MacNeil counted three goals. The unsung hero of this series was Bob Smith. He successfully shadowed John Davis the entire six games. 

The Warriors next swept New Westminster to win the Mann Cup. Buff McCready held the Salmonbelly snipers to 35 goals. The Brantford offence scored 54. McCready also helped on ten goals. That tied him with Ron MacNeil for top series playmaker. Gaylord Powless, Brian Wilson and Paul Parnell each scored eight goals. In a losing cause Parnell was the top point man with sixteen. 42 year old Ted Howe had four goals and five assists. Howe's Senior career dated back to 1950. It had taken him over two decades but he was finally a Canadian champion.

 Bob McCready, Ted Howe and Gary Moore with the Mann Cup, St. Catharines Standard Photo
 

Quote from Ted Howe...

In 1970, the Brantford Warriors drafted me. Morley Kells coached Brantford, and Morley was heavily involved in promoting lacrosse. I stayed in Brantford with Morley until 1973. In 1971 we won the Mann Cup in Brantford with myself, Bob McCready and Gary Moore from St. Catharines on that team. 
After that final game, we went into the hall next door to join some of the fans that were celebrating. When it came time to head home, we went back into the arena and here was the Mann Cup sitting on the trainer's table, the room was wide open and nobody was there. 
We were looking at it and I don't know which one of us said it, but somebody said, "Let's take it home." So we grabbed our equipment, then grabbed the Mann Cup and set it in the trunk of our car. 
On the way home, we decided that we would each keep it for a day. So Buff McCready said "I'll take it today, then I'll bring it to you and then you can give it to Gary. Well, I opened our grocery store the next day at nine and at about five after nine 'Buff' walks in and he said, "I don't want this, you take it!" 
So I took it and put it up on display on one of the shelves. That was on a Saturday and they were looking for it up there. Jack Gatecliff heard about it so he sent a photographer out and Gary, "Buff" and I put on our team shirts and he took pictures of us out here in front of the house. 
On Monday, I got a call from the manager of the Brantford team and he asks, "Do you happen to have the Mann Cup?" (laughs) 
By this time, Gatecliff had already written an article about how valuable the Mann Cup was. As soon as I read that, I ran over to my store and brought the Cup home and stuck it under my bed (laughs). 
That's how the Mann Cup got to St. Catharines. It was just a spur of the moment thing. It took me so long to get it, I thought I would cherish it for a moment.

 

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The Young Canadians, established in 1870, was Brantford's first organized lacrosse team. This team only lost one game in two years. Interest in the sport declined after the 1871 season but the Young Canadians stayed together as a cricket team until February 1877 when the group became known as the Brant Lacrosse Club. From 1877 to 1882 the Brants won 46 out of 57 games. They won the Western Ontario championship in 1881 and the National Lacrosse Association medal the following year. The team was reorganized again in 1887 by Mr. Orchard and Fred Westbrook and had two more successful seasons before the team was disbanded. Another Brantford lacrosse team won the Globe Shield, given to the winner of the Canadian Lacrosse Association, in 1902, 1903, and 1904. Twice they challenged the Montreal Shamrocks of the National Amateur Lacrosse Union for the Minto Cup but were unsuccessful both times. This Brantford team folded in 1906.

The Globe Shield was donated by the Toronto Globe newspaper and was initially presented annually to the senior champion of the old

Canadian Lacrosse Association. The award outlived the original C. L. A. and it subsequently became the prize of the Ontario Amateur Lacrosse Association, and then the Ontario Lacrosse Association. It has long since ceased to be a contested award, but can still be seen on display at the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

The Winners of the Globe Shield 

1902 Brantford Lacrosse Club
1903 Brantford Lacrosse Club
1904 Brantford Lacrosse Club 
 

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1903 - BRANTFORD REPEAT 
 

Anticipation for the upcoming season had never been greater. In May a rumour circulated throughout Brantford that Albert Dade and Tack Hendry were about to arrive from Montreal. Twenty-five enthusiasts rushed to the T, H & B Station to meet the train. When the Montreal Express arrived without either star all of the waiting men were quite ashamed. Some claimed to be expecting an aunt, while others went to check the luggage. None of the fans dared return straight to town, instead they took the most circuitous routes home. Naturally all denied ever having been there. 

Interest was also high in Port Hope and Oshawa. Both towns had gone to great lengths to give themselves a senior team. Port Hope recruited John White(from Cornwall) George Donaldson(Ottawa) plus Toronto veteran Billy Kelly. Oshawa's acquisitions included Eddie Hagan(St.Catharines) Bob Degan(Cornwall) and the much sought after Donald Cameron. Along with the Cameron Derby, most teams had spent the spring courting Orillia's Mickey Connor. He chose to play Intermediate for Galt. 

Brantford was still the team to beat. The defending champs helped themselves to Ottawa's Pat Murphy, like they needed another goal scorer! He chipped in a dozen markers as the Telephone City crew sailed to another pennant. Both Dade and Hendry suffered from irregular attendance. When they were in the line up they were devastating. Bert Henry was around for every game and ran away with the scoring championship. 

It was a confusing C.L.A. year. A double round robin was originally scheduled, totally 8 games for each club. Yet interest was so high by July that the clubs decided to double the schedule. Only Port Hope passed on the second half. Surprising as they'd posted a respectable 4-4 record. Even more amazing, in an August exhibition contest they upset Brantford 5-4, thanks to Pennock's hattrick. Still senior lacrosse had a short life span in Northumberland County. Port Hope Ontarios joined the Trent Valley Intermediate League the next season. 

The chief threat to Brantford's title came from St.Catharines. Boosted by youngsters George Kalls and Charles Lowe, they split four meetings with the champs, handing them their only two defeats. It was a bitter rivalry. In the first showdown Tack Hendry viciously slashed an Athletic across the face. Prior to the second encounter, a threatening letter was sent to the Brantford star. It was written in black ink, splatter with red ink(supposedly blood) and signed Ironeater. Tack missed the game in St.Catharines, supposedly, Brantford claimed, to rest his sprained wrist. He did make it to the Garden City for the third meeting. Hendry further endeared himself to Double Blue fans by breaking William Elliot's nose! The final meeting took place in Brantford on a hot August afternoon. During the contest a lady fainted from the heat. As the crowd stepped back to give her air, they noticed she was wearing St.Catharines' colours. Everyone cheered her misfortune.