OCTOBER 9, 1947
PACKERS, BEES LEAD PRESEASON PARADE
The Chicago Packers and Boston Bees were the class of the NAHC last year as they dueled all season for top spot and then met in the Challenge Cup finals with the Beantown brigade prevailing in both cases. Little has changed this season, at least in exhibition contests as both the Packers and Bees have won 4 of 5 tune-up games and share top spot on the table of meaningless tune-up games. Well, the teams that lose them will call them meaningless anyway.
The New York Shamrocks are right there with the big boys of the NAHC, and enjoying a terrific preseason. New York even handed Chicago it's only training camp loss to date, edging the Packers 3-2 Sunday thanks to a 2-goal effort from second year forward Adam Greenham. The good news of a strong start turned dour quickly as Greenham fractured his hip in a game two days later and may miss a good chunk of the season. Winger Jocko Gregg, a 23-point player a year ago, will also likely miss the start of the season with a shoulder injury and a number of other Shamrocks, including captain Bert McCalley are dealing with some nagging injuries.
After losing their first two preseason games to Chicago, the Toronto Dukes came up big with 2 wins and a tie. Following a 3-3 tie with the Shamrocks on home ice Saturday night the Dukes took the overnight train trip to Boston then surprisingly crushed the Bees 10-2 led by a 4 goal game by defenseman Al Cote which matched his goal total of last season. After a day off with more work on coach Barrell's system the team took down the Motors at Dominion Gardens 4-1 led by Gordie Broadway's 30 save performance.
Barrell is cautiously optimistic about what he is seeing on the ice in the first 5 exhibition games "We still need to tighten up in our own zone, Broadway bailed us out against Detroit. Clyde Lumsen (-6) along with Quinton Pollock (-5) still need work on their assignments in the defensive system."
The Montreal Valiants have been competitive, but their only win came Sunday evening when they doubled Detroit 4-2. All eyes in Montreal are squarely focused on the Vals crease where a bounce back season from veteran Millard Touhey is very much needed. Touhey has not been overly impressive in three training camp outings, dropping all 3 and posting a 4.02 goals against average.
Meanwhile in Detroit the struggling Motors are 0-5 and being badly outplayed. Goaltending has been suspect in camp but coach Mark Moore is confident that starter Henri Chasse, who played all but 1 game last season, will be ready when the games start to count next week. The Motors, in an effort to generate some positive momentum, cut their roster down to the regular season limit of twenty despite having two tune-up games remaining. Those departing for Buffalo include 22-year-old winger Hank Walsh, who scored 25 points as a rookie with the Brooklyn Eagles last season, and 25-year-old rearguard Alex Leveille, who suited up for 31 games on the Detroit blueline last year. That means four rookies will debut with the club this season including first round pick Ben Witt and HAA scoring sensation Adam Vanderbilt.
Code:
NAHC Preseason Standings
TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA
Chicago 5 4 1 0 8 21 12
Boston 5 4 1 0 8 20 17
New York 5 3 1 1 7 13 11
Toronto 5 2 2 1 5 20 16
Montreal 5 1 4 0 2 3 10
Detroit 5 0 5 0 0 9 23
PRESEASON SCORING LEADERS
NAME GP G A PTS
Burdette, Tor 4 2 8 10
Chandler, Bos 5 5 3 8
T Burns, Chi 5 5 2 7
Sauer, Tor 5 4 3 7
Hart, Bos 5 2 5 7
Mahoney, Chi 4 3 3 6
Bedard, Bos 5 1 5 6
EXHIBITION RESULTS
SATURDAY OCTOBER 4
Chicago 5 Montreal 3
Boston 4 Detroit 3
New York 3 Toronto 3
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5
New York 3 Chicago 2
Montreal 4 Detroit 2
Toronto 10 Boston 2
TUESDAY OCTOBER 7
Chicago 4 Montreal 3
Boston 3 New York 0
Toronto 4 Detroit 1
UPCOMING GAMES
TONIGHT
Toronto at Chicago
Montreal vs Detroit at Port Huron, MI
Boston at New York
FRIDAY OCTOBER 10
Boston at Montreal
Chicago at Detroit
New York at Toronto
end of preseason schedule
OTHER HEADLINES THIS WEEK
- A 6-2 victory in game six gave the St. Louis Pioneers their first World Championship Series victory since 1920. The surprising Pioneers -who finished last in the Federal Assocation a year ago- beat the Philadelphia Sailors 4 games to two.
- A pitching duel in the sixth game of the Bigsby Cup as Jack Goff tossed a complete game two-hit shutout to lead the Oakland Greys to a 1-0 win over the Dallas Centurions and even the best of seven coast ball championship at 3 victories apiece.
- St. Blane looks to go 2-0 as the Fighting Saints invade Chicago to face Whitney College in the highlight of a busy weekend of collegiate grid action.
- The Central Communist Party of the Soviet Union and its counterparts in 8 other European nations unveiled a Manifesto aimed at combating the Marshall Plan and what it described as United States "imperialism." Many are calling it a declaration of an ideological war.
- President Truman called on all Americans to make food sacrifices as a contribution to peace. In order to combat hunger in Western Europe the President called on all citizens to go without meat on Tuesdays, without eggs and poultry on Thursdays, and to save a slice of bread a day.
Full national sports coverage is available in this week's edition of
THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL.