April 5, 1948
SHAMROCKS WIN GAME FIVE, DUKES SWEEP IN SHOCKING SEMIS
The Challenge Cup playoffs were thrown for a bit of a loop when the third place Toronto Dukes swept the second place Boston Bees in their semi-final series, but it came as a complete shock that the Dukes will face the New York Shamrocks in the finals after the Shamrocks rallied to knock off the mighty Chicago Packers in five games.
This final will mark the first time that the Dukes and Shamrocks have met with the Challenge Cup on the line. Toronto has won 6 Cups and been to the finals three times in the previous 5 years but the Shamrocks had not reached the finals since 1935-36 and had not won a Cup since 1932.
The Dukes had little trouble in their series with a short-staffed Boston Bees squad. Toronto took the series opener 2-1 a little over a week ago and followed that up with a second straight road win in doubling Boston 4-2 last Monday. The Dukes broke the game open with three third period goals to make a winner for the second straight game out of backup goaltender Terry Russell. Russell, filling in for Gordie Broadway who it was later revealed is battling a flu virus, completed the sweep with a 4-1 win on Dominion Gardens ice Wednesday. Bobbie Sauer continued his hot play with a goal and an assist as the Toronto captain scored in each game and had 4 goals in the series.
The Toronto win was a mild upset, perhaps even less so when you consider one of Boston's best players in first line winger Tommy Hart missed the series, as did center Robert Walker and defenseman Willis Beane although the Dukes were missing players as well including goaltender Broadway and rookie scoring sensation Lou Galbraith.
The big upset was New York's surprising victory over the Chicago Packers - a team that finished the regular season with 19 more points than the Shamrocks and was led by the most dangerous first line in the league. The series opener was a 4-0 Packers victory and it looked like they would have an easy time of things but New York shocked a Lakeside Auditorium crowd of 17,329 with a 4-3 victory in game two to even the series. Orval Cabbell scored twice to pace the New York attack as the Shamrocks put 4 goals past Packer goaltender Norm Hanson despite doubled in shots by a 32-16 margin.
The series shifted to New York for the third game and the Packers regained control with a convincing 5-2 victory behind a solid performance from their big line. Marty Mahoney and Tommy Burns each had a goal and an assist while Wes Burns earned a pair of helpers. Despite being on the brink of elimination the Shamrocks did not fold as Etienne Tremblay and Norm Hanson hooked up in a goaltender's duel. Scoreless at the end of regulation with Chicago outshooting New York 28-24, it took just 2:08 of overtime for the Shamrocks to prolong their season and force a decisive 5th game. Laurel Albers was the hero, scoring the game's only goal with assists to Orval Cabbell and Jocko Gregg to send the series back to the Windy City.
The visting Shamrocks, clearly on a high to have pushed Chicago to the brink, came out blazing in the opening period of game five. The visitors outshot Chicago 15-8 in the opening stanza but neither side could score. Midway through the second period Orval Cabbell staked the Shamrocks to the lead and 8 minutes into the third Jocko Gregg made it 2-0. Chicago, showing no quit, finally beat Tremblay when Moose Vezina lit the lamp just over two minutes later but late goals from Cabbell and Tommy Brescia completed the shocking series upset with a 4-1 New York win. A capacity crowd of 17,329 filed quietly out of Lakeside Auditorium in complete shock, as their Packers took a page out of the Chicago Cougars playbook and fell short despite lofty expectations of the city claiming its first-ever Challenge Cup victory. That will have to wait at least another year as the surprising final will pit the 4th place Shamrocks against the third place Toronto Dukes.
DUKES ADVANCE TO NAHC FINAL
The Toronto Dukes advanced to league final in a surprising sweep of the Boston Bees. After taking the Saturday night 2-1 the Dukes took the second game at Denny Arena 4-2 on Monday night. The game entered the third period with the visitors down 2-1 thanks to 2 goals by Waldemar Rupp in another fast paced game. Captain Bobby Sauer's second goal of the game, third of the series knotted the score less than a half minute into the period. To that point the Bs had outshot the Dukes 30-18 but again Russell was outstanding in the Dukes crease. After Sauer's marker the Dukes seemed to find another gear both offensively along with in their own zone. Kurt Walz gave Toronto the lead at the 6:04 mark of the third followed by Alex Lavalliere at 10:06. Then it was "Kitty bar the door" as the Dukes checked the Bs into submission to take the game 4-2. Terry Russell turned away 34 in the Dukes net.
Two nights later at Dominion Gardens the Dukes completed the improbable sweep of Boston in front of 14972 onlookers. After a scoreless first the home squad erupted for 3 in the second by Lumsen, Pollack, Sauer with only one reply from Boston's Simpson. Sauer's 4th of the series seem to deflate the Bs as it was scored with just 3 seconds remaining in the stanza. Boston tried to mount a comeback in the third but again Terry Russell stood tall in the Toronto cage for the third straight game. Russell made 28 saves in the game for a total of 89 in the series. Les Carlson scored an empty netter to salt away the series with a 4-1 score.
Toronto fans are in a state of semi-shock at the upset over Boston. Jack Barrell is already devising a plan to shut down the Shamrocks 3-head monster Cabell, Albers, Gregg. after going 5-6-1 against NY in the regular season. Sid Beam is ready to return after missing the season due an eye injury but will not dress in the final. Lou Galbraith is recovery amazing quickly from knee surgery, there is a chance he could be back late in the series.
OTHER HEADLINES THIS WEEK
- The AIAA basketball championship game will be a California affair as the CC Los Angeles Coyotes and Redwood University Mammoths each advanced to tonight's final at Bigsby Gardens in New York City.
- Coal Union boss John Lewis ignored a subpoena to appear before President Truman's Board of Inquiry into the coal strike. He eventually agreed but so far has not responded to a Court Order demanding the striking miners return to work.
- The House added Spain to the list of countries eligible for the European Recovery Program -the first major change in the $6.2 billion foreign aid bill. Two days later Spain was removed after President Truman "utterly opposed" the inclusion of Sapin.
- As the week came to an end the House approved the foreign aid bill with the Senate expected to approve it quickly.
Full national sports coverage is available in this week's edition of
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