Hockey History

Tigers and the 1946 Allan Cup - round six
Hamilton puts Pembroke Lumber Kings in knots, sweeps series 2-0

After returning from New Brunswick with a solid winning series, the Hamilton Tigers were ready to take on their next opponent, the Pembroke Lumber Kings.

This best-of-three series was the next step in Hamilton's quest for the Allan Cup, the top prize for Canadian amateur hockey.

According to press reports at the time, the March 30, 1946 game between Hamilton and Pembroke appeared to be a cakewalk for the Lumber Kings, but the mighty Tigers showed their claws with a strong 9-1 victory at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.

"The Bengals survived a terrific first period offensive, gradually secured the upper hand, and then lashed the unknown Lumber Kings with a 9 to 1 beating that stamped the Yellow and Black as infinitely superior to the winners of the Ottawa and district playdowns," noted an account of the contest.

Doug Runion filled in for Clare Shillington against Pembroke, and picked up two goals in the first game. Photo courtesy of the Spectator.

With Tiger regular Clare Shillington out of the line-up with an injured leg, his replacement, Doug Runion, provided a fine showing of hockey at the Gardens, scoring twice against Pembroke. A pair of goals was also attributed to teammate Stan Robertson. Johnny Conick, Swat Mason, and Dillon Brady also contributed to the Hamilton effort.
A big factor in the win was given to Tiger goalie Art Childs:

"Childs was truly superb in that opening frame. With uncanny dexterity he turned aside shot after shot. The Lumber Kings, who appeared to pour rubber at the Hamilton goaler in a steady stream, found the Hamiltonian unbeatable."

The accolades for Childs continued:

"During that hectic opening period, when the Lumber Kings poured in everything they had and threatened to engulf the Bengals," wrote Spectator Sports Editor Ivan Miller, "Childs looked like a combination of Superman, Houdini, and General Custer. He was almost a blur as he placed himself in front of anything and everything and remained unbeaten throughout."

Then it was off to Ottawa to play the second game of the series. And once again the Tigers lived up to their reputation, taking the game 12-5 and sweeping the series.
The April 2 victory earned the Tigers the 1946 OHA championship.

With a crowd estimated at 8,000 at the Ottawa Auditorium, the Tigers scored six times in the first period, twice in the second, and four times in the final period.
"Cracking the whip through three roaring periods against a dynamic young outfit that poured it on from bell to bell, Hamilton's rampaging Bengals snarled their way to a near-record play-off decision in the second game of the Eastern Canada senior ice semi-finals last night, whipping the Pembroke Lumber Kings by a 12 to 5 count," opened Editor Miller's account of the game.

Tiger goalkeeper Art Childs was a major factor in the Hamilton win over Pembroke. Photo courtesy of the Spectator.

Previously injured Shillington was back on the ice, and his leg must have been well on its way to recovery as he scored twice. Conick also picked up a pair of goals in the game. While Pembroke was in the game at times, including a pair of goals by former Detroit Red Wing player Gus Glesebrecht, Tiger goalie Art Childs put on another masterful display in net:

"Art Childs turned in another superb performance in the Hamilton twine. True, he was beaten five times, but the goals were more due to Pembroke's ceaseless aggressiveness than to any shortcomings on Childs' part."

Eventually the hard-driving play wore the Lumber Kings down, and the Tigers' strategy of maintaining an even pace throughout the game gave them the stamina to apply pressure.

The mighty Tigers had only a couple of days to catch their breath before hopping on another train, this one to Montreal to play the highly-rated Montreal Royals of the Quebec League for the start of the battle for Eastern Canada.

Next: Montreal provides a big crowd and a big win.

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