Game 037
Canadiens 5, St. Pats 3
Saturday, December 31, 1921
Aréna Mont-Royal, Montréal, Québec
Staging an offensive in the third period which their opponents were unable to check, the Canadiens scored a creditable victory over the St. Patricks of Toronto at the Mount Royal Arena here Saturday night, by a score of 5 to 3.
To gain the decision, the Canadiens were forced to come from behind after being outscored during the second twenty minutes of play. They behaved like the better team throughout, and outplayed their opponents in the closing session, until the period developed into a complete rout. The improvement was no doubt accounted for by the switching about of players, and the starting of Billy Bell on the wing in place of the veteran Didier Pitre.
The Canadiens out-generaled the Irish players from the bench by better judgment in making chances of players. Few of these were made by the Canadien management in the first two periods, but at the commencement of the third, the best of the reserves were sent into the game, with the result that the St. Patricks were swept off their feet and outplayed throughout the twenty minutes. In the final period, the Canadiens scored four goals against a solitary tally for the St. Pats.
To Odie Cleghorn and Billy Boucher, two substitute players, goes the chief share of victory. Boucher started the play from which the locals registered their first goal. When sent in to relieve Berlinquette in the third period, he scored the goal that tied the score, and figured in the one scored by Odie Cleghorn, which placed the Canadiens in the lead.
Odie played throughout the final period and tallied on three occasions. Two were scored from passes by the players, while the third was by brilliant play in which Cleghorn stickhandled his way past the defence players of the visiting team and got in close enough to beat Roach.
The game was the best exhibition of hockey witnessed in Montréal for some time, and was witnessed by an unusually large crowd. Interest was maintained throughout, and at the conclusion of the second period, many were unwilling to concede a chance of victory to the Canadiens. From the commencement of play in the third period, the Canadiens were the aggressors. Cleghorn outdrew Denneny and engineered the first attack and just failed to score, but a little later there came the joint effort between him and Boucher that tied the score. Thereafter, the game was a walkover for the Flying Frenchmen.
The game was featured by remarkable goalkeeper exhibitions both by Vézina and Roach. The work of the latter in the opening twenty minutes was almost uncanny in its skill, he saving shot after shot. They came from all angles and he stopped them all, holding the Canadiens scoreless in that period. Only three penalties were imposed.
Story originally published in The Globe, January 2, 1922
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL PEN – Corbeau
TOR PEN – Randall
2nd Period
TOR GOAL – 02:10 – Dye
TOR GOAL – 04:00 – Cameron
MTL GOAL – 04:20 – Lalonde (Boucher)
3rd Period
MTL GOAL – 02:00 – Boucher (S. Cleghorn)
MTL GOAL – 04:20 – O. Cleghorn (Boucher)
MTL GOAL – 06:20 – O. Cleghorn
TOR GOAL – 12:00 – Denneny (Cameron)
MTL GOAL – 16:50 – O. Cleghorn (S. Cleghorn)
TOR PEN – Cameron
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Vézina (W)
TOR – Roach (L)
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Georges Vézina. Defence: Sprague Cleghorn (C), Bert Corbeau, Billy Coutu. Forwards: Billy Bell, Louis Berlinquette, Billy Boucher, Odie Cleghorn, Newsy Lalonde, Didier Pitre.
TOR – Goaltenders: John Ross Roach. Defence: Harry Cameron, Glenn Smith, Billy Stuart. Forwards: Corb Denneny, Babe Dye, Reg Noble (C), Ken Randall, Rod Smylie.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 2-3-0 (.400)
TOR – 3-2-0 (.600)
Two Solitudes 