Game 057
Canadiens 5, St. Pats 3
Saturday, February 9, 1924
Aréna Mont-Royal, Montréal, Québec
The Canadiens have climbed from the bottom position, and with seven scheduled games remaining, are bunched on even terms with Toronto and Hamilton for second place. The climb from the cellar position was made Saturday night at the expense of the Toronto team, who were beaten 5 to 3, while Hamilton was conceding defeat to Ottawa at the capital.
With the score 4 to 0 in their favour going into the final period of the game, the locals players eased up in their efforts, and but for this their margin might have been greater, for the St. Pats carried the play in the latter stages and broke through with three scores, though they never became a danger to the Canadiens’ chances of victory. Roach also added his quota toward keeping the goal averages of the Canadiens in check, for the clever visiting goalkeeper was at his best.
All the brilliant displays of the game were packed into the first two periods, though there were a few high points reached in the final session. The St. Pats started with a rush, and for the first period held their own with the local squad, battling in fact well into the second period before finally giving way under the speedy and consistent attacks of the Canadiens’ forwards.
Billy Boucher was started at centre, with Morenz at left wing and Joliat at right, but after six minutes of play the forwards were sent to their regular positions, Morenz and Boucher shifting over to better effect. This trio had a splendid evening. All figured in the scoring, and it was only superb work by Roach that prevented them from increasing their averages more.
On several occasions they got through on the goalie, but he turned practically certain goals aside with uncanny regularity. The drives that he missed were all difficult to handle, even the final Canadien goal, which was Billy Boucher’s second of the game. It came in the last period, when the flashy wing man stole the puck from the St. Pats’ defence and rushed in on top of Roach without giving him a chance to clear.
Dye, for the first time this season on local ice, played as a regular throughout the game, and he was back to his old form. He was the hardest working visitor on the ice, and worried Vézina with terrific shots, though the only goal he scored was an easy effort on a pass from behind the net, which found him unmarked and in a position to catch Vézina unaware.
Noble, Dye and Adams worked throughout without relief, which accounted for their fading toward the end. Their efforts in the early stages were the best they have shown here this year, even though they mussed up one or two excellent chances. “Red” Stuart was not up to his customary high standard, and was the only visiting player to be relieved at any stage of the game, though his respites were of short duration.
Story originally published in The Globe, February 11, 1924
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL GOAL – 10:40 – Bi. Boucher
2nd Period
MTL GOAL – 07:30 – Joliat
MTL GOAL – 11:30 – S. Cleghorn
MTL GOAL – 19:40 – Morenz
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 04:00 – Adams
MTL GOAL – 09:30 – Bi. Boucher
TOR GOAL – 10:30 – Dye (Noble)
TOR PP GOAL – 19:40 – Corbeau (Stuart)
MTL PENS – Cameron, Joliat
TOR PENS – Corbeau, Dye
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Vézina (W)
TOR – Roach (L)
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Georges Vézina. Defence: Sprague Cleghorn (C), Billy Coutu, Sylvio Mantha. Forwards: Billy Bell, Billy Boucher, Bobby Boucher, Billy Cameron, Odie Cleghorn, Aurèle Joliat, Howie Morenz.
TOR – Goaltenders: John Ross Roach. Defence: Bert Corbeau, Wilf Loughlin, Billy Stuart. Forwards: Jack Adams, Amos Arbour, Babe Dye, Stan Jackson, Reg Noble.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 7-10-0 (.412)
TOR – 7-10-0 (.412)
Two Solitudes 