Down Memory Lane - Bellies win in '81
Down Memory Lane Articles - by Stan Shillington



'Bellies win in '81

New Westminster had engraved "Salmonbellies: on the Mann Cup 10 times in 17 attempts since lacrosse switched from field to box.

The Royal City favourites were determined to make that 11, but they also wished to savour the bitter sweet taste of revenge for.

By September 10, 1981, New Westminster sat on top of the lacrosse world, having accomplished both.

The New Westminster club had traveled to Brampton for the national playoffs in 1980 and discovered the billet was a second - rate hotel that boasted four drinking rooms and a female mud-wrestling show; there was no transportation provided; the East was permitted two Senior 'A', one Senior 'B' and three Junior pickups while the 'Bellies were allowed to add three juniors but took only two; no entertainment was provided for the players' days off, and the visitor's dressing room was an overheated cubbyhole. Brampton took the Mann Cup four games to one.

"I promise you this," shouted coach Al Lewthwaite. : If they come West net year, we'll give them exactly what we got."

Well, here it was - September 4, the first game of the 1981 Mann Cup series with Brampton defending its Canadian title against the Salmonbellies. Lewthwaite had been replaced as coach by Casey Cook but Big Al's promise of the previous year still echoed throughout the dressingroom.

New Westminster, fourth-place finishers with a 10-13-1 record in regular season play, was now on a roll, beating Vancouver four straight in the semi-finals and then taking Coquitlam in five in the finals

Prosperity continued into the Canadian finals. Led by little Denis Lavoie's three-goal output, the 'Bellies captured the series' opener 11-8.

Game Two was an exciting, hard-fought battle with the home team holding a 7-5 lead near the end of the second stanza when everything got ugly.

Brampton's Gord Keates scored on a breakaway at 17:31 but referee Reg Higgins immediately disallowed the goal. Keates lunged at Higgins, swinging his stick across the referee's hand. For his indiscretion, Keates was given a match penalty and was suspended indefinitely. His next Senor 'A' game would be in 1985.

Higgins was forced out of the game and taken to hospital; luckily, no bones were broken.

With Brampton in compete disarray, New Westminster fired four power play goals in as many minutes to start the third period and then added another pair of shorthanded markers to coast to a 14-5 victory.

A determined Brampton crew came out flying in Game Three. Sparked by Bob Burke's three-gal outburst, the Excelsiors jumped to an 8-4 lead. But once again the Easterners game plan was disrupted by hostilities. New Westminster's Steve Manning squared off with Lindsay Sanderson at 2:35 of the middle frame; Terry Sanderson, for charging, and Rod Banister, for high sticking, picked up two minutes each, and Steve d'Easum was assessed game and gross misconducts for third-man into the battle. 'Bellies pumped in seven straight goals for an 11-8 lead after 40 minutes and then held off Brampton for a 12-10 win.

By now, all thoughts of 1980 had gone the way of the dodo bird; winning the Mann Cup was paramount and New Westminster would not be denied. Five players - John Krgovich, Eric Cowieson, Derek Dickson, Denis Lavoie and Cory Carlyle - all registered hattricks to lead the Fishmen to a convincing 24-10 victory and the Canadian championship.

But the spotlight was on 'Bellies' captain Wayne Goss. Having already announced his retirement, Wayne entered the fourth game just six short of Paul Parnell's all-time Mann Cup scoring record of 97 points. At 5:22 of the last period, Goss tied Parnell's mark with a pretty, shorthanded goal. Suspence mounted as the game neared completion. Then, with just six seconds remaining, Goss shoveled the ball to Terry Oiom who made no mistake, firing it past relief netminder Randy Tollefson.

Goss now held the Mann Cup scoring record and clutching the Cup while riding high on the shoulders of his teammates, he was also named the series' most valuable player.

The scoring record has since been shattered but the memory of Wayne's farewell performance will remain forever.

Longtime Salmonbellies' supporter Jack Fulton probably described it best: "I have seen a team with more talent, but I've never seen a team with more heart."


1981 MANN CUP SCORING
NEW WESTMINSTER GP G A PTS PIM

Wayne Goss 4 8 13 21 2
Dave Durante 4 6 11 17 0
Derek Dickson 4 8 6 14 4
Ken Sims 4 2 10 12 0
Lyle Robinson 4 3 7 10 8
Denis Lavoie 4 8 2 10 2
Eric Cowieson 4 4 5 9 0
John Krgovich 4 3 6 9 4
Cory Carlyle 4 4 4 8 21
Mark Tuura 4 4 4 8 12
Terry Oiom 4 3 3 6 14
Rod Banister 4 0 6 6 2
Paul Dal Monte 4 1 4 5 9
Ray Durante 4 1 2 3 6
Jeff Gill 1 1 2 3 0
Steve d'Easum 3 0 3 3 24
Steve Manning 4 2 0 2 25
Ross Angelucci 2 1 1 2 10
Barry Powless 1 1 1 2 0
Reg Forster 2 0 1 1 0
Ivan Tuura 1 0 1 1 0
Greg Jensen 1 0 0 0 0

BRAMPTON
Jim Weller 4 9 4 13 11
Bob Burke 4 4 5 9 2
Steve Mastine 4 3 6 9 4
Gord Lyons 3 3 4 7 34
Jim Lockhurst 4 2 5 7 6
Colin Patterson 4 3 3 6 6
Barry Maruk 4 0 5 5 0
Tom Patrick 4 3 0 3 10
Peter Guerin 3 2 1 3 2
Mike O'Brien 4 1 2 3 0
Dave Pirog 4 1 2 3 2
Ken Archdekin 4 0 3 3 16
Terry Sanderson 2 2 0 2 4
Jim Coates 2 0 1 1 0
Paul Weller 2 0 1 1 0
Brian Wilfong 4 0 1 1 0
Marty Cooper 4 0 0 0 2
Gord Keates 2 0 0 0 9
Tom Phair 4 0 0 0 15
Barry Richardson 4 0 0 0 2
Lindsay Sanderson 2 0 0 0 17
Dan Shanahan 3 0 0 0 2
Randy Tollefson 2 0 0 0 0