User talk:Tomschman

SOJHL
Do you know a lot about the SOJHL? I'd like to know more about Detroit's 1971 playoff run if you have any info. DMighton (talk) 16:29, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

I remember quite a bit about the playoff run and about the league in general. The Jr. Wings finished finished second in the league and beat the Weeland Sabres in the 1st round of the playoffs. It went 4 or 5 games. Guelph upset Chatham in the other semi. The final went 7 games as you know. The seventh game was on a Saturday afternoon at Olympia. There were about 2,000 in attendance. Guelph had a 3 - 0 lead with 8 and a half minutes to go in the 3 rd period. Mark Howe scored to make it 3-1. Marty Howe scored with 4 minutes to go to make 3-2. Marty lifted a high shot with 33 seconds to go the Guelph goaltender lost in the TV lights (game was not on TV but the lights were on). It hit Dupuis in the shoulder and bounced into the net to win the championship.

The next series against Ottawa went 6 games. Ottawa won the first 2 at home. Detroit came back and swept 3 in Detroit and won the sixth back in Ottawa. I still don't know how Ottawa won the first 2 games, because Detroit blew them away once the hit home ice.

Detroit lost the Charlottetown series in 6. The lost the first 2 in Charlottetown, before winning games 3 and 5 in Detroit. I was at game 4 which Detroit lost. There were in excess of 13,000 at Olympia on a Sunday night.. It was awesome. Detroit's number 1 goaltender, Jim Lanzi, left the team because he was afraid to fly. Steve Meskievicz (spelling a guess), who later played for Muskegon in the IHL, took over, and was number 1 goalie the following year. The Chatham goalie was picked up as the backup for the Charlottetown series. The was an CAHA rule that you could add a goalie from another league team for the national playdowns. Obviously left over from the 1 goalie days of the 60's and prior.

Gerry Sawchuck did not play for the Junior wings until 73-74. He actually played goal for the Kitchner Rangers in the 71-72 season, befor converting to a left winger.