2nd straight Allan Cup for Port Arthur in 1926

FOLLOWING an epic showdown with rival Fort William to capture the Scotland Woolen Mills Cup, emblematic of Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey Association senior champions, the Port Arthur contingent continued on their quest to repeat as national title holders in 1926.

Needing a rare third outing to take a thrilling total-goal affair with the Forts, the Ports triumph there earned them the right to host the Regina Victoria’s in the national semifinals, which would be held in the Lakehead.

That get together began a mere three days after defeating Fort William and while still riding a confident wave of emotion from their last series, Port Arthur was all business from the onset.

Setting the tone, they stormed out to a 4-0 lead on Regina before the contest was 16 minutes old thanks to an Albert Pudas hat trick and a single courtesy of Art Chapman.

Getting one back early in the second period, the Vics looked to answer, only to see Pudas pot his fourth of the night, much to the delight of the local faithful.

Still battling, Regina tallied twice in the third to pull within two, only to see Alex Gray seal a 6-3 win for Port Arthur.

Holding the three-marker edge in the total-goal affair, things looked good for the hosts heading into the finale.

The protection of that cushion was added to in Game 2 as a Wilf L’ Heureux effort put the squad up four goals after 40 minutes.

Seemingly having the series in control, the Vics did strike twice in the final frame to win 2-1, but it was Port Arthur that skated away with an overall 7-5 result to send them to their second straight Allan Cup Final.

Once again they would meet the University of Toronto Varsity, the same side they bested to garner Canadian laurels a year previously.

Beginning with the opener at the Montreal Forum on March 24, 1926, Gray put the Ports in front with an early effort, while the stalwart netminding of Lorne Chabot did the rest in a 1-0 triumph.

At the other end, Toronto starter Joe Sullivan was knocked out in the middle stanza after taking an inadvertent puck in the head off a Pudas shot and was replaced by Varsity junior stopper, ‘Stuffy’ Mueller, who performed admirably and turned aside every attempt he saw in relief.

The second meeting in Montreal was equally as intense before Toronto won 3-1, thanks to a pair of tallies in a 10-minute overtime.

Pudas continued his solid play with the lone goal for the Ports.

Heading to the Ontario provincial capital for the remainder of the series, Game 3 was hard-fought as well with the teams battling to a 3-3 draw, which featured a trio of extra time sessions.

Down 3-0 late in the first in that one, Bill Brydge buried one to give Port Arthur a boost.

After a scoreless second, markers from Chapman and Gray leveled the proceedings, before multiple OTs failed to provide a winner.

In the decider played in front of a capacity crowd in Toronto, the hosts once again began with a purpose, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes.

Neither team connected in the middle period, setting the stage for another furious Port Arthur comeback.

In the third, the defending champs pressed the pace with an unwavering resilience seeing Pudas and Chapman put the puck in the back of the net to send it to extra play.

After a first OT solved nothing, Gray collected the eventual game-winner in the second additional session by calmly tipping in a Danny Cox pass at 7:44.

Handling the remaining time with a diligent forecheck, Port Arthur skated away with their second straight Allan Cup title under coach Ed Carpenter.

They were then welcomed home in the coming days by a massive cheering crowd of boisterous revellers as the team was paraded around the city with delight in celebration of back-to-back titles as senior hockey champions in the Dominion of Canada.