This series will continue as a season-by-season recap of the Regina Patricia (Pats) hockey club. Last month we started a Regina Pats history lesson which began with the origins dating back to the 1917-18 season.
The 1918-19 season saw change as the Tyvan Tigers were no longer in the league. The Lumsden Northerners joined the league. The Regina Monarchs and Victorias stayed as part of the league.
The Pats saw Bill, Frank and Walter Broadfoot leave, as well as leading scorer Willie Molisky. Holdovers L.J. “Duke” Dutkowski, Fred Harding, and M.A. Wingham were counted on for some stability and to provide scoring punch. They also saw a change in the coaching position as Walter Molisky took over the duties. Bill Lea stayed on as the manager.
The season
The schedule consisted of ten games. The Pats played the Victorias four times and the Monarchs and Lumsden three times apiece. The Regina Victorias were the Pats’ toughest opponent as the teams beat each other twice. Lumsden and the Monarchs went zero-for-three against the Pats. In finishing 8-2-0, the Pats and Victorias were forced to a sudden-death playoff game for the city championship.
The Playoffs
M.A. Wingham scored the winning goal in the third period in a 5-4 win, punching the Pats’ ticket to the Southern Saskatchewan playoffs.
The Pats’ opponent for the next round was the junior team from Wolseley. In a two-game total-goal series, the Pats ousted Wolseley by a combined score of 31-6.
After the Pats handed a beating to Wolseley, the next opponent was the junior team from Rouleau. This was also to be a two-game total-goal series. The Pats won the first game 20-5, scoring 18 times in the final forty minutes. There was not a second game as the Rouleau club defaulted, making the Pats the Provincial Champions.
Western Canada Hockey Championship
Up next was the Abbott Cup to be Western Canadian champion and the right to play in the first-ever Memorial Cup. The Winnipeg Lutherans were the next opponent.
It felt as though the Pats may have been in a little over their head. A headline in the Regina Leader read:
“Lutheran Team Which Plays Patricias Tonight As Best Manitoba Has Produced”
This was another two-game total-goal series with both games played at the Arena in Regina. The series had a different set of rules for both contests. In the first game, the teams played Manitoba rules in which each team played with seven players. A rover was added into the fray, so each team had six skaters and a goalie for the game. The other change is that under Manitoba rules at the time, they played two 30-minute halves. The rules made no difference as the Pats prevailed 5-4, giving them a one-goal lead heading into game two.
Game two was back to regular six-man hockey and three 20-minute periods. With 1,935 jammed in the Arena, the Pats battled the Winnipeg Lutherans and won 3-1. This gave the Pats an 8-5 series win.
“Speed was the shibboleth of both clubs in last night’s match and the terrific pace which was set by the clubs early in the fray did not diminish as the match wore on. In fact the end of the game saw speed as great as at any other time during the progress of the setto. Hockey brains were also conspicuous last evening and the teams, evenly matched, strained each nerve to get the advantage.” – March 11, 1919, Morning Leader
The Memorial Cup
The Pats traveled east to Toronto, where they faced the University of Toronto Schools in a two-game total-goals final. Even though some critics were high on the Pats, they were no match losing game one 14-3.
“[T]he University of Toronto Schools’ nifty young hockey machine cantered through the Regina Patricias in such a commanding style here tonight that they not only swamped the westerners 14 to 3, but outclassed them from stem to stern in the first game of a series of two.” – W.J. Finlay, Winnipeg Free Press
The second game was delayed nearly 90 minutes as there were parades in Toronto at the same time. The delay did not help the Pats as they lost game two 15-5. The final score for the round was 29-8 for the Toronto Schools.
“Class predominated again tonight when the plucky and luckless Regina Patricias were for the second time severely beaten by the dandy little U.T.S. Hockey machine here by a score of 15 to 5.” – W.J. Finlay, Winnipeg Free Press
University of Toronto Schools won the first Memorial Cup. The Regina Patricias were the first finalist.
The Forwards
L.J. “Duke” Dutkowski, the Patricias captain, did much of the heavy lifting on the season. He was the first Pat player to score 40 or more goals in a season scoring 40 in just 10 games. Some sources cite that he scored 41 goals, but it is debated. He added eight assists for 49 points. His play carried over into the playoffs where he scored 31 goals in just eight games. He also picked up six assists giving him 37 points.
Fred Harding, now 19-years-old, scored 22 times and had five assists in 10 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he scored another 16 goals and three assists for 19 points.
Herb Conrad played in eight regular-season games scoring five times and assisting on six others. Conrad scored four times and added three assists in the eight playoff games.
Frank Crapper also played in eight regular-season games and he picked up six goals and no assists. He scored six more times in the playoffs without adding an assist.
John Molisky was mostly a substitute but when he did play, he scored four times and had an assist. He skated in all eight playoff games but was held off the scoresheet.
Sandberg was a substitute for five of his six games with the Pats. In his lone start, he scored a hat-trick. Did not play in the playoffs.
Ernie Cameron, another substitute, got into seven games where he scored a goal. In four playoff games, he scored a single tally.
Conrad was able to get into a couple of games as a substitute and failed to hit the scoresheet. He was able to get into one playoff game again as a substitute.
H. McDonald played in five games as a substitute and was held pointless. Did not play in the playoffs.
The Defensemen
M.A. Wingham is one of only two true defensemen on the team who played all 10 games scoring nine times. He also picked up five helpers. Scored six playoff goals with no helpers.
Millar Hackney, the other defenseman did not have as much scoring prowess as he scored twice and added an assist. He turned the playoffs around, scoring eight times while picking up an assist.
The Goaltender
Morris (Mordecai) Brown played all ten regular-season games, picking up eight wins against two losses. He had a 3.90 goals-against-average and one shutout. His regular-season numbers were on the high side, he rebounded in the first six games of the playoffs. He started with six straight wins and a 3.33 GAA. He then allowed 29 goals in the final two games which averages to 14.5 per game. With his playoff added up he went 6-2 with a 6.13 GAA.
Final Thoughts
The Regina Patricias and the Memorial Cup have changed over the last 100-plus years. In this series, I look forward to sharing more of the ups and downs of the Pats. The history of this team is long and interesting and there is so much more to come.
