SPORTS FLASHBACK 1971: Habs outlast Braves for second MEHL title

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This article was published 18/05/2024 (403 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Centennial Cup remains in La Broquerie for another year, following the Habitants’ stunning triumph over the St Pierre Braves, before some 1,800 fans at Steinbach Arena.

Beginning the clutch performances that brought home championship honors last season, the coach Ray Gariepy’s crew came back from a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven Manitoba Eastern Hockey League finals to deny the title-hungry players from St Pierre, who had the momentum throughout the playoffs, but lost it when the chips were down.

La Broquerie needed to win Friday night at home to stay alive in the series, after St Pierre continued the home-team victory trend Wednesday night to close within one victory of the championship.

The Habitants scored early Friday, and although St Pierre narrowed the gap to 2-1 in the second period and 3-2 in the third frame, La Broquerie held the upper hand throughout, and won going away 5-2.

Monday night, with the game played on Steinbach’s artificial ice because of unseasonable weather conditions the Habs blistered the Braves for three second period goals en route to a 5-1 conquest and a second straight MEHL title.

The series was tightly contested, as could be expected from two clubs, which jockeyed for the top spot in the league all season. La Broquerie outscored St Pierre 29-27 in the seven games, but not without coming up short 6-0 in the finals opener. La Broquerie doubled the score on St Pierre, 6-3, in Game Two.

Home ice advantage continued for the next two games with St Pierre winning 8-7 and the Habs knotting the series at two apiece with a 4-3 win on home ice.

The Braves moved within one game of the title on the strength of a 5-2 victory in Game Five at St Pierre.

La Broquerie forced the series to the seventh game by returning the favor and downing St Pierre 5-2 on weather-beaten ice in La Broquerie.

Goals by Gerry Gagnon and Rene Tallaire in the final six minutes of the game clinched the victory for La Broquerie and sent the series to neutral ice in Steinbach for a seventh game.

Some 1,800 fans crowded Steinbach Arena for the showdown and witnessed La Broquerie burying St Pierre title hopes with a three-goal barrage in the second period.

Bob Daneault (2:03), Gerry Gagnon (12:13) and Ron Dufault (18:53) collected the tallies, while La Broquerie’s goaltender Louis Balcaen continued to blank the Braves.

St Pierre fought desperately in the third period, but managed only goal when Roland Marion scored at the 12-minute mark.

The La Broquerie Habs will be only too happy to move their Centennial Cup over a bit on the shelf in the trophy case at the La Broquerie Arena to make room for the championship trophy the other La Broquerie senior team won in the LaVerendrye Hockey League this season.

While the MEHL Habs were in the spotlight and got most of the headlines during the season, the Alouettes quietly went about the business of battling St Pierre for top spot in the four-team La Verendrye Hockey League and then sidelining Blumenhof in three straight games in the semi-finals before meeting and defeating the Falcons in the finals.

The 1970-71 season ended for the Alouettes as it had begun with a seven-goal outburst against their rivals from St Pierre. The Alouettes defeated the Falcons 7-2 in the league opener in December and scored seven goals against St Pierre to win the final game 7-3 in March. LaVerendrye Hockey League president Oscar Gagnon presented the league championship trophy to Alouettes captain Richard Dumesnil after their third victory in a best-of-five series.