Remembering our Hockey History – Fort Frances’ first hockey championship

It has been a decade since the Fort Frances Lakers last finished first in the standings in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.

That drought ended last week when they clinched the 2025-26 regular season title with a pair of wins over Ironwood.

Local hockey fans cheered the town’s first hockey championship nearly 100 years ago.

It happened in March 1927, when the Fort Frances Maple Leafs swept the Eveleth Miners in three straight games to win the inaugural Arrowhead Amateur Hockey League crown.

The six-team league came together in the fall of 1926 with the Virginia Hawks, Hibbing Falcons, Duluth West Ends and International Falls Insulites joining the Leafs and Miners.

Before then, Fort Frances hockey teams played mostly exhibition contests.

The first league in the Rainy River District was established in 1905, with teams from Emo, Rainy River and Fort Frances playing a six-game schedule in January and February.

The league received little local press coverage, though it was reported that Emo won the championship.

The genesis for the Arrowhead league goes back to the winter of 1925, while Fort Frances, then classified as an intermediate team, was playing exhibition games in Minnesota.

The team was suspended by the Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey Association in December for travelling to Minnesota, violating an edict issued by Canadian Amateur Hockey that forbade Canadian amateur clubs from playing in the U.S.

The Central Amateur Hockey League formed that season, with teams from Duluth, Winnipeg, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Eveleth-Hibbing and Sault Ste. Marie.

Upon completion of the season, team officials opted to transition into a professional league, satisfying the interests of the Minneapolis and St. Paul clubs.

Eveleth and Hibbing considered staying but decided the cost would be too great.

This led to the discussions of a new amateur league, with interest coming from Duluth, Marquette, Michigan; Virginia, Superior, Hibbing and Eveleth.

Fort Frances and International Falls also sent delegates to a meeting in Hibbing in November to discuss its structure, rules and schedule.

Harry Marr, assistant treasurer of the Fort Frances Hockey Club and town clerk, was selected vice-president, while O.E. Olson would represent the International Falls on the board of directors.

Each club was required to remit a membership fee, though the amount of money was not disclosed.

A balanced 20-game schedule was drawn up, with each team playing 10 home games.

International Falls did not have its own arena and was forced to play its home games out of the Fort Frances Curling Club, which also doubled as the home rink for the Maple Leafs, a name selected by the Fort Frances club’s board of directors.

The clubs agreed to play according to rules established by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and issue fines of $100 for failing to play a scheduled game.

A provision was included that if International Falls was unsuccessful in establishing a team before the start of the season, a second team sponsored by the Fort Frances Hockey Association would be permitted but play as International Falls.

The Insulites were able to assemble a team, securing several Canadians, but found themselves shorthanded for a few games early in the season, prompting some Maple Leafs to suit up.

Fort Frances was led by Horton Scott in net, Jimmy Angus and Art Torseth on defence, and Bert Gillon, Maurice Godin and Warren Menthe up front.

The Leafs opened their season in Eveleth on December 10, 1926, dropping a 2-0 game to the Miners.

They found their footing three days later, defeating Duluth 3-1, and proceeded to win 12 of their next 13 games to keep pace with the Miners for first place overall.

Fort Frances ended its schedule with a 10-0 pasting of Virginia to finish with a record of 16 wins and 4 losses, six points back of Eveleth, which lost just once, a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Leafs.

This set up a best-of-five final series for the championship that opened in Fort Frances on March 8, 1927.

The Leafs controlled much of the play in the first 20 minutes, firing 18 shots at the Miners’ Pat Bryne, but failed to sneak a puck past the Ottawa-born netminder.

The Miners scored twice in the opening period and held the 2-goal margin until the third, when the Leafs scored goals three minutes apart to tie the game.

Both teams had equal chances to pull ahead, but neither found the back of the net, forcing overtime.

Just minutes into the extra frame, Jim Kelly fired a hard drive that whizzed past Bryne, sending the hometown fans happy.

Game 2 was played the next night at the Fort Frances Rink, where the Miners carried a 4-1 lead early in the third period.

A goal by Buck Hanson narrowed the Miners’ lead and gave the Leafs momentum.

Godin scored a pair of unassisted markers midway through the period to even the score before Kelly and Ross Creasy scored in succession to give the home team a 6-4 victory and a 2-game series lead.

The series resumed in Eveleth on March 11th, with more than 300 Fort Frances fans catching a train for the game at the Eveleth Hippodrome.

The Miners outplayed their visitors from the drop of the puck, but no results showed from their effort.

Eveleth had three goals nullified by referee Billie Hill, who once played hockey in the Minnesota city.

The Leafs broke the scoreless game in the second period.

While a scramble for the puck ensued in Eveleth’s end, Angus skated around the net, picked up the loose disk with his hand and threw it into a clear spot where Godin snapped it past a startled Bryne.

The Miners’ argued, but Hill claimed he did not see the illegal manoeuvre and allowed the goal to stand.

Shortly after the play, Hill left the game and was replaced by another official from Virginia.

It would be the game’s only goal. Fort Frances held off a determined Eveleth squad for the rest of the game to capture the championship.

The team was recognized at an event at the town hall auditorium at the end of March.

Each player received a sweater coat adorned with their monogram and other gifts.

Team secretary, H.A. Tibbetts, recited a poem that recognized each player’s achievements.

As quoted by the Fort Frances Times, April 7, 1927;

Jimmy Angus;

Our team has a captain named “Jim,” who supplies it nerve, pep and vim;
When we’re down on our luck, and he gets the old puck;
For a goal we can count upon him.

Horton Scott;

Horton Scott picks ’em off with his chin, his eyebrows, an elbow or chin;
In spite of their boasts, when Scott twists the posts;
Their chances of scoring are thin.

Tommy Mathieu;

To’ Mathieu, they all look the same, no matter their “rep” or their fame;
Big or small, short or tall, when they hit this stone wall;
They retire for the rest of the game.

Art Torseth;

Now Torchy is there with the stuff, and it don’t pay to start something rough;
He can block, he can check, and rush, too, by heck;
And they find when they bump him, he’s tough.

Maurice Godin;

A speedy red demon is Morris, who sent Eveleth home sick and sorry;
For his work with his stick was so clever and slick;
That he covered Fort Frances with glory.

Bert Gillon;

There’s not much the matter with Bert, down the wing he proceeds with a spurt;
When they try to check Gillon, they think he’s a villain;
And frequently someone gets hurt.

Ross ‘Bo’ Creasy

They may think our centre is slow, but that’s only because they don’t know;
For a lightning streak greasy, no faster than Creasy;
And a black eye don’t bother our ‘Bo.’

Buck Hanson;

We were licked – down and out – out of luck, but that didn’t bother our Buck;
For, not once, but twice, he sailed down the ice;
And in Eveleth’s net placed the puck.

Warren Menthe;

Then Menthe came on with a shout, and the foemen were soon put to rout;
For when Menthe got thru the whole Eveleth crew;
They wound themselves all “Warren” out.

Jim Kelly

There’s also a wee fellow called Jim, in stature, there’s not much of him;
But when playing the game, Kelly was there just the same;
He made Eveleth’s chances look dim.