Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire ” brought to you by your local Auto Logic- The Logical Choice.
The Midland Flyers and Penetanguishene Kings played 3 times over the weekend in the Junior C Hockey playoffs.
Midland won the opener, 3-2. Penetanguishene followed with 4-2 and 7-5 victories.
I’m sure the rivalry between the two towns dates back to 1882.
I can’t say that I experienced the first skirmishes, but I became very familiar with it within the first century.
In the Fall of 1968, I played my first game of hockey for the Dorion Sand & Gravel Tykes.
We lost at Penetanguishene 11-2.
A month later in the rematch at Midland, we lost again, 7-0.
Back to Penetanguishene after Christmas, another set back; this time 5-2.
And in our final head to head meeting; Keith Dumais posted the shutout as Penetang won again 3-0.
Back in that era, the most significant Minor Hockey event for that age group was in Scarborough- the annual Timmy Tyke Tournament.
Sure enough in Round 2 of the 1969 Timmy Tyke, Midland & Penetang drove 100 miles to faceoff again.
This time though, Midland goal Frankie Palmer was spectacular, maybe the best goaltending performance I’d seen in my first 8 years.
Frank Palmer gave up 1 goal against in regulation, and stopped all 3 Penetang shootout attempts while Kirby Wagg, Steve Kennedy and Todd Lalonde scored for Dorion Sand & Gravel.
Lots of communities will claim fierce head-to-head rivalries, but Midland-Penetang circa 1969 was HUGE and likely always will be.
I’m Fred Wallace