They sat two abreast in the aisles and stood three deep on the walkways Monday at the Quebec Coliseum to see les Bolts de Boston play les Caribou de Quebec in the first official game for either team. Attendance was announced as 14,124, 10,008 of whom had a chair to sit in. It was the largest crowd at the Coliseum since the Russia- Team Canada ’74 series opener. The Caribous took the gate receipts and the Bolts took the game and their first two points in NLL standings. Boston scored the first three and last three goals for a 14-12 win.
Bill Squires scored the first official Boston goal ever when he converted a Johnny Allen pass at 3:52. Squires is a full blooded Indian who’s off season home is the Six Nations Reservation in Ontario. He played for Six Nations Braves in Ontario Lacrosse Association Jr. A last year.
Goals by Chris Hall, his first of four, and Duffy McCarthy, his first of three, gave the Bolts a 3-0 lead but Quebec’s John McDonald answered back with the first Caribous goal at 6:07. He got a standing “O”. The Bolts outscored Quebec 3-1 the rest of the way to take a 6-2 lead into the dressing room at the end of the first period.
The Caribous outplayed Boston 8 to 4 in the middle period to tie the game at 10-10. Bolts starting goalkeeper Buff McCready was removed from the game after taking a hard drive off the unpadded area above his right knee. He was replaced by backup Ted Gernaey who allowed only three goals through 23 mins, and 28 secs, of play.
The Caribous carried the play through most of the third period and seemed to be in good shape with a 12-11 lead and plenty of momentum with less than ten minutes to play but Boston’s Joe McCrea came up with his second and third goals of the game, Gernaey made the big saves, Quebec star Gaylord Powless, and then Taki Volhalis added the insurance goal at 19:55.
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Boston’s Ivan “The Terrible” Thompson won the first fall and the decision in a brief bout with Quebec’s Bruce Todman. Ivan, by the way, wears glasses. The better to see you with . . .
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Credibility gap: Chris Hall spent a good portion of the flight to Quebec telling a reporter what a solid defensive player he was—he then went out and scored four goals.
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Quote from Johnny Allen: “You wouldn’t believe how a crowd of 14.000 can inspire you. Some years I didn’t see that many people in a season.”
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Bolts Assistant Gen. Mgr. Rowe Barrett’s wife, Diane, has been in lacrosse circles too long. She’s a registered nurse who “won’t work anywhere but in the emergency room.”
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Boston hockey followers will be familiar with the NLL’s new referee-in-chief. He’s former NHL ref Red Storey.