Page 27 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 130

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #130 November 2023 27

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Michael Valade • Shane Caskenette
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Continued from page 26 Chico DiCola, Peter Burns Sr, Abe his lacrosse career Ron was always two years, but then our track coach
Thomas, Ron Quenneville, Doug on a line with Chuck Li and they changed and when he found out that
whom we eventually played Junior
with, all came out of that area. They Carpenter (future Toronto Maple were later joined by Al Herrington to some of us were doing this, he told us
Leaf and New Jersey Devils coach), form a very successful line. Ron was to make a choice and that was it for
added a second box at Alexander Park and Cam Dillabough. The Canadian
and Gordie Monk was instrumental in laughing as he reminisced, “Chuck track.”
Lacrosse Association did not and Alan each won the Cornwall Ron was among the first group of
getting a box put on the Courtaulds recognize the QLL, considering it an
property in the east end. Sonny Lions Club award twice as the top students at St. Lawrence College
Herrington got the city to put a outlaw league, and threatened to give lacrosse athlete and even though I in Cornwall when it first opened in
lifetime suspensions to its players. was always amongst the top scorers 1967. He played on the St. Lawrence
box up on a vacant property in our The Wildcats, who were in first place
neighborhood. They put the boards up in the league, I never won anything, Roadrunners hockey team in the
at the time, decided to opt out because Chuck still keeps reminding me about Long Sault Sr. league. The following
for us, but it was the kids who looked they had so many Jr. age players, and
after it. We flooded it in the winter that.” Both Chuck and Allan went on year, with Jim Larin as coach,
for hockey running a hose from our finished the season playing exhibition to play professional Lacrosse and are the team competed against other
games and losing to Fergus in the still close friends. college teams. He was enrolled in
house, weaved it through the back Provincial Sr Championship. In 1966
and over to the box. Ron was working summers at CIL, the Laboratory Technician program
the Wildcats returned to Junior play attending St. Lawrence College, which would help him advance at
Ron came up through the
Cornwall Minor Lacrosse system winning all twenty regular season and playing with Sherbrooke in the CIL. Following graduation, Ron was
and following Midget, began playing games, then won playoff matches Quebec League. When Ron’s work asked to relocate to Abercrombie Pt.,
against the Cornwall Mustangs, schedule eventually conflicted with Nova Scotia, to run the lab in a small
with the Cornwall Wildcats in the Morrisburg, and Ottawa to win the
newly formed Eastern Ontario Jr B his lacrosse games, a decision needed plant that was on Scott Paper Mill
ELA Championships. The Wildcats to be made, and because he was property. It was a partnership between
League. The league consisted of two then defeated the Toronto Dixie
Cornwall teams - the Wildcats and working to fund his education, he Scott Paper, Stora, and CIL. The plant
the Mustangs - St. Regis, Cornwall Beehives to advance to the Castro Cup decided to end his lacrosse career. produced and supplied the mills with
Canadian Championships where they This wasn’t the first time that Ron chemicals they needed to produce
Island, and Morrisburg. In 1964, the lost to the New Westminster Athletics
Wildcats defeated St. Regis and then had to make a tough decision, he also paper. After four and one-half years
in three games. “It was in Thunder was on the CCVS track team, and in NS, Ron was transferred back to
Ottawa in the ELA play downs before Bay and was originally scheduled
losing to Guelph in the Provincial the three sports, hockey, lacrosse, Cornwall where he worked in the lab
Championship. In 1965 the Wildcats to be a five-game series,” said Ron, and track had overlapping seasons. and then became a Sr. Technician,
“The crowds were small, and they “I was on the high school track team working with the engineers. He
opted to join the Quebec Sr A League were losing money every game, so
which had five teams in Quebec and as a sprinter, but also competed in the branched off into the environmental
they decided to cut their losses and hurdles and triple jump. We would side, later gaining accreditation as
two from Ontario. John Ferguson make it a three-game series. I really
from the Montreal Canadiens was train for track from 4 - 6 and then go an Industrial Hygienist working
the coach for the Sorel-Tracy Titans. think that we could have beaten to lacrosse for 7pm. This worked for Continued on page 28
them in a five-game series. It was a
There were a lot of guys that had different style of refereeing and a
played in the East Coast Hockey
different game than what we were
League and other Sr. Hockey leagues, used to here. Our forte was speed,
so it was pretty rough at the time.
“We were a group of seventeen- the minute we got control of the ball
it was moved down the court, we

year-olds, but fortunately we were played a fast two-way game. New
able to have a few very good older

Westminster played a slow controlled
lacrosse players join us that would game, but we beat them quite handily
help us out with the physical part as
well,” Ron recalled. “ Bunny Warner, in the game that we did win.” During