Glasgow Dynamos Remembered

1971/72
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Robert Stevenson

1971/72 Autumn Cup
Team P W L D F A Pts
Whitley Bay Warriors 14 12 2 0 136 47 24
Murrayfield Racers 14 11 2 1 150 61 23
Dundee Rockets 14 10 3 1 128 63 21
Ayr Bruins 14 7 7 0 89 87 14
Fife Flyers 14 6 8 0 72 77 12
Glasgow Dynamos 14 4 10 0 58 116 8
Durham Wasps 14 3 11 0 59 132 6
Paisley Mohawks 14 2 12 0 36 145 4
1971/72 Northern League
Team P W L D F A Pts
Murrayfield Racers 14 12 1 1 114 46 25
Dundee Rockets 14 10 3 1 110 72 21
Whitley Bay Warriors 14 10 4 0 133 73 20
Fife Flyers 14 8 4 2 82 67 18
Glasgow Dynamos 14 5 9 0 64 97 10
Ayr Bruins 14 4 10 0 62 81 8
Durham Wasps 14 3 11 0 69 118 6
Paisley Mohawks 14 2 12 0 39 119 4

1971/72 Autumn Cup Scorers
GP G A Pts PiM
John Hester 13 11 7 19 23
Martin Shields 14 9 8 17 9
Doug Cameron 10 14 3 17 95
Billy Lavety 6 5 6 11 12
Allan Thomson 10 5 5 10 4
Rudi Carroll 12 2 4 6 2
Alan Lavety 11 1 5 6 19
Donnie Lavety  11 3 2 5 29
Dave Callaghan 14 3 2 5 2
Jimmy Purcell 5 2 1 3 2
Dave Sinclair 7 2 1 3 8
John Connor 12 1 1 2 2
Joe Hickey 9 0 1 1 16
Jim Docherty 6 0 1 1 0

Autumn Cup and Northern League Fixtures

DATE
H/A
Opponents
F
A

Comp

3/10/71
H
Murrayfield Racers
4
14

Autumn Cup

A
Fife Flyers
3
8

Autumn Cup

H
Whitley Bay Warriors
0
9

Autumn Cup

A
Murrayfield Racers
1
14

Autumn Cup

H
Fife Flyers
4
5 (OT)

Icy Smith Cup

7/11/71
A
Whitley Bay Warriors
2
13

Autumn Cup

H
Paisley Mohawks
5
2

Autumn Cup

21/11/71
A
Paisley Mohawks
3
1

Autumn Cup

H
Ayr Bruins
5
7

Autumn Cup

A
Ayr Bruins
7
9

Autumn Cup

12/12/71
H
Durham Wasps
13
8

Autumn Cup

19/12/71
A
Dundee Rockets
1
11

Autumn Cup

26/12/71
H
Fife Flyers
9
3

Autumn Cup

A
Durham Wasps
4
6

Autumn Cup

9/1/72
H
Dundee Rockets
1
11

Autumn Cup

16/1/72
H
Fife Flyers
6
5

Northern League

A
Ayr Bruins
4
3

Northern League

A
Fife Flyers
4
5

Northern League

6/2/72
H
Ayr Bruins
8
3

Northern League

13/2/72
A
Paisley Mohawks
4
5

Northern League

20/2/72
A
Murrayfield Racers
2
11

Northern League

H
Murrayfield Racers
2
11

Northern League

A
Durham Wasps
6
11

Northern League

12/3/72

H
Durham Wasps
7
4

Northern League

19/3/72
H
Paisley Mohawks
4
3

Northern League

26/3/72
A
Dundee Rockets
3
5

Northern League

9/4/72
A
Whitley Bay Warriors
4
12

Northern League

23/4/72
H
Whitley Bay Warriors
6
11

Northern League

30/4/72
A
Dundee Rockets
4
5

Northern League

1971/72 Northern League Scorers
 
                                P      G      A     Pts     PiM
Billy Lavety            14    14    11     25       9
John Hester           14    14     6      20     12
Barrie Stevenson 14     10     8     18        6
Larry McCain        14      7      8     15      14
Martin Shields        6      5       9     14        9
Alan Lavety           12      7       5    12        4

12/9/71  A       Ayr Bruins          1   9   Charlie Bell Trophy

A Glasgow player, who shall remain nameless, recently said that, though Robert Stevenson was now thousands of miles away in Australia, he is still mentioned more often in the herald than any of the current Dynamos side. The allegation is probably true, which to my mind only shows just how much the club miss their former top scorer, coach and inspiration – and how much he is missed by the fans at Crossmyloof and every other rink on the circuit.

The loss of Stevie was a big enough cross to bear, but it wasn’t the only problem Dynamos had to face. They had to start the season without their next two leading scorers, Billy Lavety and Barrie Stevenson, through injury. They were without international defenceman Allan Lavety for several weeks, also caused by injury – he first games Allan has missed since coming into the first team in 1966. And to crown it all, new coach billy Laird walked out on the club after a month.

If this was a story in a boy’s comic, Dynamos would have come through to win the league. This isn’t and they didn’t, but never the less, the team did exceptionally well in overcoming tremendous handicaps to finish in a highly creditable fifth place.

When all else has been forgotten, last season will stand out in dynamos’ fans memories for at least one thing. In October they unleashed on an unsuspecting public the most explosive and controversial figure ever to hit the Northern ice hockey scene in the person of Canadian student, Doug Cameron. No matter whether you liked or hated the boy with the hip length hair, he certainly brightened up the playing surface and it was a pity that his all out war with the referees kept him so long in the cooler and obscured his undoubted talent as a hockey player.

A sixth place finish in the Autumn cup was better than expected and put to shame a lot of the critics who forecast a wooden spoon for the crippled Dynamos squad. Martin Shields and John Hester take a lot of credit here, accepting the extra responsibility in the absence of the more experienced forwards and giving everything they had all the time they were on the ice. During the Autumn Cup two important steps were taken to strengthen the side. Billy Lavety was appointed as coach and Steve McKay, an old friend, was acquired from Murrayfield to bring solidarity in the nets.

Barrie Stevenson returned to the fray in January and started playing himself back to full fitness, acquiring several valuable goals in the process. Once a reasonable league position was assured, coach Lavety took the opportunity of blooding some of the Redwings into the big time and Jim Robbie, Ian Barratt, Lester Gordon  and Greg Reade all got their baptism in top league action.

This laddie Barratt looks a real hot prospect and I’d tip him as one to watch next season. Fast and powerful, he can add strength to the defence once the rough edges have been knocked off his approach. But the crying need is still for goal scoring forwards. Billy Lavety’s playing future is still in doubt and Martin Shields has gone to Canada, so the burden is going to fall on Barrie Stevenson and John Hester, unless Larry McCain decides to stay over for another year after all.

Perhaps the real key too the situation lies with Rudy Carroll and Davie Sinclair. If one, or both of them, can start hitting the back of the net with regularity without letting up on their valuable checking work, then Dynamos can really start to hum.

I’ve already said to watch Ian Barratt for next season; now I’ll give you one other name to keep in mind. Up to now the least publicised o the Lavety brothers has been the youngest, Donnie. I’ve a premonition all of this is going to change shortly and that the “last of the line” is going to make his more famous brothers take a back seat.

 

Farquhar Matheson in 1972/73 Ice Hockey Herald Annual