Cincinnati entered the game with a disadvantage
from the word go. The club took a marathon plane trip to the most northern Canadian city
in the league and arrived just a few hours before the puck was dropped. The Stingers were
also down by two players with team captain Mike Pelyk out with an injury and Rick Dudley
suspended for two games. Dudley was readmitted to the hospital as a result of the bruised
lung he suffered in the previous game. Dudley began coughing up blood but the doctors
cleared him.
In the early minutes of the first period Edmonton was
in total control. But Stingers goal tender Paul Hoganson stood his ground and made some
nice saves. Cincinnati managed to get on the score board first with a goal by Bryan
Campbell. Claude Larose set the goal up when he made a pass from the blue line to
Campbell. He then took a slapshot from the left side to net his 18th of the season.
Edmonton answered shortly after with a goal by right winger Rusty Patenaude. Defenseman Al
Hamilton hooked Patenaude up with the puck during a hard rush on the net. Patenaude faked
one way and knocked the puck the other way past Hoganson.
During the second period, the Oilers failed to score
during a power play after Stingers Dave Inkpen was sent to the penalty box. Moments after
Inkpen was free, his teammate Jacques Locas scored a goal after he stick handled through
the Oilers defensemen to reach the offensive zone. Locas then whirled around and took a
shot past Oilers goalie Dave Dryden. Paul Hoganson was given an assist. The goal put the
Stingers up by one goal. It would be the last of the game.
The Oilers left winger Rick Morris went on to score
directly after an Edmonton power play had ended. Morris came up with the puck after a pile
of players were bunched up in front of the Stingers net. He then managed to slip the puck
under Paul Hoganson for the score. The Oilers would go on to net three more goals in the
game. The first by Tim Sheehy, the second by Rusty Patenaude and the third by the 40 year
old Norm Ullman. Sheehy whipped the puck past Hoganson at 17:04 in the second period.
Patenaude scored his second of the game 45 seconds into the third period during a power
play. And Ullman who is the Oilers leading scorer, netted the final goal for Edmonton at
6:16. The goal would be his 22nd of the season.
With the Cleveland Crusaders 6-5 victory over the
Minnesota Fighting Saints and the Stingers 5-2 loss to the Oilers, Cincinnati would slip
to third place in the standings. |
