February 20th 1976 - Cincinnati Stingers vs Phoenix Roadrunners

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

Friday, February 20th 1976

By David Fuselier

Hockey's Hairiest

The way the Cincinnati Stingers groom themselves is hair-raising. Beards, mustaches and long curly locks abound. In fact, a recent edition of the Sporting News called the Stingers the hairiest team in the WHA. Club officials brush off such remarks. Despite Cincinnati's conservatism, they say there has been no wave of criticism. "All remarks I've heard have been good remarks," declares vice president Bill DeWitt, whose family used to own the prim and proper Reds.

The Reds, of course, do not permit their team members such latitude. Players who do not conform to cut and dried standards soon part company. It's a hair today, gone tomorrow policy. But DeWitt rejects it. "I don't think you can get 20 guys to conform like that," he says. "You can make then do it, but all you do is supress the personalities of the players. I like the hair styles. They bring out the individuals. I think they add a lot." Coach Terry Slater also refused to split hairs about grooming. "I don't have any rules except they be clean and dress neatly," he announces. "A coach should be interested in how his players perform on the ice, not all that other stuff."

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

Friday, February 20th 1976

By David Fuselier

Stingers Getting Wild Money Dreams Again

The Phoenix Roadrunners come into Riverfront Coliseum for a 7:30 game tonight against the Cincinnati Stingers, who have three straight victories and lingering visions of a first place finish ahead. "The players are working harder in practice than they have in a long time," Stingers coach Terry Slater observes. "They know who's playing whom every day. I think it's an indication this team is ready to climb as high as it can. If we can get to first place, we'll try to do it. I think most of the players think we can."

The Cincinnatians have had other three game winning streaks this season but each was followed by a sizable slump. This time Slater is more confident. "We're more solid now," he explains. "Guys are concentrating on the playoffs and the money involved. That money is a big incentive. Earlier I'd get the feeling we were too fat and happy after winning a couple games. If we lost the next one, we'd think it didn't matter much. But now we're getting close and there's no excuses. Everyone knows you've got to win the next game no matter what you did the last game."

"And another thing, we're getting much better balanced scoring. Before Claude Larose or Rick Dudley was scoring the goals. Now everyone is....the Sobchuks, Bernie MacNeil, Dale Smedsmo, everyone. We've got a lot more depth." Slater says "The big thing now is staying free of injuries. If we keep ourselves healthy, we've got a good chance."

Friday, February 20th

Standings

Defeated Phoenix Roadrunners

Riverfront Coliseum

2nd

The Cincinnati Stingers entered the game with a three game winning streak. The streak is tied for the club record. But after the Stingers took on the Roadrunners, the club would create a new record by defeating the desert dwellers..

2-20 1976

� Courtesy of Cincinnati Public Library.

Phoenix's Don McLeod and Stingers John Hughes with Dennis Sobchuk are tangled up in a fight during the second period.

The first period kicked off with an injury to Stingers Pierre Guite. The injury accured just 58 seconds into the period when Guite, on the starting shift, tried to disrupt a Phoenix breakaway by former Stinger Gary Venneruzzo. Guite threw his body in front of the Stingers goal. But his speed slid him hard into the pipes. Pierre obviously in pain rolled over and over on the ice. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher and admitted to Christ Hospital where it was discovered that he had fractured his ribs.

The first period continued with more injuries. But this one later in the period. The Roadrunners Jim Niekamp collided with Dale Smedsmo of the Stingers. Both lost their balance and in the midst of falling Smedsmo whirled his war-club behind him and hit Niekamp in the mouth. Niekamp rolled in pain while blood poured from his mouth and his teeth dropped onto the ice. All of this after Niekamp suffered a broken nose earlier in the year. Smedsmo would say "It was a bad accident and I hate to see that happen. My stick just came around". After the two incidents with Guite and Niekamp, both clubs played more cautious and neither team got on the board until the second period.

The first goal in the middle period came at 2:11 from Gene Sobchuk. The second goal came from Dale Smedsmo, who replaced Guite on the Jacques Locas and Rick Dudley line. During a Roadrunners power play Phoenix got on the board. The goal came from Ron Huston who's shot came from near the blue line late in the period.

The Stingers started the third period with a one man advantage and as a result, Rick Dudley netted his 30th goal of the year. Dudley got the goal after a nice pass from behind the net by Dennis Sobchuk. Ron Plumb added to the total at 13:37 with a goal of his own. It would be the last goal of the game and the fourth win in a Stingers record winning streak.

Cincinnati	-	0	2	2	-	4
Phoenix	-	0	1	0	-	1

FIRST PERIOD

GOALS - None

PENALTIES - PHO: Boyd (tripping) 10:54. CIN: Hughes (holding) 15:09. Gray (misconduct) 18:51.

SECOND PERIOD

GOALS - CIN: G. Sobchuk (Campbell, Plumb) 2:11. CIN: Smedsmo (Hughes, Dudley) 17:00. PHO: Huston (Gray, Rautakallio) 18:51.

PENALTIES - PHO: Clake (tripping) 1:32. PHO: Ftorek (roughing) 17:39. CIN: Hughes (roughing) 17:39. CIN: D. Sobchuk (third man in) 17:39.

THIRD PERIOD

GOALS - CIN: Dudley (D. Sobchuk, G. Sobchuk) :36. CIN: Plumb (D. Sobchuk, Dudley) 13:37.

PENALTIES - CIN: Inkpen (holding) 1:30. PHO: Dean (hooking) 12:06.

SHOTS ON GOAL

Cincinnati	-	8	09	09	-	26
Phoenix	-	7	10	10	-	27

GOALTENDERS - CIN: Hoganson. PHO: Norris.

ATTENDANCE - 6,137

REFEREE - Ron Harris

1975-76 WHA Finals Standings

WHA East
	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA
-
New England Whalers	26	28	5	57	189	209
Cincinnati Stingers	26	31	1	53	216	245
Cleveland Crusaders	23	29	5	51	194	203
Indianapolis Racers	23	33	2	48	167	178
-
-
WHA Canadian
-
Winnipeg Jets	41	20	2	84	268	189
Quebec Nordiques	36	18	4	76	261	223
Calgary Cowboys	28	26	3	59	219	197
Edmonton Oilers	21	36	4	46	206	258
Toronto Toros	15	37	5	35	234	290
-
WHA West
-
Houston Aeros	37	20	0	74	234	194
Minnesota Fighting Saints	30	23	4	64	207	206
Phoenix Roadrunners	28	24	6	62	213	194
San Diego Mariners	29	26	4	62	230	208
Ottawa Civics >+	14	26	1	29	134	172
-
-
> Formerly the Denver Spurs
+ Folded