| Like cream,
all the Cincinnati Stingers' richest players are rising to the top now. So club executives
can heave a sigh of relief. They must have wondered for a while if they'd made some
million-dollar mistakes. In much of the early part of the season, the club was being
carried by rookie Claude Larose and some lesser names. The big guys, with their multi-year
contracts, were slumbering quietly, and coach Terry Slater kept saying "They've got
to explode some time. They've got to." They have. It
wasn't a great big explosion, nothing to shake the hockey world, but those players are all
awake now and rising. The first to emerge was center Bryan Campbell, the 33 year old
veteran Calgary found too expensive to keep after last season. Playing a hustling,
forechecking type game, Campbell now has moved ahead of Larose to lead the team in scoring
with 42 points, including 36 assists. He also centers what has been the team's most
efficient line offensively and defensively.
The biggest exploder has been Rick Dudley, the former Cincinnati
Swords player lured away from the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres at great
expense. In the last 11 games, Dudley has scored 10 goals and nine assists. He is now tied
with Larose for second place in the team scoring chart with 38 points. Dudley is at a loss
to explain his sudden sport. "It's sort of strange," he says. "I'm not
taking many shots not even as many as before. I'm getting most of my goals from right in
close. I've just been getting better position. I'm going to the right spot."
Dudley gloats over the sudden rise of all the team's name brands.
"I said a long time ago it would take us about half the year to get going remember?
Now this team is starting to come on like it should." The Stingers have won their
last three straight and are two points out of first place in the World Hockey
Association's East Division, with a good lead over the third-place team. Just one point
behind Dudley and Larose, with 37 points is Jacques Locas, the million dollar player who
must have most worried the Stingers' officials. On loan last year as a rookie, Locas was
booted from team to team, playing most of the year in the minors. But he has progressed
steadily this season and now has 25 assist as center for the French line. He scored the
first goal and added one assist in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the San Diego Mariners.
Behind him is Pierre Guite, the right wing on the same line and
another big paycheck player. Guite started very slowly this year, troubled by frequent
injuries, and sat out six games. Now he's up to 14 goals and 17 assists. Then behind him
is Dennis Sobchuk, the last of the heavyweights to respond. Sobchuk had a terrible
beginning and was moved from the center position to left wing to right wing in an attempt
to jar him out of the slump. "He's starting to play now." Slater says. "The
last couple of games he's been skating and moving the puck better than he has all season.
It's making a big difference in the way this team is playing." The leading scorer for
the Phoenix Roadrunners last year. Sobchuk also scored a key goal in Saturday's comeback
victory and is now up to 11 goals and 16 assists. He's tied with Ron Plumb in total
scoring with 27 points.
John Hughes, a heralded young and expensive defenseman was chosen
one of the stars of Saturday's game. He contributed an assist and how has 19 points scorer
behind Sobchuk. Then there's Mike Pelyk, the last of the top-salaried players. Also slow
to come around. Pelyk is now playing on the penalty killing team in addition to pulling a
regular shift and Slater says. "He's improved about 200%. We're playing much steadier
altogether," the coach concludes. "Everyone is contributing and doing what he's
told. I feel a lot more confident looking at the rest of the year." |
