November 21st 1975 - Cincinnati Stingers vs Toronto Toros

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

Friday, November 21st 1975

By David Fuselier

Stingers' 'Goal' Problem

The Cincinnati Stingers have now suffered four straight losses - that's two games and two goalies. While defeats are affordable at the moment the supply of goalies is running awful thin. If the situation deteriorates further, the surgeon general should intervene. Hockey goals should be stamped with the warning. "Playing here is dangerous to your health." We're in bad shape," coach Terry Slater moans.

Both the regular Stingers goal tenders are currently convalescing. Starting in their place tonight against the Toronto Toros will be Rich Coutu, who was with the club's Hampton farm team until Thursday. He will go into the game having never worn a Stingers uniform and having never even practiced with the team, except during training camp. "He's just going to have to do the job," Slater says. "he's all we've got and if we lose him, there's nobody else. We can't take another one out of Hampton or they won't have one. We'd have to put our trainer in there."

Couta was called up after Tuesday night's game in Quebec City during which rookie goalie Norm LaPointe deflected a hard slap shot with the middle of his throat, not recommended procedure. "He took a full blast. I mean a hard shot," declares Slater. "He just couldn't get out of the way. He's a tough kid I'll tell you." After appropriate pampering, LaPointe finished the game and altogether made 42 saves, although the Stingers still lost 6-4.

LaPointe finished the game out of necessity. The other goalie, Serge Aubry, was already unserviceable. He pulled a hamstring muscle in Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Fighting Saints. "Aubry can't even walk now," says the coach. "There's no way he'll be available even in an emergency." Aubry is expected back within a week, however. But Lapointe was flown back to Cincinnati Thursday and is currently in fair condition at Christ Hospital. Team physician Dr. George Ballou examined the 20-year-old and could find no fractures, but there is a severe bruise in the area of his larynx. LaPointe will be hospitalized at least until Monday and will miss one to two weeks after that, providing nothing more serious shows up after the swelling goes down.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Couta will have a chance to show his talents to the big league. In 13 games at Hampton so far, he's won six, including three by shutouts. His goals against average is 2.77, but until a recent two-game slump he was averaging 1.90. "I talked to (Hampton coach John) Brophy and he says Couta has been sensational," Slater reports. "They haven't been playing very well down there and he says Couta has kept them in every game. I hope he'll do that kind of job for us and I hope he'll stay healthy."

Despite the two losses, the Stingers remain in first place in the World Hockey Association's East Division. Toronto is the last place team in the Canadian Division. "I don't know what to expect from them. They could score 20 goals. They've got the talent, the big paychecks," Slater says. "But they haven't been playing well so who knows. I just hope we come out of it alive."

Friday, November 21st

Standings

Lost to Toronto Toros

Maple Leaf Gardens

1st

Without goaltenders LaPointe and Aubry out with injuries, the club was forced to bring up an emergency replacement from the Hampton Gulls of the Southern Hockey League. The club called up 23 year old Rich Couta. Coata's only major league experience came from the 21 game he played with the WHA's Chicago Cougars during the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons. And to make matters worse, Couta did not arrive with the team until late Thursday, giving him absolutely no opportunity to practice with the club. A club in which he had only played with during training camp.

Toronto scored the only two goals of the first period. The first goal coming from center Peter Marrin at 2:36 and the second goal coming from center Gavin Kirk at 4:11. The Toros took 14 shots on the Stingers young goal tender while Cincinnati managed to get only 9 shots on Toronto's Matio Viens.

The Toros kept up the attack on Couta by nailing three more goals in the first four and a half minutes of the second period to make it 5-0. The first coming from left winger Frank Mahovlich at 1:00. The second coming from defensman Jim Tukiewicz at 1:22 and the third coming from center Vaclav Nedomansky at 4:17. The Stingers finally scored at 7:35 when Gene Sobchuk put one in the net and Claude Larose followed with a goal shortly there after. But the Stingers were unable to move the puck very well out of their own zone and with the faulty Stinger goal tender Rich Couta, the Toros had the advantage. The Toros Tukiewicz scored again at 13:07 off of a ricochet shot. While Toros defensman Jerry Rollins followed at 13:35 with a slow shot along the ice. The period ended with a score of 7-2.

Opening up the third period with a score of 7-2, the Stingers luck just got worse. Shortly after the period began, Cincinnati's Pierre Guite slid head first into the goal pipe, knocking him out and injuring his knee. The right winger was carried off the ice on a stretcher. But Stingers left wing Dale Smedsmo had a knack for jump starting his team no matter how bad things were looking and he scored the first of five straight Stinger goals. Smedsmo put one in the net at 8:23, Mike Pelyk followed with a goal of his own at 9:54, Gene Sobchuk scored his second of the game at 11:23, Smedsmo again scored an unassisted goal at 12:49 and finally right winger Steve Andrascik scored at 18:17 to tie up the game. Despite the Stingers taking 20 shots on goal to the Toros 7 and Rich Couta making some big saves in front of the net, it wasn't enough to save the game. The Toros right winger Mark Napier slapped the winning goal in the Stingers net at 19:44 to save the Toros victory. Despite Toronto's win, the Toros head coach Bobby Baun was so furious over his teams third period break down that he stormed off and refused to talk to reporters.

The Stingers loss to the Toros was the clubs third straight. However, it didn't knock the club out of first place within the Eastern Division. The second place New England Whalers lost also. Their loss of 2-0 was at the hands of the Fighting Saints and as a result the Stingers were still at the top of their division.

Cincinnati	-	0	2	5	-	7
Toronto	-	2	5	1	-	8

FIRST PERIOD

GOALS - TOR: Marrin (Rollins, Dorey) 2:36. TOR: Kirk (Mahovlich) 4:11.

PENALTIES - CIN: Hughes (high sticking) 18:17.

SECOND PERIOD

GOALS - TOR: Mahovlich (Napier) 1:00. TOR: Turkiewicz (Farda, Jacques) 1:22. TOR: Nedomansky (Farda, Jacques) 4:17. CIN: G. Sobchuk (MacNeil) 7:35. CIN: Larose (Campbell) 7:52. TOR: Turkiewicz (Heaver, Farda) 13:07. TOR: Rollins (Marrin, Featherstone) 13:35.

PENALTIES - TOR: Cunningham (inteference) 10:25. CIN: Guite (high sticking) 14:25.

THIRD PERIOD

GOALS - CIN: Smedsmo (Hughes, D. Sobchuk) 8:23. CIN: Pelyk (MacNeil, Ogilvie) 9:54. CIN: G. Sobchuk (MacNeil) 11:23. CIN: Smedsmo (unasisted) 12:49. CIN: Andrascik (Smedsmo) 18:17. TOR" Napier (Kirk, Mahovlich) 19:44.

PENALTIES - None.

SHOTS ON GOAL

Cincinnati	-	09	09	20	-	38
Toronto	-	14	15	07	-	36

GOALTENDERS - CIN: Coutu. TOR: Viens.

ATTENDANCE - 8,475

REFEREE - ?

1975-76 WHA Standings

WHA East
	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA
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Cincinnati Stingers	9	7	0	18	66	67
New England Whalers	7	9	1	15	46	51
Cleveland Crusaders	6	7	2	14	51	48
Indianapolis Racers	6	10	0	12	58	58
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WHA Canadian
-
Quebec Nordiques	14	6	0	28	84	65
Winnipeg Jets	13	5	0	26	70	34
Calgary Cowboys	9	8	1	19	62	58
Edmonton Oilers	8	12	2	18	78	89
Toronto Toros	5	10	2	12	72	79
-
WHA West
-
Houston Aeros	10	7	0	20	62	63
Minnesota Fighting Saints	8	7	1	17	56	61
Phoenix Roadrunners	7	8	2	16	52	67
San Diego Mariners	7	7	2	16	59	54
Denver Spurs	5	11	1	11	54	76
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