| NORFOLK,
Va. - Cincinnati's Don O'Donohue slapped in a 30-footer three minutes and 20 seconds into
sudden death overtime as the Cincinnati Stingers ended their exhibition season with a 4-3
victory Wednesday night over the Tidewater Sharks. The Sharks had sent the game into
overtime by scoring the tying goal in the last minute of regulation play. O'Donohue is really a member of the Hampton Gulls but was playing for
Cincinnati on a try-out. Besides the goal goal, he had two assists. Three other Hampton
players were also being tested and one of them, Lorne Rombough, also scored for Cincy.
"Rombough had a big goal at the time" Cincinnati coach Terry Slater noted
afterwards. "O'Donohue showed us some defense, too. He went bacj and caught a guy
from behind on a penalty situation that probably saved a goal for us. We need someone who
can help us kill penalties".
It was actually more a scrimmage than a game. The Sharks could only
come up with 12 players so the Stingers graciously loaned them four. On the way to the
arena, Cincinnati's Dennis Sobchuk laughingly suggested everyone gather at center ice
before the game and just choose up sides, like when he was a kid in Saskatchawan. It
nearly came to that.
Midway through the second period, Sobchuk broke the scoreless tie by
tapping in a shot that had just rebounded off Watt. But four minutes later it was a tie
again as the Sharks Steve Dolloff broke down ice ahead of Cincy's defensemen to score on a
20 footer challened by no one but Stinger goalie Serge Aubry. With 1:38 left, Dale Smedsmo
made it 2-1 Stingers by slapping in a 30-footer after center Briand Campbell gave him the
puck out of a face-off.
Determined to keep it tied, the Sharks Bob Wright countered with a
break-away goal just 22 seconds later, lifting it over Aubry. It remained a
just-for-funsies game, however, evidenced by the absence of even one penalty in the
period. By the time Rombough scored Cincy's third goal five minutes into the final period,
the 1,184 fans were so lulled there was scarcely a squel or moan. When it looked like the
game was finally going yo end peacefully, Tidewater pulled its goalie in a final effort to
score, which it did with just 20 seconds left. Michel Bourdeau was the hero for the
Sharks, lifting it over Aubry to send the game into overtime. |
