The first period saw a lot of penalties and no goals by either team. Both
teams had three penalties each throughout the period. And the Stingers Jacques Caron was
on his way to establishing a new team record for consecutive scoreless minutes. He would
carry that record into the second period.
|
© Courtesy of Cincinnati
Public Library. |
Mike Antonovich of the Whalers slides past
Stingers goalie Jacques Caron and into Cincinnati's net. |
Before the Whalers netted the
first goal of the game, Jacques Caron had established a new Stingers record for
consecutive scoreless minutes. A record that was set earlier in the year by Norm LaPointe.
Caron had accumulated 149 minutes before the Whalers Bill Butters scored at 8:49 in the
middle period. Butters looped the puck towards the Stingers goal from outside the blue
line. The puck rolled and as it got to Caron, it curved to the right. Caron couldn't reach
it and it slid into the net for the score. The goal was a fluke because Butters wasn't
taking a shot. He was just trying to scoot it into the Stingers zone.
The Stingers Rick Dudley tied the game
up with a goal at 9:35 in the seconds period. Dudley took a pass from Rich Leduc and
scored from right in front of the Whalers net. Cincinnati took the lead after Peter Marsh
scored. The goal came after teammate Billy Steele dug the puck off the boards and dumped
it into the middle where Marsh knocked it down with his glove. He then knocked it in for
the score. Rich Leduc would score at 12:16 to give his club a two goal lead. Leduc took a
pass from Dennis Sobchuk that came from the left side on a power play. Leduc then slapped
the puck into the net.
Before the second period ended, the
Whalers scored another fluke goal. The goal came when the puck was fired into the boards
behind the Stingers net and normally the puck would follow the curve to the other side.
Not this time! Instead the puck hit a raised spot and kicked right out in front where the
Whalers Ralph Backstrom shoveled the puck past Caron for the score.
The final period was mostly the
Whalers. The club scored three straight goals to take the lead. The first goal came from
Dave Keon at 2:56. The second goal came from former Stinger Pie McKenzie at 6:29 and the
third goal came from Mike Antonovich at 19:02. Cincinnati's Barry Legge scored at 19:37 to
bring the Stingers within one goal. But the Whalers held on to secure the victory.
Terry Slater sated after the game
"We were late all day. We didn't skate, the passing was terrible and we didn't check
the way we had in the last two games". . |
