Prior to the game, the Stingers called up defenseman Barry Melrose to fill
the vacancy left by Bryan Maxwell. A spot which was filled in the previous game by Ted
Long. With the Stingers in Hartford for the game, Melrose made the short trip from
Springfield Massachusetts where he was playing in the minors. Melrose played with the
Stingers earlier in the year and when he wasn't dressed for games, he would sit in the
press box, watch the game and take notes on what was going on. As for Ted Long, the prior
game with the Whalers would be his only major league hockey appeance.
Joining Melrose was Gene Sobchuk who
had broken his arm after a pre season game against the Nordiques. The older Sobchuk was
dressed for the game, but did not play. Team captain Rick Dudley was out of the game
because he was being treated for a rash which had bothered him from the start of the
season.
Ron Plumb kicked off the game with a
goal at 6:05 in the first period. The shot came after he slammed the puck past Whalers
goalie Christer Abrahamsson from inside the blue line. However, ten minutes later the
Whalers Ralph Backstrom tied the game up with a shot from right in front after a
pass from teammate Gary McGregor.
During the second period the Whalers
George Lyle scored a goal at 15:18 only to have it taken away when referee Ron Ego ruled
that Lyle deflected the puck in in with his skate. But the Whalers Lyle was not dissuaded,
moments later he scored again after his teammate Mike Rogers drew Stingers goalie Norm
LaPointe away from his post. Rogers then passed to Lyle who then scored with an opened
net.
In the third period, the Stingers
Claude Larose scored his fifteenth goal of the season to tie the game up. The goal came
after Larose took a pass from teammate Rich Leduc in the right corner. Larose then slapped
a screamer past Abrahamsson for the score. But the Whalers went on to score the game
winner at 15:04 by Tom Earl.
The Stingers loss would be the clubs
seventh in a row and would send the club plummeting to fifth place within the Eastern
Division. In frustration Claude Larose stated "It's not fun anymore. Nobody's happy
and nobody's loose. Yes, the loss bothers me". |
