Former Stinger John McKenzie would square off against his former team.
McKenzie came to Cincinnati in the previous season after the first Minnesota Fighting
Saints folded. Cincinnati tried to reacquire him during the off season but he was unable
to secure a contract that he wanted. So the club shipped him back to Minnesota in exchange
for Brian Maxwell to play for the revived Fightings Saints after the Cleveland Crusaders
relocated to St Paul. McKenzie did not play in the previous two meetings against the
Stingers during this season.
The Stingers were unable to keep the
puck out of their own end during the opening period. Suprisingly keeping the Saints from
scoring in the first seventeen minutes of play. However, it was only a matter of time
before the Saints would score. Minnesota racked up three straight goals in the last three
minutes of the period. Former Cincinnati Sword Butch Deadmarsh started the assault
when he took a pass right in front of the Stingers net. He then bashed the puck right past
Norm LaPointe for the score. Dave Keon would be the next scorer for Minnesota when he
deflected in a shot taken by none other then former Stinger John McKenzie. McKenzie struck
again after he passed the puck to teammate Mike Antonovich with twenty five seconds
remaining in the period. McKenzie went behind the Stingers net and centered the puck to
Antonovich who was waiting in front of the net. Cincinnati did however have a goal in the
first period when Pierre Guite slapped in a rebound in front of Minnesota's net at 3:56.
But the goal was disallowed because Jacques Locas was in the goal crease.
The second period was rather
uneventful. Neither teams scored any goals and neither teams were penalized. Cincinnati
did outshoot the Saints but Minnesota's goalie Louie Levasseur rejected every attempt.
None of the Stingers lineups were skating all that well and the passing was less then
adequate. Terry Slater stressed to his team before the game that they couldn't allow the
Saints forward lines to move. But Cincinnati did exactly that.
The Saints scored one final time at
8:37 in the period. The goal came from John Arbour who let go a hard shot from the left
circle. Due to a screen caused by a couple tangled up players, LaPointe was unable to see
the puck. The loss would cause the Stingers to slip back to second place within the
division. |
