The Phoenix Roadrunners began their season at home against the Cincinnati
Stingers. The game kicked off with a 35-foot shot by Claude Larose from the left which
resulted in a goal. Larose had intercepted a clearing pass in the Phoenix end only a
minute after the opening face off. However, the desert dwellers answered after Robbie
Ftorek netted one from out front after he lifted a 10-foot shot off of teammate John'
Grays rebound. Stingers goaltender Norm LaPointe was solidly screened by four bodies.
Ftorek had been nursing a shoulder seperation since Team USA training camp. The Roadrunner
claimed that he had no backhand because of the injury. Well the Ftoreks goal came was a
result of a backhanded shot!
The Stingers goaltender Norm LaPointe
almost gave up a goal midway through the first period after he lost his glove during a
play behind the net. When a Roadrunner took a shot on the Stingers goal, LaPointe managed
to tuck his left hand inside his jersey and deflect the shot.
At 17:45 in the first period, Stingers
defenseman Francois Ouimet scored but the goal was erased. The officials claimed that
teammate Richie Leduc had carried the puck on his stick above his should before the puck
reached the goal. The Roadrunners Robbie Ftorek scored again in the final minute of the
opening period when he took control of the puck behind his teams net. He then took off for
the Stingers goal and swirled the puck around and tucked it in before Stingers goal tender
Norm LaPointe knew what was going on.
Phoenix opened the second period with a
goal by Ron Huston at 1:39. The Stingers answered a minute and a half later when Jaqcues
Locas scored. But the Roadrunners tacked yet another goal on the board at 7:31 by Del
Hall. At this point, Stingers head coach Terry Slater decided to pull LaPointe and replace
him with Paul Hoganson between the pipes. But the change did very little. Lauri Mononen
scored shortly after to put the Roadrunners lead at 5-2. However, the Stingers Richie
Leduc scored more then half way through the middle period on a rebound. The goal put the
Stingers within two goals.
The Roadrunners led by a score of 5-3
heading into the third period and the final period turned out to be an offensive explosion
by each team. The Roadrunners Mononen and Hall scored back to back goals. Both goals were
their second of the game. Claude Larose and Blaine Stoughton scored for the Stingers, only
to see Del Hall answer with his third goal of the game to complete the hat-trick.
As the clock ticked down, Francois
Ouimet was ejected from the game after a scuffle with Robbie Ftorek and shortly there
after, Pierre Guite scored a meaningless goal after he slid the puck in at 19:25. The
Stingers were to far behind to mount any real comeback and the club dropped their first
game of the season. |
