February 1st 1978 - Cincinnati Stingers vs Indianapolis Racers

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

Wednesday, February 1st 1978

By Terry Flynn

Stings' Dion Faces Suspension For Indy Brush With Officials

Michel Dion is an emotional young man under circumstances. He's a professional f\goaltender, which says something, and he doesn't like to lose. Monday night in Indianapolis circumstances were not normal, and under stress Dion momentarily lost control of his emotions. He confirmed hitting referee Ron Harris following a dispute over a goal scored by the Indianapolis Racers. Now he must pay for his outburst. "I'm scared," said Dion. "I'm afraid I'm going to get a suspension. I lost my head completely and just went after him (Harris).

The situation came to head when Indy's Peter Driscoll took a shot which either hit the crossbar and came out or went into the net and bounced out. After Drisoll's shot, play continued because the goal judge didn't turn on the red light to indicate a goal.Indianapolis players rushed to the glass in front of the judge and argued that Drisoll had scored. When referee Harris entered the discussion the light was turned on. Dion then erupted, hurling his goalie stick high in the air and throwing both gloves at Harris before skating over and swinging at the referee.

"I gave him a good one," admitted the Stingers' top goaltender, ."I hit him on the side of the head." Dion said the puck glanced off his shoulder on its path toward the net and he turned with it. "I saw it," he said. "It was just routine. It hit the bar and came back out. It wasn't even close." There was more to Dion's frustration than the goal which he said wasn't a goal. It started before the game which the Stingers eventually won, 4-3, on Jamie Hislop's goal near the end of regulation play.

"Everything seemed to happen at once," Dion explained. "The team has been struggling and my leg is still hurting. But I was ready to go. Then just before we went on the ice some guy comes in flashing a badge and hands me a summons." That guy was a sheriff's deputy and, as Dion related, the summons had to do with nonpayment of a loan from the Indiana National Bank dating back to the previous season when he played for the Racers. That same bank controlled the Racers last summer and Dion is still trying to get money owed him by the team from his previous contract.

Dion pointed out that the goal judge was badgered into turning on the red light by Indy players. He said he went to Harris after the game and apologized. Dion said Harris told him one of the linesmen working the game had seen the shot and this was the basis for the decision to allow the goal. A suspension couldn't come at a worse time for the Stingers. Norm LaPoints hasn't been consistent in goal, although he looked good filling in for Dion Monday night. Rookie Mike Liut is still recuperating from knee surgery and is a month away from playing.

The Stingers must have a backup goaltender on the bench for every game. "I don't know if he'll be suspended, but we have been looking for another goaltender anyway." said Stinger executive vice-president Bill DeWitt Jr. The Stingers boss said he hadn't heard anything from the league. Attempts to reach WHA executive director Larry Gordon Tuesday for comment were unsuccessful. Director of officials Bob Frampton said he had referee Harris' report and one from the linesman but would not make a recommendation to Gordon until he sees films of the game.

"I'll say this," Frampton said by telephone from Quebec City. "I'm disappointed in the goaltender and in Pat Stapleton, who was mixed up in it too," Frampton said league action "if any" could come as early as today. DeWitt said the Stinger player personnel director Jerry Rafter and scout Flo Potvin had been looking at several minor league goalies. One of those was Paul Hoganson, the former Stinger who is currently playing very well with San Francisco in the Pacific Coast League.

Through all this, Stinger coach Jacques Demers is trying to keep his team together. The Stingers have won three of their last four games and are pointing to a playoff berth as they stand four points out of sixth place in the WHA standings. The Stingers take on the Racers tonight at Riverfront Coliseum (7:35 p.m.).

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CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

Wednesday, February 1st 1978

By Terry Flynn

Racers Make Big Offer For Leduc

The Indianapolis Racers, buried in the World Hockey Association cellar, attempted to purchase center Richie Leduc from the Cincinnati Stingers, it was disclosed Wednesday. Stinger executive vice-president Bill DeWitt Jr. said the Racers offered "a significant amount of money, in excess of $100,000" for Leduc. DeWitt said the Stingers immediately turned down the offer. "We know that Richie has that kind of value, and it's nice to see someone make an offer like that, but we have no intention of selling any players, especially Leduc," said DeWit.

DeWitt said the Racers, looking for changes which will pull the team out of its current tailspin, didn't talk about any other Cincinnati players. "They want a center and they were only interested in Leduc," he said. The Racers signed center Ray Adduono to a 10-game trila Wednesday. Adduono, who played for Racer coach Ron Ingram in San Diego, had been playing in a senior hockey league in Thunder Bay, Ont.

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Wednesday, February 1st

Standings

Defeated Indianapolis Racers

Riverfront Coliseum

7th

Stinger goalie Michel Dion, facing possible suspension after attacking a referee in Indianapolis, picked up his second shutout of the season with 26 blocks. The victory would make it the Stingers fourth win out of five. Demers made mention that his teams have always finished strong in the past. Demers admits that "It was my most satisfying game as the Stinger coach. After it was 5-0 there was no pressure and I could relax for a change."

� Courtesy of Cincinnati Public Library.

The Stingers Rich Leduc, pictured on the left, rushes in to help out a teammate.

The Stingers seemed to have brought their "A" game they had when they beat Indy in the previous meeting two days period. After 20 minutes of hockey the Stingers held a 1-0 lead and had limited the Racers to just three lowly shots on goal. Claude Larose made a good play off the boards midway through the first period to set up the clubs first goal of the game. He dug the puck out and fed it into the slot where Dennis Abgrall triggered a shot from about 12 feet out to beat the Racers goalie.

The Stingers most potent forward line of Robbie Ftorek, Rick Dudley and Jamie Hislop continued to plague the Racers, scoring two goals in less than four minutes early in the second period. Ftorek carried the puck over the blue line and fired from 30 feet out in the slot at 6:17. He found the net as Inness failed to grab the puck. The same line was back at 10:03 as Hislop nabbed the puck from Ftorek, took a shot which was blocked and then grabbed his own rebound from behind the Race net. He then fed Dudley who scored .

Minutes later, Hugh Harris won a faceoff in the Racer end and the puck went right to fellow Stinger Peter Marsh. Marsh was in the slot where he took a qucik wrist shot to score. Cincinnati scored again during a power play when Rich Leduc took a shot from a pileup in front of the net. The puck then bounced off Abgrall's skate and into the net for the score. The Racers goalie Gary Inness protested and through his glove at referee Bill Friday. Inness drew a misconduct as a result of his actions.

The game was pretty much over entering the final period. All the Stingers did was tack on a few more insurance goals for the fun of it. Midway through the final period Brian Coates beat Inness with a hard shot from about 20 feet out at 7:47. Leduc then knocked in the rebound of a Craig Norwich shot at 8:46 and Abgrall picked up the hat trick at 10:03 from right in front of the Racers net on a feed by Claude Larose.

Cincinnati	-	1	4	3	-	8
Indianapolis	2	0	0	0		0

FIRST PERIOD

GOALS - CIN: Abgrall (Larose, Baltimore) 10:07.

PENALTIES - CIN: Grieg (roughing) 4:06. IND: Prentice (roughing) 4:06.

SECOND PERIOD

GOALS - CIN: Ftorek (Melrose, Dudley) 6:17. CIN: Dudley (Hislop, Ftorek) 10:03. CIN: Marsh (Harris) 14:57. CIN: Abgrall (Leduc, Larose) 17:11.

PENALTIES - IND: Driscoll (tripping) 2:58. IND: Inness (slashing) 15:21. IND: Inness (misconduct) 17:11.

THIRD PERIOD

GOALS - CIN: Coates (Harris, Stapleton) 7:47. CIN: Leduc (Norwich, Stapleton) 8:46. CIN: Abgrall (Larose) 10:03.

PENALTIES - CIN: Melrose (interference) :34. CIN: Hislop (hooking) 3:05. CIN: Bench (too many men on the ice). 18:08.

SHOTS ON GOAL

Cincinnati	-	11	18	16		45
Indianapolis	15	03	12	11		26

GOALTENDERS - CIN: Dion. IND: Inness

ATTENDANCE - 5,099

REFEREE - Bill Friday