January 7th 1978 - Cincinnati Stingers vs New England Whalers

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

Saturday, January 7th 1978

By Terry Flynn

The Endless Fun Of Russian's Visit To Cincinnati

The Russian National hockey team which plays the Cincinnati Stingers Sunday night at Riverfront Coliseum is perhaps the best team in the world and of course as a fine attraction for the Coliseum. But Stingers publicity director John Hewig has mixed emotions about the appearance of the Russians and won't be too sorry to see them on their way. The job of making preparations for the Russians, seeing to their comfort while they are in the Queen City and in general babysitting the team fails to Hewig.

Hewig is a little more prepared this year after dealing with the Russians last season and already having gone through the procedures with the Soviet and Czech All-Star teams which played the Stingers earlier this season. The most difficult aspect of the Russians' appearance is the constantly changing plans and times, Hewig feels. "They were scheduled to arrive here at 4 p.m. Sunday, go to the hotel for a snack and then come to the rink," said Hewig. "Then I get a call today (Friday) and find out they're arriving at Lunken Airport at four in the morning."

The Russian players' most frequent demands are for chewing gum and cola drinks, according to Hewig. Apparently, both those commodities are in short supply in the USSR. Hewig received an itinerary a month ago which included times of meals, menu requests and special types of food. "They changed the menu requirements four times in a month and changed it again Friday," the harried PR director explained.

The Russians demand plenty of Coke at the hotel and at the Coliseum. Hewig joked about the players who visited here last year drinking one 32-ounce bottle of Coke with their meal and secreting another under their jackets for consumption in their rooms. For some reason, they felt some people would think they were stealing the bottles. Hewig received another surprise from the Russians Thursday afternoon when he was informed Sunday's game would be telecast live back to Moscow.

"I had to set up everything for the telecast," said Hewig. "Their broadcaster orginially wanted to work from the penalty box, then moved to the end of the Russian players' bench, then changed again to the press box. I figure by Sunday he'll be back on the bench, That's the way things usually go." The Russians will be gone after the Sunday night exhibition, but Hewig can still look forward to visits from the Finnish and Swedish national teams before the season ends. Some people have all the fun.

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Saturday, January 7th

Standings

Lost to New England Whalers

Hartford Civic Center

7th

The day before the game the Stingers spent five hours in Greater Cincinnati Airport, unable to get a flight because of the fog. The team finally decided to take taxis to Dayton and catch a flight there. The Dayton flight stopped in Columbus and then ended in Newark Ohio. The Stingers then took a twin-engine prop plane to Hartford. All of this took 12 hours and the Stingers finally arrived just before 7 p.m. The Whalers were also having there traveling troubles who were caught up by fog at Indianapolis. The Whalers eventually caught a flight to Boston and then were bused into Hartford, arriving around 4 p.m. Needless to say both clubs were not in a very good mood once the game commenced.

Gordie Roberts opened up the first period with a goal at 1:01 when he carried the puck in by himself and beat Stinger goalie Norm Lapointe with a backhanded shot. But rookie Paul Stewart tied the game with a shot from the left circle. It was his first major league goal. The goal came 14 seconds after the Whalers goal. Shorty after Stewart and Whaler Jack Carlson broke out into a fight. Both would square off again later in the period.

The Gordies scored another goal in the first period to break the tie. Marty passed the puck to his dad Gordie who then fed the puck to Mark in front of the Stingers net. Mark had no problem batting the puck past LaPointe for the score at 7:12. Ten minutes later the Stingers tied the game back up with a goal by Bill Gilligan. Gilligan was sent off by Hugh Harris and beat the Whalers goalie Louis Levaseur with a wrist shot.

Jamie Hislop put the Stingers ahead at 5:52 in the second period when the Whalers were sloppy in trying to move out of their own end. Hislop suddenly found himself right in front of the net with the puck on his stick. Hislop proceeded to knock it past Levaseaur for the score. But when Butch Deadmarsh picked up double minors at 9:37., the Whalers evened the score with a Marty Howe goal from the slot.

In the third period former Stinger Greg Carroll would score what would be the game winning goal. The Whalers scored an insurence goal late in the third period after Jacques Demers pulled LaPointe for a sixth skater on the ice.

Cincinnati	-	2	1	0	-	3
New England	-	2	1	2	-	5

FIRST PERIOD

GOALS - NE: Roberts (unassisted) 1:01. CIN: Stewart (Leduc, Marsh) 1:15. NE: Mark Howe (Gordie Howe, Marty Howe) 7:12. CIN: Gilligan (Harris, Deadmarsh) 17:08.

PENALTIES - CIN: Stewart (fighting) 2:04. NE: Carlson (fighting) 2:04. CIN: Stewart (fighting) 12:41. NE: Carlso (fighting) 12:41. CIN: Leduc (high sticking & fighting) 16:27. NE: Hangsleben (elbowing & fighting) 16:27. NE: Mark Howe (interference) 17:13. CIN: Deadmarsh (holding) 18:59.

SECOND PERIOD

GOALS - CIN: Hislop (unassisted) 5:52. NE: Marty Howe (unassisted) 10:31.

PENALTIES - CIN: Deadmarsh (holding & ungentlemanly conduct) 9:37. NE: Hangsleben (interference) 14:28. NE: Roberts (holding) 19:09. NE: Hangsleben (roughing) 19:22.

THIRD PERIOD

GOALS - NE: Carroll (?) 3:39.

PENALTIES - ?

SHOTS ON GOAL

Cincinnati	-	10	07	?		?
New England	-	14	14	?		?

GOALTENDERS - CIN: LaPointe. NE: Levaseaur.

ATTENDANCE - ?

REFEREE - ?