| WINNIPEG,
Mann. - Cincinnati Stingers captain Rick Dudley, a winger for all his hockey career, may
have found a new home at center ice. Dudley will be centering the line with Dennis Sobchuk
and Peter Marsh when the Stingers tale on the Jets as Winnipeg Arena here tonight at 9.
p.m. The veteran winger moved into the middle of that line at Houston last week and found
the atmosphere to his liking. "I like the center position," Dudley said,
"because there are a lot of things I can do at center I can't do on wing." He mentioned the need for wingers who can fire the big hard shot from the
circle, something he has never been particularly adept at but a maneuver that comes
naturally to both Marsh and Sobchuk. "I can hold the puck a long time and draw people
to me," Dudley explained. "That way I can feed my wings and they can get more
good shots." Dudley looked at the Stingers' 1-4 record and said he wasn't worried
about the team's sluggish start. "We should be 4-1 or at least 3-2," he said,
"but that isn't the way it worked out. This team is a lot better than it was last
year and things are going to change very quickly as we get to know each other better. One
of the biggest differences on this team is going to be the goaltending, although it hasn't
shown up yet. I feel we may have the best goaltending in the league by the end of the
season. Ernie (Wakely) had a slow start but he'll come around and Mike (rookie Mike Liut)
is going to be as good a goalie as there is in the game when he gets a little more
experience."
Winnipeg has been a good city for the Stingers, who won two of three
here last season for their best road record. That fact was not lost on Dudley. "We
always seem to get up against the Jets," he said. "This was a good place for us
last year and a win here would be a good boost for this team." Dudley emphasized that
the Stingers are still convinced they will have a big year, although they have only one
victory in five starts. "This is a very confident team," Dudley said. "No
one feels we're anything less than the best in the league. We're going to win a lot of
games, but we have to get going soon before anyone losses that confidence."
Discussing his own performance to date, Dudley said he probably
should be a little more offense-minded but overall was satisfied with the way things have
gone. "I'd like to have a few more points," the Stingers' captain said with a
smile. "Really, I think I had just one bad game. I played terrible in Quebec, but I
had company. Other than that, I thing I've been doing my job." Stingers coach Jacques
Demers said he would start Wakely in goal tonight. The veteran goalie has a rocky start
with Cincinnati, giving up game-winners to Indianapolis, Winnipeg and Houston, but Demers
wants to give Wakely a chance to settle down. |
