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pre-season exhibition game may not be the perfect indicator of success, but the Cincinnati
Stingers certainly had a new look when they defeated the National Hockey League Washington
Capitals in Hampton Va., Thursday. There is reason to believe the Stingers will be able to
handle themselves quite well in the World Hockey Association if they continue to display
the style they showed the Caps. Jacques Demers, architect of the Stingers' reconstruction
on the ice had anew bounce in his step after the 4-2 exhibition victory. The defense
system he had preached in training camp was finally producing results. "The thing I saw which impressed me the most (in the Washington game)
was the defense," said Demers, who took over the reins here after coaching at
Indianapolis. "We (Stingers) played tight, controlled hockey. We kept the pressure on
all the time." Demers stated at the opening of training camp that one of his goals
was maintaining a low goals against average this year. Thursday night's game was a good
example of what he wants to see all season. "If we can keep the goals against average
around two, we're going to beat a lot of people," he said. "we don't have to
score a lot of goals. If we play the system and prevent the other team from getting the
easy shots, we're going to do well."
That's just what the Stingers did against Washington. The Caps
scored twice, once when the Cincinnati defense failed to clear the puck from their zone,
the other on a good shot by young Robert Picard. But for most of the game the Caps didn't
get the easy shots at goalie Ernie Wakely and Mike Liut. The Stingers played it close in
their own zone and stymied Washington's offensive maneuvers. Rick Dudley, the Stingers'
veteran winger, admitted he was eager to beat the Caps and said he was "charged
up" long after the game had ended. "We're making fewer mistakes each time we
play," said Dudley. "Defensively we're working hard and keeping the pressure on
the opposition. The Caps knew they were in a hockey game."
Dudley also had praise for Liut, the big rookie out of Bowling Green
University, who blanked the Caps in the final 20 minutes Thursday. Liut came up with the
big saves when Washington skaters were shooting at him from close range. "He's big
and he covers a lot of the net." Dudley pointed out. "And he's really quick. He
has the good reflexes and he'll stop shots just because he doesn't give the shooters much
of the net for a target."
Demers indicated he had not made a final decision on his No. 2
goalie. Wakely, the veteran, will obviously get the call most of the time but his relief
is still a question mark. There are two sides to the question of who stays in Cincinnati
and who goes to Hampton to play with the Gulls in the American Hockey League. Both Liut
and Norm LaPointe are young goalies and both need plenty of time in the nest to gain
experience and stay sharp. The player who goes to Hampton will almost certainly get more
work from Gulls coach John Brophy that he would get as the Stinger backup man.
At the same time Demers would like to have the goalie who looks
sharpest playing with the Stingers. It places Demers in a ticklish position. The
decision will be made very soon, however, since the Stingers open regular season
competition Wednesday night at Riverfront Coliseum and Demers has stated he will carry
just two goalies. |
