1982/83 SKATER & GOALIE OF THE WEEK #9

Rick_KehoeRick_St.-CroixBarry_PedersonDan_Bouchard

CLARENCE SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASSISTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Kehoe, Rick CAT 3 1 5 6 0 2 18 11%
                   
CLARENCE GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
St. Croix, Rick PIT 2 2 1 35 .972
                   
WALES SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASSISTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Pederson, Barry NEW 3 4 5 9 4 4 14 29%
                   
WALES GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
Bouchard, Dan OHI 2 4 2.04 39 .907

CapJack Rangers
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Rangers have 2 home games to close out the 1982 part of the season and one of them is against division foe Brooklyn. The Harbor Rats have been in control of the Patrick division all season, but lately, it’s been heating up!
Brooklyn Harbor Rats @ CapJack Rangers Well, the penalties were flying in this one, especially in the 3rd period – and the game was tied going into the 3rd period…
Brooklyn shows they want to own the division as they come out strong and fast with Lewis and Garner each scoring within the 1st 6 minutes. But then the Rangers wake up and take control of the rest of the 1st and Mike Allison scores for CapJack with 8 to go and the 1st period ends with Brooklyn on top, 2-1. The 2nd period only sees 1 penalty, Rangers new winger Don Maloney. The penalty is killed and then just past the middle of the period, Neufeld scores (from Mike Allison), and the game is tied. But 3 minutes later, the Rats retake the lead when Sutter (from Smith and Gartner) scores making it 3-2 Brooklyn. But with 1:06 to go, Leinonen gets the game tied at 3-3 when he scores (from Neufeld and Robinson). So, we go to the 3rd, tied 3-3 and the fun starts. Crowder goes off 44 seconds into the period – but the Rangers kill it. 6:46 in, Trottier goes off – Rangers kill it. 9:03 Wilson goes off for Brooklyn. – Crowder (for Dore and Trottier) makes the Rats pay and it’s 4-3 CapJack. Then Sulliman goes off for Brooklyn – Rats kill it. 13:43 Housley goes off for the Rats – but they kill that one. Shutt then goes off at 16:10 – Rangers kill it. Hayward then leaves his net for the extra attacker with 1:25 to go and Brooklyn goes on a frenzy – 4 scoring chances – but the defense and Garrett (in his 1st game in goal at the Garden for CapJack) stand tall and stop them all and cement the 4-3 Rangers win!
STARS (all CAP)
1. Leinonen 1 goal, 1 assist
2. Mike Allison 1 goal, 1 assist
3. Neufeld 1 goal, 1 assist
Catoctin Cardinals @ CapJack Rangers Both teams start the week with 16 wins – well matched. For the 2nd straight game, the Rangers give up 2 early goals with Sutter and Foster scoring for Catoctin in the opening 6 minutes. Trottier gets 1 back with a PP goal at the midway point and the 1st ends 2-1 Cardinals.

Cardinals regain a 2-goal lead in the 2nd when Flockhart scores 5 minutes in. Just past midway, Ray Allison gets the Rangers 2 goal (and 2nd PP goal) to make it 3-2 Catoctin. A couple of minutes later, Crowder scores for CapJack, and its tied up. But less than a minute later, Goring nets one for the Cardinals and they are back up 4-3. But the Rangers close strong and Leinonen scores with 5 to go and Shutt scores with 3 seconds left in the period (and on a PP for the 3rd Rangers PP goal) and the Rangers take a 5-4 lead into the locker room at the 2nd intermission!

3rd period sees 5 more penalties, but only 1 PP, and that belonged to the Cardinals early in the period. Rangers were again able to kill it off (all 6 PPs) – but they couldn’t stop Bullard from scoring with 5 1/2 to go to tie it 5-5. Then 2 minutes later, Don Maloney gets his 1st Rangers goal and CapJack is back on top 6-5. But hold on – 19 seconds later Messier puts one past Resch and it’s all tied up again, 6-6 with 3:13 to go. So, do we end in a tie?? Heck no, DeBlois scores for the Rangers with 53 seconds to go and it’s now 7-6 CapJack. So, do the Rangers hand on? Cardinals send out 6 skaters for the faceoff and they win it and drive into the Ranger’s end – and Kehoe gets a scoring chance and shoots – Dore blocks it. Messier works it around, Ludwig ends up with, wrister – great save by Chico, then with 10 seconds left the Cardinals are in for a final flurry, Salming with the puck – pressured, gets off a shot, wide of the net, Ray Allison gets control and the game ends – finally! 7-6 CapJack
Rangers controlled most of the stats – but the Cardinals were annoying, fortunately, they couldn’t take advantage of 6 power plays and the Rangers converted on 3 of 6.
STARS
1. CAP Trottier 1 goal, 2 assists
2. CAP Ray Allison 1 goal, 1 assist
3. CAT Flockhart 1 goal, 1 assist

WEEKLY SUMMARY: 2 home games, 2 wins including a big one over Brooklyn. Looks like the rest of the year could be a fun battle!
Ohio Legends
WEEKLY PREVIEW: The Ohio Legends welcome division rival North Carolina and southern foe Texas this week.
North Carolina 89’ers OHIO 5, NORTH CAROLINA 3

Mark Pavelich’s two goals helped propel Ohio to the victory. The Legends held the upper hand in many statistical categories including shots (34-28), scoring chances (26-17), and power plays (2-of-6 v, 1-of-3). Glen Hanlon got the win in goal with 25 saves, while Doug Soetaert took the loss with 29 stops.

Texas Brahmas TEXAS 2, OHIO 0

In a fiercely defended game, Texas made power-play goals from Willi Plett and Keith Acton to stand up for the win. Murray Bannerman was sensational in goal, stopping all 26 shots for the Brahmas. Texas held the edge in scoring chances, 23-6, and cashed in two-of-six power-play chances. Ohio had the greater number of shots (26-14) but could not get any offensive support for Dan Bouchard (12 saves) in his Ohio debut game.

WEEKLY SUMMARY: A split at home is not the greatest thing in the world, but in the Adams Division, it keeps you in the area code of where Mackinac Island is!
Pittsburgh Spirit
WEEKLY PREVIEW: The coaches hit the drawing board and have read the Riot Act to the players as they should be playing much better than they are. Let’s see if it works!
CapJack Rangers @ Pittsburgh Spirit First place CapJack comes to The Graveyard. The crowd is extra loud this evening, knowing that the players have been put on notice. Let’s see how it pans out…

No score in the first period. 8 SOG for each team.

2nd Period… Maloney (9) scores on his former team and puts CapJack up 1-0.

You can read the lips of Coach and GM Chris Niespodzianski as he says, “Hell no…”

Faceoff, into the CapJack zone… Haworth with the slapshot, Crowder in front of the net with the re-direct… HE SCORES! Tied 1-1!

2nd period winding down, CapJack on the power play… Paterson steals the puck in the defensive zone, he has a clear lane. He turns on the jets… across center ice… he is all alone! He bears down on Garret, dekes, shoots… SCORES!! Bandits up 2-1!!

3rd period… CapJack outshoots The Spirit 8-5, but St. Croix closes the door, and the Bandits win 2-1!

Charlotte Dynamo @ Pittsburgh Spirit Charlotte comes to town for a second consecutive Patrick Division showdown. Pittsburgh is trying to gain ground on Charlotte to stay out of the basement… and move up even more!

A highly defensive game. Charlotte outshoots Pittsburgh 14-11… in the entire game!!

But… Pittsburgh manages to sneak 3 of those 11 shots past a once-great Esposito (despite his over 8 rating). St. Croix saves 12 of 13 for the second consecutive win.

Spirit 3, Dynamo 1

WEEKLY SUMMARY: Two defensive low scoring games won… maybe the Spirit need to concentrate more on defense and less on the offensive to be competitive this season. Let’s ride the wave and see where it takes us!
Chicago Underground
WEEKLY PREVIEW: One home game this week at the Capone Center, & the Underground brings in some fresh faces with Rick Vaive & John Anderson suiting up for their first home game of the season. Will these two helpers – help click the offense into high gear? If they do, Chicago could be a favorite in the playoffs. If they don’t, Chicago will just be another pretender & on the golf course earlier than ownership wants them to be.
Syracuse Bulldogs @ Chicago Underground Chicago scores quickly & ends the 1st period of play with a 3-1 lead. 1 more in the 2nd & Chicago holds a 4-1 lead into the 3rd. The teams both get 1 in the 3rd and Chicago holds on scoring 5 goals in the game. They had been averaging about 3.5 goals a game before this one, so maybe the acquisitions of Rick Vaive & John Anderson are a boost to the offense, even though neither had a point in this one. Mike Bossy has another Hat-Trick & proves he is still the man in Chicago.

Final Score: Chicago 5 – Syracuse 2

Labatt’s 3-Star Selection:
Star 1: CHI – Mike Bossy 3G
Star 2: CHI – Pete Peeters 38 Saves
Star 3: CHI – Peter McNabb 1G

GWG: Don Lever

Notables:
SYR – None
CHI – P

WEEKLY SUMMARY: The road is the key to this week’s game. Can the Underground get at least 2 Points on the road? More important is, can John Anderson & Rick Vaive give the offense a boost away from the Capone Center.
Saint Clair Shores Saints
WEEKLY PREVIEW: The Saints made a trade with the Drakes. Let’s see if it changes anything. The Saints host Mackinac Island, Ohio, and North Carolina
Mackinac Island Moose @ Saint Clair Shores Saints Well, not many things change for the Saints. They get shutout at home. O’Connell scored twice. MacLean, Napier, and Ruskowski also score.

Mackinac Island 5 SCS 0

1st -Melanson shutout
2nd-O’Connell 2 goals
3rd – Ruskowski

SCS has more shots 27-18

Ohio Legends @ Saint Clair Shores Saints The Saints stop a 10 game winless streak by defeating the Legends. Ohio scores in the 2nd period on a Currie short-handed goal. Then, in the 3rd, Bridgman scores his first Saints goal, which is short-handed. Doug Wilson and Chris Nilan also score in the 3rd.

SCS 3 Ohio 1

1- Wilson
2-Nilan
3-Bridgman

North Carolina 89’ers @ Saint Clair Shores Saints The 89ers end the Saints one-game winning streak. North Carolina scores 2 goals in the 1st period. Goals were scored by Chouinard and Aubry.

In the 2nd, Kaszycki scores for the 89ers. Hopkins scores his 2nd for North Carolina.

In the 3rd, the 89ers get an insurance goal by Milbury.

North Carolina 4 SCS 1

1-Kaszycki
2-Milbury
3-Soetaert

WEEKLY SUMMARY: Mackinac Island and North Carolina easily defeat St. Clair Shores. The Saints get a win in the middle game over Ohio.
Dallas Drakes
WEEKLY PREVIEW: The Drakes add Rob Ramage and Ron Duguay to the roster for this set.
Chicago Underground @ Dallas Drakes The Underground come to town with their new offense, to face the Drakes’s restructured defense. The Drakes come out all over the Underground and pile up 4 goals in the first 12 minutes of the game with the final one from Randy Carlyle chasing Pete Peeters. Don Lever beats Don Beaupre for his first of the season and Peter Stastny cuts the game down to 4-2. Mike Bossy comes out in the second period to cut the lead to 4-3 but the Drakes explode with 3 unanswered goals in the rest of the second period. Dallas rolls in the third and wins the game 8-4. Denis Savard, Mike Bossy, Denis Maruk, and Randy Carlyle each get 3 points in the game.
Brooklyn Harbor Rats @ Dallas Drakes The Harbor Rats roll into town to take on the Drakes as Eddie Mio and Rick Wamsley take the net. Behn Wilson beats Rick Wamsley on a great feed from Dave Christian to give the Rats the lead, which held up to the end of the period when Al Secord put a deflection from Ken Linseman to tie the game. Mike Gartner opened up the scoring 28 seconds into the second to put the Rats back in the league. The Drakes reel off 4 straight goals as Al Secord has a hand in 3 of them. The Rats get a final goal from Mark Johnson but lose 5-3
WEEKLY SUMMARY: The Drakes finally win both games instead of the one up one down and the Ramage and Duguay trade helped a ton.
Mackinac Island Moose
WEEKLY PREVIEW: 3 home games just before the break. North Carolina, Syracuse, and Dallas come to the Island to enjoy the Christmas decorations, a ride in a horse-drawn sleigh through the snow, and some bone-crunching hockey in Frostbite Falls Memorial Arena. Moose welcome Tim Bothwell back from IR after 12 games.
North Carolina 89’ers @ Mackinac Island Moose Moose 4, 89’ers 3 – Ogrondnick puts the first tally on the board, 6 minutes in. After a quiet 3 minutes comes an explosion of goals. First the Moose answer twice with Kurri and Tambellini. Tambellini subbing on the 1st line due to a tired Dunlop. He likes it. NC answers back to tie at 2 with a goal from Wickenheiser, and finally, to finish off a wild 106 seconds, Dunlop, well-rested. And with 8 minutes left in the 1st period, it’s 3-2 Moose. And that’s how the period ends.

2nd period sees Kurri add an insurance goal, while the visitors answer (Naslund)early in the 3rd to make it 4-3 Moose. Tense play the rest of the way, but Meloche makes the one goal stand and a tight one-goal win for the Moose.

1st star – Kurri 2G
2nd Naslund 1G 3 pts
3rd Dunlop 1G

Saint Clair Shores Saints @ Mackinac Island Moose Saints 5, Moose 5 – Saints let this one slip out of their fingers after building a 5-3 lead that lasted all the way into the last 2 minutes. Turnbull with 2 goals, along with Leach, Halward, and Lafleur put 5 on the board for the visitors. Only Dunlop and Propp with 2 are able to respond for the Moose.

Once the Moose pulls Melanson for a last-ditch push, all hell breaks loose and the puck stays in the scoring area for 90 seconds. That’s all it takes for Smyl and Lysiak to score a goal each and bring the game back to tied. 89’ers control the puck the final 30 seconds, but the Moose fend off a few shots to steal a point back. …… an ominous foreboding of things to come.

1st star – Propp 2G
2nd star – Turnbull 2G
3rd – Lysiak 1G 3pts

Dallas Drakes @ Mackinac Island Moose Drakes 8, Moose 8 – This game reminded me of the first week of play before DK sports tweaked the game engine to make SOG more realistic. Anyways ………………… without going into a never-ending blow by blow….. Moose go up 5-3 in the first period, as Lysiak gets a hat trick, and Kurri, Bothwell add singles. For the Saints, Linseman gets 2 and Secord 1.

Dallas wins period 2, 3-2, as Linseman completes his hat trick, and Secord and Dionne also score. Lysiak and Smyl get goals for the Moose. it’s now 7-6 Moose. Beaupre gets pulled after #7.

3rd period – The Moose go back up by 2 on a goal by MacLean early in the period. Secord gets his hat trick mid-period to make it a 1 goal game. And as payback for the previous game, As Dallas pulls the goalie and pounds Meloche in a 6 on 5, and he stops shot after shot, rebounds galore, its Secord getting a rebound in the net as the clock shows 0:01.1 ………………………. aw crap.

WEEKLY SUMMARY: It’s like no matter what, If a team is close at the end, and can pull the goalie, they have a real good chance of scoring at least one goal. For the Moose, it was a curse and a blessing. In the end, all the same, 4 points in 3 games. Either 2 wins and 1 loss, or 1 win and 2 ties.

A strong homestand for Lysiak with 5 goals and 4 helpers.

New Castle Ducks
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Three home games this week (no road games) for the Ducks as they battle with Chicago and Dallas for the Division lead. And two of those three home games are biggies – against Dallas and Chicago. The Drakes and Underground have made some big moves with recent trades, while the Ducks have stood pat so far.
Dallas Drakes @ New Castle Ducks NCD 7 DAL 5 The Ducks go to 3-0 against the Drakes this season. This one was a thriller as the Ducks took a 4-2 lead into the third period, only to see Dallas score three unanswered goals to make it 5-4! The Ducks then scored THREE goals in the last minute (one on an empty net) to win it. Rick Middleton scored at 19:15 to tie it- his second goal of the game and 20th of the season. Then 20 seconds later, incredibly Ryan Walter beat Rick Wamsley as New Castle pulled off an incredible comeback win.

THREE STARS:
1- NEW Middleton 2G 1 A
2- DAL Ken Lineseman 2G 1 A
3- NEW Barry Pederson 1 G 3 A

Dallas’s high scoring LW Al Secord got into a second-period fight with Bobby Clarke, resulting in a major and a GAME MISCONDUCT. Ryan Walter won 17 of 28 faceoffs and Billy Smith made 36 saves for New Castle as Dallas outshot the Ducks 41-34

Syracuse Bulldogs @ New Castle Ducks NCD 7 SYR 2 It was all Ducks in this one as SYR netminder Greg Millen gave up 6 goals before being pulled midway through the second period. New Castle scored three in the first period and added three more in the second to take a 6-1 lead. Bobby Clarke scored 2 and had 3 points for the Ducks.

THREE STARS:
1- NEW Clarke 2G 1 A
2- NEW Ryan Walter 2G
3- NEW Willy Lindstrom 1G 2 A

Chicago Underground @ New Castle Ducks CHI 5 NCD 5 These two teams have really battled so far this season. In three contests, two have ended in ties and the other was a 1-0 win for Chicago.
This one was a thriller as the Underground’s newly charged offense pressured Billy Smith and the Ducks. To go along with 50 goal scorer Mike Bossy, Chicago just acquired another 50 goal scorer in Dennis Vaive – and Vaive’s acquisition paid fast dividends when he scored his 23rd of the year with only 21 seconds remaining to tie the game! It was an empty-net goal as NCD went into a defensive mode but still could not hang on to the lead. And who assisted on Vaive’s goal? None other than Mike Bossy!
The Ducks led 3-1 after one period but the Underground tied it in the second on two consecutive goals by Peter Stastny. The sensational Barry Pederson then broke the tie, with his THIRTIETH goal of the year and the teams went to the locker room with New Castle leading 4-3 after two periods.
Peter McNab tied it once again at 6:33 of the third but less than a minute later Craig Ramsay scored to make it 5-4 Ducks. That lead held up until the very last minute when Bossy and Vaive worked their magic.THREE STARS:
1- NEW Pederson 2 G 1 A
2- CHI Peter Stastny 2G
3- CHI Peter McNab 1G 1 ARyan Walter won 15 of 23 faceoffs for the Ducks. Billy Smith made 35 saves as CHI outshot NCD 40-30!
WEEKLY SUMMARY: The Ducks get 5 points as the Norris Division race remains a very tight three-team battle with Dallas and Chicago. The Duck’s #1 line continues to play spectacular hockey this season. Ryan Walter- Barry Pederson – Rick Middleton have combined for SIXTY-FIVE GOALS in 35 games – as the line has averaged nearly 2 goals per game. The 65 goals account for more than 40% of the Duck’s total goals on the year. Combine that with great goaltending by Billy Smith, who is second in the league in Save Percentage, and its no wonder the Ducks are in contention for the Norris Division title.
Catoctin Cardinals
WEEKLY PREVIEW: The Cardinals are home for 2 of 3 this week and hoping to gain ground.
Portland Sasquatch @ Catoctin Cardinals POR 3 CAT 4

The Cardinals score 4 goals in the second to overcome a 2-0 first period deficit and the Squatch add one more to make it close for a 4-3 final.

Fun stats of the game: Both teams combine for a meager 10% (1 for 10) on the power play.

Texas Brahmas @ Catoctin Cardinals TEX 2 CAT 3

Texas outplays the Cardinals and opens with a 2-0 lead just to watch it slip away with 3 unanswered Catoctin goals.

Fun stat of the game: Texas outshot the Cards but generated less scoring chances.

WEEKLY SUMMARY: The Cardinals pick up two much-needed wins in the division!
Texas Brahmas
WEEKLY PREVIEW: One home game this week sees first place Charlestown visit the Lone Star State. This will be the first home game since the trade of fan-favorite Rick Vaive; we’ll see if Texas’6th rank offense can continue to score.
Charlestown Chiefs @  Texas doesn’t seem to miss Vaive as they jump out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Poddubny and Plett. As usual, the defense decides to make it a game, allowing Baxter and Gardner to score to end the 1st and McKegney to start the 2nd to give the Chiefs a 3-2 lead. But then a Christmas miracle; McCourt ties the game and Nilsson scores #25 and #26 to give Texas a 2 goal lead at the second intermission. Nicholls scores for the Chiefs to make it a one-goal game with 2:40 left, but the Texas defense steps up and Boutette scores an empty netter with 4 seconds remaining to give Texas the win, 6-5.
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Good game going into the break. It will take a lot more of these to make a playoff push
Portland Sasquatch
WEEKLY PREVIEW: Games against Charlestown and Pittsburgh
Charlestown Chiefs @ Portland Sasquatch In a battle of two teams separated by 1 point in the Smythe Division Portland hosts Charlestown in a crucial game. Halfway through the first period Preston (5) scores for Portland to give them a 1-0 lead. IN the second period Portland gets another goal from Gagne (4) to take a 2-0 lead after two periods. IN the third Charlestown gets a goal at the 9:16 mark from Shedden (5) but was unable to tie the game up as Portlands defense help strong

Star #1 – Preston 1 goal, 2 points
Star #2 -Lemelin 25 saves
Star #3 – Gagne goal

Pittsburgh Spirit @ Portland Sasquatch After a high-spirited division game, Portland hosts Pittsburgh two days later and falls apart in a 4-1 loss. Pittsburgh got goals from Larmer (22/23), Paiement (4), and Vadnais (1) while Portland got a lone goal from Crossman (7)

Star #1 – Larmer 2 goals
Star #2 – Lindbergh 35 saves
Star #3 – Paiement 1 goal

Portland outshoots Pittsburgh 36-23 in loss

WEEKLY SUMMARY: Portland gets a big win against Charlestown and a disappointing loss to Pittsburgh
Charlotte Dynamo
WEEKLY PREVIEW: After going winless in its last six games, Charlotte is starting to slide in the wrong direction after a promising start; a further skid will likely knock it out of the race entirely. And unfortunately, the going didn’t get easier this week either as the Dynamo hosted league stalwarts in Brooklyn and the Hanson Brothers. (short writeups to follow to get these in before the holidays)
Brooklyn Harbor Rats In a pivotal Patrick division matchup, Brooklyn overcame a 2-0 deficit and got a pair of third-period goals from first-star Dave Christian to break a 4-4 tie and turn back the Dynamo, 6-4. Second star Dale Hawerchuk also scored two goals for Charlotte in a losing cause. Brooklyn’s Bobby Smith was named the third star; his late first-period goal on the power play had knotted the score at 2-2 at the time.
Charlestown Chiefs Charlotte built a 3-0 lead on goals from Charlie Simmer, Dale Hawerchuk, and first-star Anders Hedberg and held off a Charlestown rally to defeat the Chiefs, 4-2. Goals late in the game from Charlestown’s Paul Coffey and Thomas Gradin narrowed the deficit to 3-2 before an early Glenn Anderson third-period goal on the power play closed the scoring.
WEEKLY SUMMARY: Charlotte is thankful for two points and a win — and can hopefully regroup entering the new year.