The Prince George Citizen - Saturday, December31, 1994- 13

DON SCHAFFER, E D M IL L S , TED CLARKE, SPORTS EDITOR Sports reporter Sports reporter 5 6 2 - 2 4 4 1 L o c a l 5 1 5 L o c a l 5 1 6 S p o r t s L o c a l 5 1 7

| SIDELINES I SC O R E S R ebels stick it to C o u gars by TED CLARKE Hockey Citizen Staff WHL GAME REPORT WORLD JUNIOR It was an all-or-nothing gamble which twice proved successful for Doug RED DEER AT COUGARS Canada 7 Czech Rep. 5 Hobson. Sweden 7 Ukraine 1 SUMMARY Russia 8 Germany 1 Unfortunately for the ’ coach, there would be no score­ Red Deer 3 Prince George 2 Finland 7 U.S. 5 First Period board payoff. WHL 1. Red Deer, Tilgen (LeBoutillier) 4:16 Despite being caught with the two ille­ 2. Red Deer, Budajev (Cardinal) 10:32 Red Deer 3 Prince George 2 gal sticks in the late stages of a one-goal 3. Red Deer, Donaldson (McBain) 19:12 Portland 4 Kamloops 1 game, the visiting Red Deer Rebels hung Penalties — McBain RD4:47, Cardinal RD 3 Seattle 1 on to beat the Cougars 3-2 Friday at the 11:19, Smith PG 12:39, Pennock RD, 3 Brandon 2 Coliseum. Donaldson RD, Van Horlick PG, Brown PG Prince Albert 5 Saskatoon 4 With just under three minutes left in 15:18, Butz PG 16:12. Medicine Hat 3 Lethbridge 2 the third period, Hobson asked for a mea­ Second Period ROCKY MOUNTAIN surement of Alexi Budajev’s stick, which 4. Prince George, Marien (Voltera, Hohenberger) 5:02 Prince George 4 2 turned out to have too much curvature in the blade. Penalties — Shoaf PG 1:07, Asham RD dou­ Cranbrook 12 Fernie 2 ble minor. Van Horlick PG, Brown PG mis­ Nelson 8 Kimberley 4 To that point, the Cougars had the Rebels on the verge of giving up the tying conduct 6:04, Gendron PG 8:18, Marchant SPENGLER CUP goal on numerous third-period chances. RD 10:58, Vandermeer RD major, Catellier With Budajev in the penalty box, it looked PG minor, major 19:07, Sweden 8 HC Davos 3 Third Period Canada 2 Russia)! like the Cougars were headed for over­ 5. Prince George, Leclerc (Smith, Dowhy) time for the third straight game. 4:11 (pp) But 17 seconds later, Mike Penalties — Wallin RD 3:00, Briske RD Leclerc was banished from the game for a 3:16, Budajev RD, 17:06, LeClair PG major, UP FRO N T high sticking major which nullified the game misconduct, Whitney RD 17:23. Cougars’ advantage. Hobson immediately Shots on goal by motioned to referee Brad Davis to ask for Red Deer 10 14 5— 29 a measurement of Rebel goalie Mike Prince George 10 12 16—38 Whitney’s stick, which also exceeded the G oal — Whitney, Red Deer; Trofimenkoff, allowable curve. Mason, Prince George. Although they kept the puck in the Attendance — 2,184. Rebel end for most of the ensuing power play, the Cougars couldn’t get the equal­ WHO SAID THAT? izer before time ran out. “I have to The victory gives the Rebels a sweep give of the two-game season-series between (Cougars the clubs. The Rebels won the first meet­ coach)Doug ing by the same score in Red Deer in early (Hobson) October. credit. He “I have to give Doug credit,” said did a good Rebels’ coach Peter Anholt. job doing “He did a good job doing his home­ his home­ work. There’s a lot of people that don’t work. photo like that rule, but whether you like it or There’s a lot Team Canada's Jamie not, it’s still in the book. If you can use it of people Storr celebrates the clinching sev­ to win a game, it’s a real good coaching that don’t enth goal with scorer Jeff Friesen. decision.” like that Anholt said both sticks came that way rule, but from the factory, he wasn’t blaming his whether you _____ ..IL._, _ What a game! players. like it or not, PETER ANHOLT Herald “If we’tl lost, I’d have been more upset it’s still in the book. If you can use CALGARY, Alta. - Frankly, it’s about it, but we battled through it. it to win a game, it’s a real good hard to believe a hockey game can be Whitney was outstanding tonight. In the Citizen photo by Dave Milne coaching decision. If we’d lost, I’d that exciting, so it’s a good thing there third period they came at us with a lot of Cougars’ Alexander Boikov takes an elbow to the noggin from have been more upset about it, but was a record crowd on hand to bear desperation, but we weathered the storm.” Red Deer’s Alexander Budajev. Budajev scored once as the Rebels, who have we battled through it. ” witness. Hobson said Cougars trainer Terry the worst record in the WHL, beat the Cougars 3-2 at the Coliseum. The biggest crowd ever to watch a Dyer gave him the tip on the illegal sticks. at 4:16. Tiltgen picked up a loose puck He had a chance to pad the Rebels’ game in the history of this tournament “I’d never called an illegal stick in my a bad angle found the net behind Whitney. — a lusty house of 19,465 — watched and cracked a high wrist shot which lead late in the second period but shot Leclerc drew the Cougars close four min­ life but we had to pull out all the stops,” fooled Cougar goalie David high on a breakaway. Team Canada score two third period said Hobson. utes into the third scoring on a two-man goals to beat the Czech Republic 7-5 Trofimenkoff. “I’m real excited to be back and I got advantage. Friday night at the Olympic “We’d played extremely well the last Since joining the Rebels just before off to a fast start. There’s something about two periods but we needed something to Like the Cougars, whose record falls to Saddledome. Christmas, Tiltgen has nine points in four me playing in this uniform that gets me 11-24-3, wins haven’t been abundant for Jamie Rivers sniped the winner with get us over the hump and I thought that games. going and I hppe I can keep it going.” would, but it obviously didn’t.” the 9-28-1 Rebels, but team Pete 2:24 to play, and then Jeff Friesen put it “We got some lucky breaks at the end,” Budajev had the prettiest goal of the LeBoutillier believes his teammates have away with a shorthanded empty net Hobson said it was obvious his team said Tiltgen, who was with the Cougars night when Ryan Smith took the bait on wasn’t ready to play when the Rebels put the rough start behind them. goal as Canada barely survived its first for a part of last season in Victoria. his deke and he walked in alone to beat “We played well in Brandon right serious test at the World Junior Hockey struck for three goals in totally dominat­ Trofimenkoff. Dale Donaldson’s tip of ing the first period. “Anytime you can get away with two before Christmas and tonight was a good Championship. illegal sticks you’re a bit lucky. But that’sMike McBain’s point shot at 19:12 of the And with Sweden’s win over the “We just didn’t have the commitment game for us,” said LeBoutillier. what it takes to win sometimes and we’re first stood as the game winner. “With a young team like ourselves, if Ukraine, the collision course is still set to pay the price to win,” he said. “We starting to get things going.” After Hobson yanked Trofimenkoff in for a winner take gold game in Red came out flat as flat in the first period and we start winning the tight games like we Tiltgen, an eighth-round draft pick of favor of Chris Mason to start the second did tonight the guys are going to get some Deer Jan.4, when the tournament’s two it cost us.” period, it took until the five-minute mark 4-0 teams meet in the final game on the the Buffalo Sabres in 1992, posted 111 more confidence and score goals.” Veteran Dean Tiltgen, 19, points for the Rebels two seasons ago to get the Cougars going. schedule. recently acquired by the Rebels in a trade The Cougars next game is Tuesday at One could only imagine the game before being traded and is happy to be Rookie Ryan Marien made it 3-1 with 7:30 p.m. at the Coliseum against the from the Tri-City Americans, continued back with the team. his first of the season when his shot from the Czechs might have given Canada his torrid scoring pace to open the scoring . had they not been missing six players due to injuies. WORLD JUNIOR WRAP, pg 15 ON THE TUBE M oney finally takes over in sports TODAY Column by would begin Oct. 1, when the season was scheduled to start. ■ NFL: Detroit Lions at Green Ronald Blum There’s a good chance the only m en Bay Packers in NFC Wildcard at 9:30 Associated Press “We want a season without distraction, a.m. on CKPG (ch. 2 cable 3) and without interruption,” Bettman said then. NEW YORK — Money finally got big­ on the field who aren’t replacem ents KOMO (cable 8). Kansas City Chiefs ger than the games in 1994. Now there might be none at all. at Miami Dolphins in AFC playoff at 1 Bettman said all along that the season p.m. on CKPG and KOMO. A players’ strike wiped out the World will be the m anagers, coaches, train­ would not be worth playing if it were less ■ FOOTBALL: East Carolina vs. Series for the first time since 1904. An than 50 games. And on Dec. 29 he said Illinois in Liberty Bowl at 10 a.m. on owners’ lockout cancelled the first half of ers and security people. the season must start by Jan. 16 in order to TSN (cable 16). the NHL season and threatened to elimi­ get in 50 games. ■ VOLLEYBALL: Women’s col­ nate the rest. The NBA came close to joining base­ lege, Tennessee at Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. nearly had a work stoppage. ’s strike — its eighth work it won’t use them at all. ball and hockey on the sidelines. Only on on KIRO (cable 7). Baseball umpires were told they’ll be stoppage since 1972 — began Aug. 12. “I am reasonably certain the owners Oct. 27 — eight days before the season ■ HOCKEY: Cornwall Aces at locked out starting Sunday. when players struck to avoid a salary cap.will come to regret it — sooner than they openers — did players and owners agree Syracuse Crunch at 4:30 p.m. on TSN “What you’re seeing here is an indus­ NBA players agreed to accept 53 per cent think,” union head Donald Fehr said to a one-year no-strike, no-lockout deal. (cable 16). Also, Montreal Canadiens try making adjustments to the same kind of defined revenue as part of a cap deal moments after the decision to implement “You cannot be in our industry without vs. Red Army from 1975 at 7:30 p.m. of economic changes that have every that began with the 1984-85 season. NFL was announced. being impacted by the venom that seems on CKPG (ch. 2 cable 3). other industry in the country,’’ Bud Selig, players get 64 per cent of defined revenue While there was little negotiating in to be flowing in the baseball negotia­ SUNDAY baseball’s acting commissioner, saidas part of a cap that began this year. baseball, there was color. Fehr called tions,” Stem said. ■ NFL: New England Patriots at Thursday. “A cap is just the vehicle to deliver themanagement negotiator Richard Ravitch Baseball umpires join the ranks of the Cleveland Browns in in NFC Wildcard Selig and NHL commissioner Gary money,” NBA commissioner David Stern “a hatchet man” for the owners. Ravitch, unpaid this Sunday. The American and playoff at 9:30 a.m. on CKPG (ch. 2 Bettman want the type of deals the NBA said one day last August as he walked past the owners’ sixth labor chief since the freeNational leagues announced Wednesday cable 3). Chicago Bears at Minnesota and NFL have: salary caps that fix thebaseball’s offices in New York. agent era began in 1976, departs baseball that pay will stop after the umpires’ four- Vikings in AFC playoff at 1 p.m. on percentage of revenue going to players. The baseball strike cancelled the final Dec. 31 when his $2.25 million, three- year contract expires Dec. 31. CKPG and KING (cable 6). Baseball owners are upset their players 52 days and 669 games of the season andyear contract expires. “They can take a hard-line position as ■ HOCKEY: Canada vs. Finland earn an average of $1.2 million; hockey long as there’s snow on the ground,” said in world junior championship round threatens to destroy 1995, too. By unilat­ Hockey, too, had little talking between owners are angry their players earn more erally implementing a salary cap on Dec. the sides. The sport, which endured a 10- Richie Phillips, head of the umpires’ robin at noon on TSN (cable 16). than $500,000, on average. 23, owners caused players to file a chal­day strike in 1992, appeared ready for aunion. “But come April, they’re going to ■ FOOTBALL: Miami vs. “It’s no coincidence that the two most lenge with the National Labor Relations breakthrough following the New York need the umpires.” Nebraska in Orange Bowl at 5 p.m. on Board. Teams are starting to prepare to KING (cable 6) and TSN. successful leagues and the two that are Rangers’ Stanley Cup victory on June 14. There’s a good chance the only men on ■ Kentucky vs. operating have a salary cap,” Bettman start spring training with replacement Although the players offered a no strike- the field who aren’t replacements will be BASKETBALL: said earlier this month. “Salary cap is notplayers — even though Toronto can’t use no lockout pledge, owners turned it down the managers, coaches, trainers and secu­ Louisville in NCAA action at 1 p.m. on replacements at home and Baltimore says KIRO (cable 7). a dirty word.” and on Sept. 22 announced a lockoutrity people.