Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Season Stats

Down among the player stats you will notice some figures in brackets, these are a new addition to the monthly reports to let you know how each individual performed over the past month. This way you can see that Connelly was lethal in front of net while Walton's goal production dropped but enjoyed a bump in assists as he played a more unselfish game in December.

October Stats
November Stats

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	GD	PP%	PK%	Home	Away	L10	Streak
Boston Bruins	34	18	11	5	41	133	119	14	21.15	76.15	13-3-3	5-8-2	5-4-1	Lost 1
Toronto Maple Leafs	35	18	12	5	41	103	78	25	15.85	84.21	13-5-1	5-7-4	6-3-1	Tied 1
Montreal Canadiens	36	18	14	4	40	117	95	22	26.44	85.32	14-2-1	4-12-3	5-4-1	Won 2
Detroit Red Wings	35	16	14	4	38	133	120	13	21.95	88.76	10-4-3	7-10-1	6-3-1	Won 2
New York Rangers	35	13	15	7	33	101	113	-12	26.04	80.00	7-5-6	6-10-1	3-3-4	Tied 1
Chicago Blackhawks	37	14	18	5	33	101	118	-17	16.88	77.97	6-10-2	8-8-3	6-4-0	Won 3
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	GD	PP%	PK%	Home	Away	L10	Streak
Philadelphia Flyers	35	19	12	3	41	104	89	15	19.17	72.64	12-5-1	7-7-2	5-3-2	Won 2
St Louis Blues	35	15	12	8	38	99	98	1	21.30	72.28	11-4-2	4-7-7	5-2-3	Won 1
Minnesota North Stars	34	13	12	9	35	108	99	9	25.00	80.58	7-3-5	6-9-4	4-6-0	Lost 3
Los Angeles Kings	36	12	19	5	29	100	124	-24	19.10	75.19	8-7-3	4-12-2	4-4-2	Lost 3
Pittsburgh Penguins	35	10	16	9	29	81	96	-15	11.30	76.00	6-7-5	4-9-4	2-5-3	Lost 1
Oakland Seals	36	9	21	6	24	85	116	-31	23.14	80.58	4-8-3	5-13-3	2-8-0	Lost 2

	Oct	Nov	Dec
Boston Bruins	3-3-1	9-1-3	6-7-1
Chicago Blackhawks	4-4-1	3-7-3	7-7-1
Detroit Red Wings	4-4-1	6-5-2	7-5-1
Los Angeles Kings	3-6-0	3-6-3	6-7-2
Minnesota North Stars	3-2-2	4-3-6	6-7-1
Montreal Canadiens	3-4-1	7-5-2	8-5-1
New York Rangers	5-4-0	3-5-3	5-6-4
Oakland Seals	3-5-1	4-7-3	2-9-2
Philadelphia Flyers	4-3-0	8-6-0	7-3-3
Pittsburgh Penguins	3-2-5	3-7-1	4-7-3
St Louis Blues	2-3-3	7-4-1	6-5-4
Toronto Maple Leafs	5-2-1	5-6-3	8-4-1

SKATERS
GOALS					ASSISTS					POINTS
Connelly	MIN	25	(15)		Walton	TOR	25	(11)		Walton	TOR	44	(15)
Mikita	CHI	22	(8)		W Hicks	PHI/PIT	25	(3)		Howe	DET	40	(10)
Howe	DET	21	(8)		Esposito	BOS	22	(11)		Mikita	CHI	39	(15)
Bucyk	BOS	19	(10)		Gilbert	NYR	22	(13)		Esposito	BOS	38	(15)
G Tremblay	MON	19	(10)		Goyette	NYR	21	(6)		Gilbert	NYR	36	(20)
Walton	TOR	19	(4)		Pilote	CHI	21	(8)		R Hull	CHI	36	(14)
Hodge	BOS	18	(6)		R Hull	CHI	20	(7)		Bucyk	BOS	36	(18)
G Jarrett	DET	18	(7)		M Pronovost	TOR	20	(7)		Connelly	MIN	34	(18)
Esposito	BOS	16	(4)		Howe	DET	19	(2)		Hodge	BOS	32	(12)
R Hull	CHI	16	(7)		Stanfield	BOS	19	(8)		W Hicks	PHI/PIT	32	(3)
					Delvecchio	DET	19	(6)		Stanfield	BOS	31	(14)
					Angotti	PHI	19	(9)		Bathgate	PIT	31	(11)

PIMS					POWERPLAY GOALS					GAME WINNING GOALS
N Picard	StL	88	(23)		Howe	DET	6	(4)		Williams	BOS	5	(2)
Dornhoefer	PHI	72	(19)		Hannigan	PHI	6	(4)		Connelly	MIN	4	(2)
K Douglas	DET/OAK	78	(25)		Hicke	OAK	6	(3)		Esposito	BOS	4	(0)
McKenzie	BOS	55	(31)		B McCreary	StL	6	(2)		R Hull	CHI	3	(3)
Bergman	DET	55	(14)		Connelly	MIN	5	(3)		D Marshall	NYR	3	(1)
Rolfe	LAK	52	(20)		Cournoyer	MON	5	(3)		Melnyk	StL	3	(1)
White	LAK	50	(23)		Melnyk	StL	5	(1)		Hodge	BOS	3	(1)
Fleming	NYR	49	(12)		Selby	PHI	4	(3)		Lamaire	MON	3	(0)
Horton	TOR	48	(14)		Flett	LAK	4	(2)		J Roberts	StL	3	(0)
Balon	MIN	47	(7)		Gilbert	NYR	4	(1)		Oliver	TOR	3	(0)
					Sanderson	BOS	4	(0)
					Masterson	MIN	4	(0)

GOALTENDERS
WINS				GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE						SAVE PERCENTAGE
Parent	PHI	12	(4)		Bower	TOR	2.05	(2.22)		Gamble	TOR	0.917	(.931)
Bower	TOR	11	(6)		Gamble	TOR	2.33	(2.00)		Crozier	DET	0.915	(.910)
Rutledge	LAK	11	(5)		Favell	PHI	2.38	(2.20)		Binkley	PIT	0.914	(.920)
DeJordy	CHI	11	(5)		Martin	StL	2.42	(2.80)		Bower	TOR	0.914	(.909)
Giacomin	NYR	11	(4)		Binkley	PIT	2.50	(2.22)		Maniago	MIN	0.908	(.914)
Cheevers	BOS	11	(2)		Worsley	MON	2.50	(3.37)		Worsley	MON	0.906	(.867)
Hall	StL	9	(4)		Crozier	DET	2.55	(2.66)		Martin	StL	0.905	(.906)
Maniago	MIN	9	(4)		Parent	PHI	2.59	(3.25)		Favell	PHI	0.900	(.909)
Vachon	MON	9	(4)		Bassen	PIT	2.75	(2.60)		Parent	PHI	0.898	(.883)
Worsley	MON	8	(4)		Hall	StL	2.76	(2.80)		Vachon	MON	0.898	(.897)
Binkley	PIT	8	(3)		Maniago	MIN	2.76	(2.70)
Hodge	OAK	8	(1)

Controlled Chaos - Spring Fling Derby Preview

The lords and ladies of destruction, minues the injured Billy Edgington and Reggie Banks, move on to Buffalo, New York for the seventh round of the season. This event is another chance for the drivers to position themselves for the next invitational where only the top twenty competitors will appear.

Controlled Chaos - Wisconsin Invitational Standings

Will Thompson continues to lead the standings despite missing his second final in three events, and Tom Gariepy and Joe Ramage shoot up twelve and four places respectively after finishing first and second at the first invitational of the season. Darryl Lozier, Will Murphy and Ben Hadsell were all absent from the Wisconsin final and lose two places each.

Bobby Gallagher's third place moves him up just outside the top ten while fourth place Leo May, fifth place Scott Hutchins and sixth place Steven Redden move up into that top group.

Name	Pts
Will Thompson	55
Joe Ramage	54
Tom Gariepy	52
Darryl Lozier	46
Will Murphy	35
Ben Hadsell	33
Leo May	31
Jamie Eilers	31
Steven Redden	31
Scott Hutchens	30
Bobby Gallagher	25
John Ruiz	23
Rob Remaley	19
Randy Corson	18
Lynne Higgins	17
Sam Harbin	15
Dick Garrett	13
Darrell Andresen	10
Andy Bing	10
Bob Alexander	8
Randy Tondreau	5
Danny Krol	5
Charlie Clayton	4
Jess Yates	3
Don Davis	2
John McCrory	2
Philip Ruffin	2

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Dec 31st

Sunday 31st December 1967
Its seven losses in eight games for the hapless Oakland Seals despite Burns (9) opening the scoring in Chicago when shorthanded. A Wharram (13) hat trick, all assisted by Mikita, helped swing things around to give the Blackhawks a three game winning run for the first time this year. Caron (4) for the Seals and C Maki's (4) game winner of the powerplay were the other goals.

Detroit make it five wins in seven with Howe (21) scoring two unassisted goals as part of his hat trick, taking him past the forty point mark on the year; Delvecchio is second on the team with thirty. G Jarrett (18), MacGregor (9) with his game winner, and Bergman's (8) empty netter were all required to beat the Bruins. Bucyk (19) led the way for Boston with two goals and a helper, McKenzie (12) and Esposito (16) also on the scoreboard.

Two goals from Stemkowski (6) and a two point night from Pappin (4) were not enough to prevent the Maple Leafs continue their barren run of one win in five games. The Rangers swapped blow for blow against their Original Six opponents with goals from Nevin (15), Ratelle (12), and Howell (5).

Just a single goal was needed to separate the Flyers from the Kings, Miszuk (4) scoring from a neat setup by Sutherland on the powerplay 18:16 into the second period. Favell earns his second shutout of the year for Philaedelphia, and Los Angeles have one win in their last six; White not helping his team with three minors.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
OAK	@	1	1	0	2
CHI		1	1	2	4

OAK G Smith (1-7-1 .886) 32/36, Powerplay 0/6
CHI DeJordy (11-9-4 .887) 20/22, Powerplay 2/7

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
BOS	@	1	1	2	4
DET		2	3	1	6

BOS Cheevers (11-8-3 .884) 39/44, Powerplay 0/0
DET Edwards (7-12-3 .888) 32/36, Powerplay 1/6

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
TOR	@	1	1	1	3
NYR		1	1	1	3

TOR gamble (7-5-3 .917) 24/27, Powerplay 0/4
NYR Giacomin (11-15-4 .887) 26/29, Powerplay 1/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
LAK	@	0	0	0	0
PHI		0	1	0	1

LAK Sawchuk (2-8-2 .887) 25/26, Powerplay 0/7
PHI Favell (7-4-1 .900) 12/12, Powerplay 1/3

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Boston Bruins	34	18	11	5	41
Toronto Maple Leafs	35	18	12	5	41
Montreal Canadiens	36	18	14	4	40
Detroit Red Wings	35	16	14	4	38
New York Rangers	35	13	15	7	33
Chicago Blackhawks	37	14	18	5	33
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Philadelphia Flyers	35	19	12	3	41
St Louis Blues	35	15	12	8	38
Minnesota North Stars	34	13	12	9	35
Los Angeles Kings	36	12	19	5	29
Pittsburgh Penguins	35	10	16	9	29
Oakland Seals	36	9	21	6	24

Controlled Chaos - Wisconsin Invitational Final

Wisconsin Invitational - Green Bay, WI
Final
Leo May, Tom Gariepy, Bobby Gallagher, Andy Bing, Dick Garrett, Steven Redden, Scott Hutchins, Jow Ramage

Several drivers and their teams found it difficult to be prepared for the first invitational final as three drivers would stall out and Steven Redden would barely re-fire his engine after failing to get away at the start. Andy Bing was the first among this select group to stop for good, Redden, Gariepy, Hutchins and May all taking advantage of the fact to rip into him, but with only eight cars competing there would be guaranteed and doubled points for all.

The second qualifier out of the consolation heat would be next to go as Dick Garrett, all over a stalled and helpless Redden, was finished off by his victim after the successful re-fire before he too bit the dust in sixth place. Scott Hutchins more than doubles his points haul for the year with a fifth place finish in Green Bay, his second top five finish of the year after grabbing third at Frostbite.

Leo May also breaks the thirty point mark with his third top ten finish but he wasn't on his game as both Gariepy and Hutchens managed to blindside him hard ultimately leading to a race ending stall to leave the final three going at it.

Bobby Gallagher knows that his regular time on the circuit will be limited once injured drivers return to action but he has shown what he is capable of with a couple of top ten finishes in the past three events (8th, VDM). Gallagher re-fire quickly from a couple of stalls and mainly focused his efforts on May and Joe Ramage, the latter of which was all too happy to fight back.

With a third straight final (1st VDM, 7th Ides of March) Ramage shoots straight up into second position in the championship standings just one point behind Will Thompson. A serious of mechanical failures led to two long stalls, the second of which was the death knell.

That means Tom Gariepy, joint runner-up at the Valentine's Day Massacr, makes it six different winners in six events, taking the massive forty point victory and is now just three points behind the leader. The victor made repeat targets of Hutchins and Ramage - his two earlier shots on the runner-up giving him a clear advantage at the end - and he rode the challenges from Gallagher, Garrett, Redden and Hutchins well.

Race Result
1. Tom Gariepy
2. Jow Ramage
3. Bobby Gallagher
4. Leo May
5. Scott Hutchins
6. Steven Redden
7. Dick Garrett
8. Andy Bing

Controlled Chaos - Wisconsin International Consolation Heat

Wisconsin International - Green Bay, WI
Consolation Heat
Randy Tondreau, Andy Bing, Darryl Lozier, Jamie Eilers, Randy Corson, Darrell Andresen, Dick Garrett, Charlie Clayton, Lynne Higgins

It seemed like every minute of the nine car consolation heat that passed saw one driver victimised more than the others. It started with Randy Corson taking four shots before the pack moved on to the Canadians Randy Tondreau and then Darryl Lozier.

It took five minutes for the well prepared roster to lose it's first competitor in Tondreau before the trio of Charlie Clayton, Jamie Eilers, and Corson fell by the wayside; the latter managing to re-fire from a long stall only for Eilers to take them both out.

Lynne Higgins managed to steer clear of the chaos while creating her own by laying seven hits on six different drivers, Darrell Andresen earning two hits as a result of his hit on her being the only successful shot she suffered throughout the derby. Despite her alertness she would finish in fifth place leaving a tense battle between four drivers for just two qualification places in Green Bay.

Lozier had earlier helped Eilers on his way out but also missed his intended targets twice, the second miss proving disastrous with Andresen all over him to finish the job. The British entrant would be the unlucky third-placed driver which meant that Andy Bing and Dick Garrett would move on to the final eight.

Bing (-, 12th, 12th, 7th, -) survived a stalling scare early on in the heat after a back-and-forth with Higgins to move on into his foruth final, and Garrett's path to his second final in as many weeks (6th, Ides of March) saw him go hard after both Canadian drivers and generally following the herd in who to target.

Race Result
Q. Andy Bing
Q. Dick Garrett
3. Darrell Andresen
4. Darryl Lozier
5. Lynne Higgins
6. Randy Corson
7. Jamie Eilers
8. Charlie Clayton
9. Randy Tondreau

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Dec 30th

Saturday 30th December 1967
Two goals from Lacroix (3) including the game winner helped Philadelphia on their way to their first win in four games; LaForge (4), Sutherland (11) and Hoekstra (8) also contributing. On the flip side of this result the Kings have just one victory in five, Gray (5), Flett (15) and R Lemieux (4) falling short.

Boston return to the top of the East with a third win in five with Green's (4) shorthanded and Orr's (6) powerplay goals winning the special teams war. Esposito (15) added an empty netter after a pair from Stanfield (12). The North Stars have lost five of their last six but a three point night from P MacDonald (13) and a goal from Boudrias (12) brought Minnesota back from 0-3 down in the second period.


Two goals each from Rousseau (6), Backstrom (9) and Corunoyer (14), with T Harris and Savard earning four and three assists each, helped put Montreal joint-second in the East with a fourth win in five games. Oakland have seven losses in nine now but Cahan and K Douglas both hit five goals on the year.

New York's undefeated run ends at five games, Goyette (9) scoring the only Rangers goal, as Chicago enjoy a third win in four thanks to Mikita (22), R Hull (16) and Schmautz (4).

Detroit's hit their longest unbeaten streak of the year with a fourth without loss; D Roberts (4), Howe's (18) powerplay game winner and T Hampson's (3) empty netter doing the job. Pittsburgh continue to suffer of late with four games in a row without a win and just a pair of victories in their last eleven; Bathgate (14) avoiding the shutout.


It's three losses in four for the Maple Leafs as they blew a lead in the third period, Pappin (3) and Armstrong scoring the games first and last goals. St Louis are three without defeat, Cameron (4), B McCreary (15) and Keenan (5) with an empty net game winner at 19:06 the goalscorers.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PHI	@	1	2	2	5
LAK		1	1	1	3

PHI Parent (12-8-2 .898) 28/31, Powerplay 0/3
LAK Rutledge (11-11-3 .892)32/37, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
BOS	@	2	1	2	5
MIN		0	3	0	3

BOS Johnston (7-3-2 .870) 18/21, Powerplay 1/8
MIN Maniago (9-9-7 .908) 45/49, Powerplay 1/8

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
OAK	@	1	0	1	2
MON		0	4	3	7

OAK Hodge (8-15-4 .894) 35/42, Powerplay 0/0
MON Vachon (9-6-1 .898) 18/20, Powerplay 3/9

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
CHI	@	0	1	2	3
NYR		1	0	0	1

CHI D Dryden (3-8-1 .883) 30/31, Powerplay 0/2
NYR Giacomin (11-15-3 .886) 28/30, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
DET	@	0	1	2	3
PIT		0	1	0	1

DET Crozier (7-2-1 .915) 31/32, Powerplay 1/8
PIT Binkley (8-8-6 .914) 29/31, Powerplay 0/0

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
StL	@	0	0	3	3
TOR		0	1	1	2

StL Martin (6-3-3 .905) 30/32, Powerplay 1/8
TOR Bower (11-7-2 .914) 27/30, Powerplay 1/4

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Boston Bruins	33	18	10	5	41
Toronto Maple Leafs	34	18	12	4	40
Montreal Canadiens	36	18	14	4	40
Detroit Red Wings	34	16	14	4	36
New York Rangers	34	13	15	6	32
Chicago Blackhawks	36	13	18	5	31
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Philadelphia Flyers	33	18	12	3	39
St Louis Blues	35	15	12	8	38
Minnesota North Stars	34	13	12	9	35
Los Angeles Kings	35	12	18	5	29
Pittsburgh Penguins	35	10	16	9	29
Oakland Seals	35	9	20	6	24

Controlled Chaos - Wisconsin International Heat 3

Wisconsin International - Green Bay, WI
Heat 3
Darryl Lozier, Rob Remaley, Darrell Andresen, Will Thompson, Tom Gariepy, Leo May, Randy Corson, Jess Yates

The final heat in Green Bay had all eight entrants surviving past the five minute mark but Rob Remaley was struck by a quick series of hits from Gariepy, May and Corson before championship leader Will Thompson succumbed to a vicious assault from both Remaley and Jess Yates.

Yates was next out as, after cleaning up Thompson, he refocused on his early target Randy Corson but was too eager in his final attack leading to his disqualification, and Remaley finally bit the dust; Gariepy, May and Corson all returning to finish the job they had started.

The three consolation heat entrants are Corson, who was badly damaged after eliminating Remaley; Darryl Lozier, who will be hoping to reach the final and take advantage of double points with Thompson out; and Darrell Andresen who ended up losing his fight against Leo May.

Tom Gariepy finished sixth at Frostbite and tied for second at the Valentine's Day Massacre and will now compete in his third final of the year as runner-up of his heat. A strong start against Thompson led to some problems as the race wore on with a short stall that knocked him off his game as Leo May blindsided him and he then missed a retaliatory hit. May (7th Tampa, 10th Ides of March) picks up his third heat victory in six events and will hoping for a big final this time around.

Race Result
1. Leo May
2. Tom Gariepy
3. Darrell Andresen
4. Darryl Lozier
5. Randy  Corson
6. Rob Remaley
7. Jess Yates
8. Will Thompson

Controlled Chaos - Wisconsin Invitational Heat 2

Wisconsin Invitational - Green Bay, WI
Heat 2
Bob Alexander, Lynne Higgins, Dick Garrett, Bobby Gallagher, Steven Redden, Will Murphy, Danny Krol, Charlie Clayton

Danny Krol did not seem to be well prepared for this derby as he was left alone for the opening few minutes meaning that the hits he put on Steven Redden and Lynne Higgins did him more damage than good. Swiftly following this was another departure when a very popular Bob Alexander, who was eager to chase down Higgins and give her a couple of shots, was put down by a seventh hit.

The remaining pack lasted until the eighth minute of action when Will Murphy, third in the current standings, lost a hard battle with Steven Redden while Bobby Gallagher was also very keen to get at him, and Lynne Higgins was the girl everyone wanted to dance with with Alexander (2), Garrett, Gallagher, Krol and Charlie Clayton all charging in on her. She managed to blindside Gallagher and survive a couple of short stalls before her elimination and her fifth place finish puts her into the consolation heat.

Clayton re-fired a lengthy stall in the early going before hunting down Garrett, the pair finishing fourth and third respectively, leaving Gallagher, who was looking for his second final (8th VDM)  and Redden (6th Frostbite, Tied-2nd VDM) fighting it out for the heat win. They had stayed out of each others' path until this moment and it was Gallagher who managed to get a jump on Redden, who had previously been preoccupied with Clayton. In the end Redden rode his luck a little and came out top dog.

Race Result
1. Steven Redden
2. Bobby Gallagher
3. Dick Garrett
4. Charlie Clayton
5. Lynne Higgins
6. Will Murphy
7. Bob Alexander
8. Danny Krol

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Dec 29th

Friday 29th December 1967
Pittsburgh miss out on the chance to reclaim fourth spot in the West despite taking a 2-0 lead 9:12 in the second period when K McCreary (10) was set up by Dillabough on the powerplay. Earlier in the game Rivard (2) had got the ball rolling thanks to good work from bathgate and McDonald.

St Louis were quick to strike back when at 10:31 of the second period Melnyk (10), set up by Arbour, got one past Bassen before McKenney found Sabourin (12) wide open late in the same period to tie the game at two. After a scoreless third period the point each means that the Blues are now 4-3-3 in theri last ten games and go second in the West, while the Penguins, with two wins in their last ten, are tied with Los Angeles for the final playoff berth in this division.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PIT	@	1	1	0	2
StL		0	2	0	2

PIT Bassen (2-7-3 .896) 23/25, Powerplay 1/2
StL Hall (9-9-5 .890) 17/19, Powerplay 0/0

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Toronto Maple Leafs	33	18	11	4	40
Boston Bruins	32	17	10	5	39
Montreal Canadiens	35	17	14	4	38
Detroit Red Wings	33	15	14	4	34
New York Rangers	33	13	14	6	32
Chicago Blackhawks	35	12	18	5	29
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Philadelphia Flyers	32	17	12	3	37
St Louis Blues	34	14	12	8	36
Minnesota North Stars	33	13	11	9	35
Los Angeles Kings	34	12	17	5	29
Pittsburgh Penguins	34	10	15	9	29
Oakland Seals	34	9	19	6	24

Controlled Chaos - Wisconsin Invitational Heat 1

Wisconsin Invitational, Green Bay, WI
Heat 1
Joe Ramage, Ben Hadsell, Jamie Eilers, Sam Harbin, Scott Hutchins, John Ruiz, Andy Bing, Randy Tondreau

The quest for double points begins with over three minutes of hard-hitting action before Sam Harbin is wiped out. After missing his intended target he became entangled on the barrier making himself a sitting duck for Scott Hutchins, eventually working his way free only to run straight into Hutchins again and Andy Bing.

Ben Hadsell was looking to stay a threat to the title contenders after two top three finishes, including a win at the season opening Frostbite Winter Nationals, but heavy contact with John Ruiz resulted in a stall he was unable to recover from. This was one of several stalls in the first five minutes with everyone bar Hadsell able to continue.

Winner of the Ides of March John Ruiz failed to build momentum by finishing in sixth place, thanks in no small part to Hutchins who brought the pain on three occasions, and two time runner-up Jamie Eilers will have a second chance at reaching the final after Randy Tondreau and Joe Ramage finally made their numerous hits count.

With Andy Bing all over Tondreau the Canadian would fall next after turning on his recent partner Ramage who in turn went hard after Bing. While those competitors were busy Scott Hutchins was desperately trying to re-fire his engine after his last heavy collision with Eilers. He avoided the count out just in time and dueled hard with Ramage as they both sought out the doubled points for winning a heat; a first for either driver.

Race Result
1. Scott Hutchins
2. Joe Ramage
3. Andy Bing
4. Randy Tondreau
5. Jamie Eilers
6. John Ruiz
7. Ben Hadsell
8. Sam Harbin

Controlled Chaos - Wisconsin International Preview

The first invitational event of the year is in Green Bay and the top twenty-four drivers will compete for double points. The three heats will feature eight entrants each where only the top two progress on to the final. Those who finish in third, fourth or fifth will compete in a nine car consolation heat for the remaining two final spots.

After winning Frostbite and taking third in Tampa Ben Hadsell will be looking to build upon his current standings position of fourth as he returns after his absence at the Ides of March event, and both Billy Edgington and Reggie Banks continue on the road to recovery.

Don Davis (Heat Winner, 12th VDM), John McCrory (9th Tampa, 11th VDM) and Phillip Ruffin (9th Ides of March) are among those who miss cut.

Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Dec 28th

Thursday 28th December 1967
Detroit are unbeaten in three straight for the first time this season with one loss in their last five, but they blew a 2-0 lead heading into the third period, Howe (17) and D Roberts (3) with the goals, before Henderson (8) had them 3-2 up but they had to settle for a single point after Philadelphia's comeback. The Flyers are winless in three but had goals from Miszuk (3), Rochefort (12) and an unassisted game tying goal from Angotti (7) 18:20 into the final period.


Montreal make it three wins from four after jumping out to a 4-0 lead through Beliveau (6), G Tremblay (19) and two from Duff (11). The Minnesota North Stars have lost four of their last five, Cullen (25) and P MacDonald (11) scoring in a heated contest that saw a fight either side of G Tremblay's game winning goal.

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
PHI	@	0	0	3	3
DET		1	1	1	3

PHI Favell (6-4-1 .896) 24/27, Powerplay 0/4
DET Edwards (6-12-3 .888) 31/34, Powerplay 1/4

		1st	2nd	3rd	F
MIN	@	0	2	0	2
MON		3	1	0	4

MIN Bauman (5-3-1 .902) 24/28, Powerplay 1/3
MON Vachon (8-6-1 .898) 21/23, Powerplay 1/8

East Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Toronto Maple Leafs	33	18	11	4	40
Boston Bruins	32	17	10	5	39
Montreal Canadiens	35	17	14	4	38
Detroit Red Wings	33	15	14	4	34
New York Rangers	33	13	14	6	32
Chicago Blackhawks	35	12	18	5	29
West Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts
Philadelphia Flyers	32	17	12	3	37
Minnesota North Stars	33	13	11	9	35
St Louis Blues	33	14	12	7	35
Los Angeles Kings	34	12	17	5	29
Pittsburgh Penguins	33	10	15	8	28
Oakland Seals	34	9	19	6	24

Controlled Chaos - The Ides of March Standings

Will Thompson (4th, 1st, 4th, -, 5th) and Darryl Lozier (-, 3rd, 1st, 6th, 4th) continue to set the pace with four finals each and Will Murphy and Ben Hadsell manage to hang onto third and fourth spot respectively despite failing to qualify out of the consolation heat or, in the case of Hadsell, a non-appearance in St. Paul.

Jamie Eilers' second runner-up finish (Frostbite) sees him in the hunt for a top three spot with Joe Ramage and Ides of March winner John Ruiz leading the rest.

Name	Pts
Will Thompson	55
Darryl Lozier	46
Will Murphy	35
Ben Hadsell	33
Jamie Eilers	31
Joe Ramage	24
John Ruiz	23
Rob Remaley	19
Randy Corson	18
Lynne Higgins	17
Steven Redden	17
Sam Harbin	15
Tom Gariepy	12
Darrell Andresen	10
Scott Hutchens	10
Leo May	9
Bob Alexander	8
Bobby Gallagher	5
Randy Tondreau	5
Danny Krol	5
Dick Garrett	5
Charlie Clayton	4
Andy Bing	4
Jess Yates	3
Don Davis	2
John McCrory	2
Philip Ruffin	2