Summer National Derby - Atlanta, GA
Heat Three
Phillip Ruffin, John Ruiz, Darryl Lozier, Scott Hutchins, Matt Welliver, Lynne Higgins, Bambi Rogers, Charlie Clayton, Rob Remaley, Tom Gariepy, Chris Henton, Randy Corson
Lynne Higgins' first final in six events resulted in a fifth place finish at the Summer Sizzler, but it's now one final in seven opportunities after her quick exit here through yet another disqualification when her hit on Rob Remaley caught his driver's side door.
A second lock-up in as many heats leads to two drivers getting their marching orders when they fail to separate themselves. This time it was five-time finalist and one-time points scorer Matt Welliver (6th Big Apple Smash Up) joined at the bumper to Bambi Rogers when the former attacked Rogers.
John Ruiz is now five events without a final as the Ides of March winner became stuck against a wall and was counted out, and Scott Hutchins will surely lose ground in the title race as the man tied with Will Thompson for second overall in the championship standings missed his intended target and propelled himself into a wall, ending his final streak at seven in a row.
After heavy attention from Chris Henton, Randy Corson suffered a fatal stall that moves him into the consolation heat along with fellow stall victims Phillip Ruffin and Charlie Clayton with both men sitting at the basement of the standings with two and three final appearances respectively. Ruffin made just one successful hit on John Ruiz but the remainder of his eight minute heat consisted of stalls and missed shots, Clayton on the other hand laid a pair of hits on both Lozier and Remaley before the second long stall of his day ended with him in fifth place.
The final entrant to the second chance race is Tom Gariepy as the Wisconsin Invitational champion hit eight different opponents before Rob Remaley took exception to his wild antics and returned the favour with interest.
It's twelve finals out of fifteen for championship leader Darryl Lozier as he put all his energies into just a few targets. Hutchins, Clayton and Remaley all took two hits from Lozier before the latter joined forces with Chris Henton to finish off what Tom Gariepy had just started with a good shot of his own.
Chris Henton will feature in his fifth final but his win at the Spring Fling Derby and the tenth place in the Summer Sizzler make up his points haul so far this season. Blindsided twice, first on the left by Phillip Ruffin and then while he was distracted in that direction was hit again by Gariepy on his right side, Henton was not shy about who he laid his nine hits on, but Rob Remaley came back at the end with a hat trick of solid shots to decide the outcome of heat three.
Remaley, earning his second heat win of the year, makes it eight finals on the season but this is just his second in the last six events. A hit each on Hutchins and Rogers did him more harm than good as he desperately fought to re-fire the resulting stall. After surviving that scare Remaley went back to finish off Hutchins before running wild over Gariepy with two shots, Lozier one, and the three on Henton to finish off.
Race Result
1. Rob Remaley
2. Chris Henton
3. Darryl Lozier
4. Tom Gariepy
5. Charlie Clayton
6. Phillip Ruffin
7. Randy Corson
8. Scott Hutchins
9. John Ruiz
10. Matt Welliver
10. Bambi Rogers
12. Lynne Higgins
Thursday 28 February 2013
Wednesday 27 February 2013
Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Feb 12th
Monday 12th February 1968
A timid Toronto team were swept aside in Los Angeles as Rutledge earns his second shutout of the season to give the Kings their third win in a row to move two points ahead of the Penguins in the West. With only eleven Maple Leaf shots through the first forty minutes the Kings took a 2-0 advantage into the final period after goals in each of the first two frames.
All of Rolfe's (3) goals this season have been game winners for Los Angeles and his latest came thirty-five seconds before the first intermission and, after assisting on that goal, Irvine (11) then scored either side of the second break with Flett (20) rounding up the scoring on Joyal's third assist of the night at 19:37 of an end-to-end third frame with the Leafs coming out of their shell. This leaves Toronto three points back of Montreal for top spot in the East.
TOR Gamble (11-8-3 .919) 24/28, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Rutledge (15-16-3 .896) 23/23, Powerplay 0/0
A timid Toronto team were swept aside in Los Angeles as Rutledge earns his second shutout of the season to give the Kings their third win in a row to move two points ahead of the Penguins in the West. With only eleven Maple Leaf shots through the first forty minutes the Kings took a 2-0 advantage into the final period after goals in each of the first two frames.
All of Rolfe's (3) goals this season have been game winners for Los Angeles and his latest came thirty-five seconds before the first intermission and, after assisting on that goal, Irvine (11) then scored either side of the second break with Flett (20) rounding up the scoring on Joyal's third assist of the night at 19:37 of an end-to-end third frame with the Leafs coming out of their shell. This leaves Toronto three points back of Montreal for top spot in the East.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| TOR | @ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LAK | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
TOR Gamble (11-8-3 .919) 24/28, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Rutledge (15-16-3 .896) 23/23, Powerplay 0/0
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts |
| Montreal Canadiens | 53 | 30 | 17 | 6 | 66 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 53 | 29 | 19 | 5 | 63 |
| Boston Bruins | 54 | 28 | 20 | 6 | 62 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 54 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 59 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 55 | 24 | 25 | 6 | 54 |
| New York Rangers | 53 | 20 | 24 | 9 | 49 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts |
| St Louis Blues | 52 | 24 | 19 | 9 | 57 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 53 | 19 | 22 | 12 | 50 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 54 | 20 | 27 | 7 | 47 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 53 | 17 | 25 | 11 | 45 |
| Oakland Seals | 55 | 14 | 31 | 10 | 38 |
Controlled Chaos - Summer National Derby, Heat Two
Summer National Derby - Atlanta, GA
Heat Two
Randy Tondreau, Ben Hadsell, Billy Edgington, Will Thompson, Steven Redden, Ricky Grimes, Jason Ingle, Reggie Banks, Kenny Rose, Jess Yates, Darrell Andresen, Bill Malbrough
Randy Tondreau (6th Tampa, 10th Seattle, 12th Jersey) misses his fifth final in a row as his vehicle stalled at the start and refused to re-fire, and the only other elimination in the first four minutes was that of Billy Edgington who did manage to re-fire from his stall at the beginning of the heat but five quick hits against. Two of those hits came from Darrell Andresen, the fellow Brit who put Edgington onto the injured reserve for months in the first event of the season.
Two minutes later and six-time finalist Andresen, who has a best finish of fourth place at the recent Indy Nationals, was the first of five quick exits, his coming at the hands of Jess Yates who was responsible for three of the seven hits against Andresen.
There was a two-for-one deal going for ninth and eighth places when Reggie Banks and Kenny Rose became locked together during their battle and, despite a solid hit from Jason Ingle, they were inseparable and counted out by race officials. As a result of that incident Bill Malbrough creeps in to the consolation heat along with Steven Redden, who was also counted out after Kenny Rose slammed him onto the barriers.
After the five back-to-back eliminations there was a short time to breath before the heat came to a suden halt. Fifth place finisher Ben Hadsell would have been hoping for an automatic qualification spot to the Summer International Derby final with three final appearances in his last four events, but the Frostbite winner has to go through the consolation heat after he lost a head-on with Will Thompson.
Jess Yates barely missed out on back-to-back finals after finishing fourth at the Summer Sizzler and fourth in this heat. After his hat trick of hits on Andresen, Yates became the first of two drivers blindsided in quick succession by Ricky Grimes.
Currently sitting 20.5 points behind Darryl Lozier in the championship standings Will Thompson will appear in his twelfth final with a fifth in a row. The Arizona Derby winner was a little fortunate after missing two of his intended targets in between laying two hits each on Grimes and Hadsell.
He is joined by Jason Ingle who reaches his sixth final but only has 8.5 points to show for his efforts, the points coming from the Spring Fling Derby (9th) and Lobster Nationals (tied-5th). Ingle was looking good as he finished off Andresen and Thompson but he had little chance in a one-on-one with Ricky Grimes as the latter was all over Ingle with five consecutive hits.
Grimes, moving on to just his third final of the year, almost saw his heat end as soon as it had begun with a lengthy stall leaving him wide open. But after re-firing he was relentless in his pursuit of Ingle and savage in how he attacked the runner-up on his way to a debut heat victory.
Race Result
1. Ricky Grimes
2. Jason Ingle
3. Will Thompson
4. Jess Yates
5. Ben Hadsell
6. Steven Redden
7. Bill Malbrough
8. Kenny Rose
8. Reggie Banks
10. Darrell Andresen
11. Billy Edgington
12. Randy Tondreau
Heat Two
Randy Tondreau, Ben Hadsell, Billy Edgington, Will Thompson, Steven Redden, Ricky Grimes, Jason Ingle, Reggie Banks, Kenny Rose, Jess Yates, Darrell Andresen, Bill Malbrough
Randy Tondreau (6th Tampa, 10th Seattle, 12th Jersey) misses his fifth final in a row as his vehicle stalled at the start and refused to re-fire, and the only other elimination in the first four minutes was that of Billy Edgington who did manage to re-fire from his stall at the beginning of the heat but five quick hits against. Two of those hits came from Darrell Andresen, the fellow Brit who put Edgington onto the injured reserve for months in the first event of the season.
Two minutes later and six-time finalist Andresen, who has a best finish of fourth place at the recent Indy Nationals, was the first of five quick exits, his coming at the hands of Jess Yates who was responsible for three of the seven hits against Andresen.
There was a two-for-one deal going for ninth and eighth places when Reggie Banks and Kenny Rose became locked together during their battle and, despite a solid hit from Jason Ingle, they were inseparable and counted out by race officials. As a result of that incident Bill Malbrough creeps in to the consolation heat along with Steven Redden, who was also counted out after Kenny Rose slammed him onto the barriers.
After the five back-to-back eliminations there was a short time to breath before the heat came to a suden halt. Fifth place finisher Ben Hadsell would have been hoping for an automatic qualification spot to the Summer International Derby final with three final appearances in his last four events, but the Frostbite winner has to go through the consolation heat after he lost a head-on with Will Thompson.
Jess Yates barely missed out on back-to-back finals after finishing fourth at the Summer Sizzler and fourth in this heat. After his hat trick of hits on Andresen, Yates became the first of two drivers blindsided in quick succession by Ricky Grimes.
Currently sitting 20.5 points behind Darryl Lozier in the championship standings Will Thompson will appear in his twelfth final with a fifth in a row. The Arizona Derby winner was a little fortunate after missing two of his intended targets in between laying two hits each on Grimes and Hadsell.
He is joined by Jason Ingle who reaches his sixth final but only has 8.5 points to show for his efforts, the points coming from the Spring Fling Derby (9th) and Lobster Nationals (tied-5th). Ingle was looking good as he finished off Andresen and Thompson but he had little chance in a one-on-one with Ricky Grimes as the latter was all over Ingle with five consecutive hits.
Grimes, moving on to just his third final of the year, almost saw his heat end as soon as it had begun with a lengthy stall leaving him wide open. But after re-firing he was relentless in his pursuit of Ingle and savage in how he attacked the runner-up on his way to a debut heat victory.
Race Result
1. Ricky Grimes
2. Jason Ingle
3. Will Thompson
4. Jess Yates
5. Ben Hadsell
6. Steven Redden
7. Bill Malbrough
8. Kenny Rose
8. Reggie Banks
10. Darrell Andresen
11. Billy Edgington
12. Randy Tondreau
Tuesday 26 February 2013
Controlled Chaos - Summer National Derby, Heat One
Summer National Derby - Atlanta, GA
Heat One
Bob Alexander, Jamie Eilers, Danny Krol, Will Murphy, Joe Ramage, John McCrory, Ed Smith, Norm Gibson, Andy Bing, Leo May, Timmy Barnes, Dick Garrett
Currently eighth in the standings Leo May enjoyed a run of form that saw him qualify for five finals in seven events, but his only final in the five events since then saw him pick up his best result, a runner-up spot at the Indy Nationals, but now May is back to the sidelines with an early exit in Atlanta. An early duel with John McCrory proved to be the undoing of both of them as May was subsequently hit by four other drivers with his day ending on a colossal hit from Andy Bing. McCrory was next out after getting stuck when the four-time finalist rebounded off of May to embed himself onto a barrier.
The return of Will Murphy was short lived as he hit Jamie Eilers twice while taking a brace of hits from both Andy Bing and Timmy Barnes with a pair of blindside hits from Joe Ramage really causing damage, and this all results in Murphy missing a third straight final for the first time this season.
Ninth place goes to Bob Alexander (6th Arizona, 10th Valentine's Day Massacre, 3rd Lobster Nationals) as Danny Krol and Dick Garrett tag-tamed him into submission, and four-time finalist Krol (4th Jersey, 3rd Sizzler) was right behind him when the five hits he dished out contributed to his own downfall.
Almost eight minutes had passed up to this point and Ed Smith earns himself another chance to break his duck and qualify for his first ever final by way of the consolation heat. Smith's exit coming from a sandwiching hit by the pairing of Bing and Garrett, and that was quickly followed by the count-out of Valentine's Day Massacre winner Joe Ramage after he stalled on contact with Eilers,
Dick Garrett laid on eight hits to four different drivers with Timmy Barnes earning three shots, Norm Gibson and Bob Alexander a pair each, but his comeuppance came at the hands of Bing who returned for a second time to finish him off. The final consolation race entrant from this heat is Timmy Barnes, the two-time finalist warring with both Eilers and Bing before an untimely stall led to his dismissal.
It's a fourth final in five events for Norm Gibson as the Lobster Nationals champion survived a pair of stalls and was also quick to free himself from a very vulnerable position against the barriers late on. It was just a case of survival as Gibson only managed to initiate contact twice when he hit both Bing and Eilers late in proceedings.
Jamie Eilers makes it back-to-back finals for the first time this season as the six-time finalist was hit just seven times in the thirteen minute heat as he prowled around the arena distributing hits to whomever left themselves open to attack, not least of all Norm Gibson who earned two hits in quick succession at the end.
That means Andy Bing qualifies for his ninth final this season on the back of his first heat victory. The man seventh in the standings makes it three finals in a row for the second time this year laying out twelve hits and, in a heat where blindside hits were all the rage, avoided a lot of trouble taking just five hits against.
Race Result
1. Andy Bing
2. Jamie Eilers
3. Norm Gibson
4. Timmy Barnes
5. Dick Garrett
6. Joe Ramage
7. Ed Smith
8. Danny Krol
9. Bob Alexander
10. Will Murphy
11. John McCrory
12. Leo May
Heat One
Bob Alexander, Jamie Eilers, Danny Krol, Will Murphy, Joe Ramage, John McCrory, Ed Smith, Norm Gibson, Andy Bing, Leo May, Timmy Barnes, Dick Garrett
Currently eighth in the standings Leo May enjoyed a run of form that saw him qualify for five finals in seven events, but his only final in the five events since then saw him pick up his best result, a runner-up spot at the Indy Nationals, but now May is back to the sidelines with an early exit in Atlanta. An early duel with John McCrory proved to be the undoing of both of them as May was subsequently hit by four other drivers with his day ending on a colossal hit from Andy Bing. McCrory was next out after getting stuck when the four-time finalist rebounded off of May to embed himself onto a barrier.
The return of Will Murphy was short lived as he hit Jamie Eilers twice while taking a brace of hits from both Andy Bing and Timmy Barnes with a pair of blindside hits from Joe Ramage really causing damage, and this all results in Murphy missing a third straight final for the first time this season.
Ninth place goes to Bob Alexander (6th Arizona, 10th Valentine's Day Massacre, 3rd Lobster Nationals) as Danny Krol and Dick Garrett tag-tamed him into submission, and four-time finalist Krol (4th Jersey, 3rd Sizzler) was right behind him when the five hits he dished out contributed to his own downfall.
Almost eight minutes had passed up to this point and Ed Smith earns himself another chance to break his duck and qualify for his first ever final by way of the consolation heat. Smith's exit coming from a sandwiching hit by the pairing of Bing and Garrett, and that was quickly followed by the count-out of Valentine's Day Massacre winner Joe Ramage after he stalled on contact with Eilers,
Dick Garrett laid on eight hits to four different drivers with Timmy Barnes earning three shots, Norm Gibson and Bob Alexander a pair each, but his comeuppance came at the hands of Bing who returned for a second time to finish him off. The final consolation race entrant from this heat is Timmy Barnes, the two-time finalist warring with both Eilers and Bing before an untimely stall led to his dismissal.
It's a fourth final in five events for Norm Gibson as the Lobster Nationals champion survived a pair of stalls and was also quick to free himself from a very vulnerable position against the barriers late on. It was just a case of survival as Gibson only managed to initiate contact twice when he hit both Bing and Eilers late in proceedings.
Jamie Eilers makes it back-to-back finals for the first time this season as the six-time finalist was hit just seven times in the thirteen minute heat as he prowled around the arena distributing hits to whomever left themselves open to attack, not least of all Norm Gibson who earned two hits in quick succession at the end.
That means Andy Bing qualifies for his ninth final this season on the back of his first heat victory. The man seventh in the standings makes it three finals in a row for the second time this year laying out twelve hits and, in a heat where blindside hits were all the rage, avoided a lot of trouble taking just five hits against.
Race Result
1. Andy Bing
2. Jamie Eilers
3. Norm Gibson
4. Timmy Barnes
5. Dick Garrett
6. Joe Ramage
7. Ed Smith
8. Danny Krol
9. Bob Alexander
10. Will Murphy
11. John McCrory
12. Leo May
Monday 25 February 2013
Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Feb 11th
Sunday 11th February 1968
The Bruins end a three game losing streak to win their twentieth match on home ice and they started out well, building a 3-0 lead in the second period with goals from Sanderson (12), Krake (8) and Mckenzie (21). McKenney (8) on the powrerplay along with Ecclestone (7) brought the St Louis Blues to within one, but another goal from McKenzie (22) before Shack (11) secured the points broke their backs. J Roberts and Barry Plager both got into third period fights with McKenzie and Green very late in the frame as the Blues went down for the third time in five.
After a missed penalty shot from G Tremblay in the final period the Canadiens still went on to score three unanswered goals for the comeback win, their thirtieth victory on the year with a 7-1-1 recent record. G Tremblay (24) could have had a hat-trick as he scored four points, but the game-winning goal came courtesy of Provost (11) as he and Backstrom (13) got the game turned right around. The Blackhawks' winning run ends at three games after blowing the 2-1 lead built up by D Hull (9) and Mohns (18).
Goals from Hannigan (16) and Angotti (11) late in the match earned Philadelphia a point but remain without a win in four straight. Minnesota took the in the first period through Balon (7) after Connelly passed him the puck for his fiftieth point this season (35G, 15A). Cullen (23) also assisted before doubling the North Stars' advantage but they end up with a league leading twelfth tie and are 1-5-2 in their last seven.
After going 2-0 up through T Hampson (5) and Prentice (17) the Detroit Red Wings conceded three straight from New York's Nevin (19) and a pair from Gilbert (23); Ratelle assisting on both. It wasn't enough for the Rangers though as Howe (30) and Delvecchio (15) round out three and two point nights respectively, the latter scoring his first game winner of the year. Bergman (14) added a fifth into an empty net for his own multi-point game as Detroit earns a seventh win in nine.
It's just two wins in eleven for the visitors and Oakland tried to come out with the rough stuff but T Pratt's fight with Toronto's Horton only inspired the Leafs to score first through F Mahovlich (21); his first of two on the night with the second period game winner still to come. Stemkowski (7) and Oliver (12) kept the hosts ahead as the Seals failed to keep pace with their goals from Cahan (6) shorthanded and Brenneman (12).
StL Hall (16-13-6 .893) 41/46, Powerplay 1/1
BOS Cheevers (18-13-3 .892) 21/23, Powerplay 0/1
MON Vashon (14-7-1 .904) 26/28, Powerplay 1/1
CHI DeJordy (19-11-5 .899) 32/36, Powerplay 1/6
PHI Favell (9-8-2 .903) 24/26, Powerplay 0/0
MIN Bauman (6-6-4 .891) 20/22, Powerplay 0/5
DET Crozier (13-3-1 .912) 36/39, Powerplay 0/0
NYR Giacomin (16-24-6 .888) 32/36, Powerplay 0/0
TOR Bower (18-11-2 .912) 23/25, Powerplay 1/9
OAK Hodge (12-23-7 .895) 20/23, Powerplay 0/3
The Bruins end a three game losing streak to win their twentieth match on home ice and they started out well, building a 3-0 lead in the second period with goals from Sanderson (12), Krake (8) and Mckenzie (21). McKenney (8) on the powrerplay along with Ecclestone (7) brought the St Louis Blues to within one, but another goal from McKenzie (22) before Shack (11) secured the points broke their backs. J Roberts and Barry Plager both got into third period fights with McKenzie and Green very late in the frame as the Blues went down for the third time in five.
After a missed penalty shot from G Tremblay in the final period the Canadiens still went on to score three unanswered goals for the comeback win, their thirtieth victory on the year with a 7-1-1 recent record. G Tremblay (24) could have had a hat-trick as he scored four points, but the game-winning goal came courtesy of Provost (11) as he and Backstrom (13) got the game turned right around. The Blackhawks' winning run ends at three games after blowing the 2-1 lead built up by D Hull (9) and Mohns (18).
Goals from Hannigan (16) and Angotti (11) late in the match earned Philadelphia a point but remain without a win in four straight. Minnesota took the in the first period through Balon (7) after Connelly passed him the puck for his fiftieth point this season (35G, 15A). Cullen (23) also assisted before doubling the North Stars' advantage but they end up with a league leading twelfth tie and are 1-5-2 in their last seven.
After going 2-0 up through T Hampson (5) and Prentice (17) the Detroit Red Wings conceded three straight from New York's Nevin (19) and a pair from Gilbert (23); Ratelle assisting on both. It wasn't enough for the Rangers though as Howe (30) and Delvecchio (15) round out three and two point nights respectively, the latter scoring his first game winner of the year. Bergman (14) added a fifth into an empty net for his own multi-point game as Detroit earns a seventh win in nine.
It's just two wins in eleven for the visitors and Oakland tried to come out with the rough stuff but T Pratt's fight with Toronto's Horton only inspired the Leafs to score first through F Mahovlich (21); his first of two on the night with the second period game winner still to come. Stemkowski (7) and Oliver (12) kept the hosts ahead as the Seals failed to keep pace with their goals from Cahan (6) shorthanded and Brenneman (12).
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| StL | @ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| BOS | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
StL Hall (16-13-6 .893) 41/46, Powerplay 1/1
BOS Cheevers (18-13-3 .892) 21/23, Powerplay 0/1
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| MON | @ | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| CHI | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
MON Vashon (14-7-1 .904) 26/28, Powerplay 1/1
CHI DeJordy (19-11-5 .899) 32/36, Powerplay 1/6
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| PHI | @ | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| MIN | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
PHI Favell (9-8-2 .903) 24/26, Powerplay 0/0
MIN Bauman (6-6-4 .891) 20/22, Powerplay 0/5
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| DET | @ | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| NYR | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
DET Crozier (13-3-1 .912) 36/39, Powerplay 0/0
NYR Giacomin (16-24-6 .888) 32/36, Powerplay 0/0
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| TOR | @ | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| OAK | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
TOR Bower (18-11-2 .912) 23/25, Powerplay 1/9
OAK Hodge (12-23-7 .895) 20/23, Powerplay 0/3
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | |||
| Montreal Canadiens | 53 | 30 | 17 | 6 | 66 | |||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 52 | 29 | 18 | 5 | 63 | |||
| Boston Bruins | 54 | 28 | 20 | 6 | 62 | |||
| Detroit Red Wings | 54 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 59 | |||
| Chicago Blackhawks | 55 | 24 | 25 | 6 | 54 | |||
| New York Rangers | 53 | 20 | 24 | 9 | 49 | |||
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | |||
| St Louis Blues | 52 | 24 | 19 | 9 | 57 | |||
| Philadelphia Flyers | 53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 | |||
| Minnesota North Stars | 53 | 19 | 22 | 12 | 50 | |||
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 53 | 17 | 25 | 11 | 45 | |||
| Los Angeles Kings | 53 | 19 | 27 | 7 | 45 | |||
| Oakland Seals | 55 | 14 | 31 | 10 | 38 |
Controlled Chaos - Summer National Derby Preview
With the game no longer available at Downey Games, creator Joe Bryan has uploaded the Controlled Chaos game and it's expansions on his sports replay website for free - Sideline Strategy. Basho Fury is also available for free.
Runner-up in the Arizona Derby Sam Harbin misses out on the trip to Atlanta with a minor injury picked up in the previous round, but eight-time finalist Will Murphy returns after his absence at the Summer Sizzler; Kenny Rose, who finished last in the finals at the Ides of March and Lobster Nationals events, is Harbin's replacement while Don Davis who finished seventh at the Sizzler makes way for Murphy.
After winning his first event in Memphis Jamie Eilers goes in the first heat along with Joe Ramage, Andy Bing, Leo May, and the returning Will Murphy as five of the top ten in the standings go head-to-head against Lobster Nationals victor Norm Gibson.
The second heat pits Frostbite Winter Nationals champion Ben Hadsell against the man joint second in the standings Will Thompson and tenth place Steven Redden in a heat largely consisting of this seasons' also-rans.
The third and final heat of the day has championship leader Darryl Lozier looking to get back on track after missing his first final in eight events in Memphis and he will have to go through the other second place man Scott Hutchins along with Tom Gariepy who sits in sixth spot.
Runner-up in the Arizona Derby Sam Harbin misses out on the trip to Atlanta with a minor injury picked up in the previous round, but eight-time finalist Will Murphy returns after his absence at the Summer Sizzler; Kenny Rose, who finished last in the finals at the Ides of March and Lobster Nationals events, is Harbin's replacement while Don Davis who finished seventh at the Sizzler makes way for Murphy.
After winning his first event in Memphis Jamie Eilers goes in the first heat along with Joe Ramage, Andy Bing, Leo May, and the returning Will Murphy as five of the top ten in the standings go head-to-head against Lobster Nationals victor Norm Gibson.
The second heat pits Frostbite Winter Nationals champion Ben Hadsell against the man joint second in the standings Will Thompson and tenth place Steven Redden in a heat largely consisting of this seasons' also-rans.
The third and final heat of the day has championship leader Darryl Lozier looking to get back on track after missing his first final in eight events in Memphis and he will have to go through the other second place man Scott Hutchins along with Tom Gariepy who sits in sixth spot.
Sunday 24 February 2013
Controlled Chaos - Summer Sizzler Standings
Darryl Lozier's lead remains strong despite missing just his third final all year, and Will Thompson's runner-up spot propels him to tie for second place along with Scott Hutchins who could only manage eighth in Memphis. Summer Sizzler champion Jamie Eilers proves that quality rather than quantity can earn it's own rewards with just five finals to his name but three of them ending no worse than second place.
| Name | Pts | Derby Wins | Heat Wins |
| Darryl Lozier | 111.5 | 3 | 2 |
| Will Thompson | 91 | 1 | 3 |
| Scott Hutchens | 91 | 1 | 2 |
| Joe Ramage | 84 | 1 | |
| Will Murphy | 81 | 2 | |
| Tom Gariepy | 70.5 | 1 | |
| Andy Bing | 67 | 2 | |
| Leo May | 59 | 3 | |
| Jamie Eilers | 57 | 1 | 1 |
| Steven Redden | 49.5 | 1 | |
| Ben Hadsell | 45 | 1 | 3 |
| Lynne Higgins | 38 | 1 | |
| Rob Remaley | 34 | 1 | |
| John Ruiz | 29 | 1 | 2 |
| Chris Henton | 28 | 1 | 1 |
| Danny Krol | 27 | 2 | |
| Dick Garrett | 27 | 1 | |
| Norm Gibson | 25 | 1 | |
| Bobby Gallagher | 25 | 1 | |
| Darrell Andresen | 24 | 3 | |
| Randy Corson | 23 | 2 | |
| Don Davis | 23 | 2 | |
| Bob Alexander | 20 | 2 | |
| Jess Yates | 20 | 2 | |
| Sam Harbin | 20 | ||
| John McCrory | 20 | ||
| Timmy Barnes | 11 | 1 | |
| Ricky Grimes | 10 | ||
| Jason Ingle | 8.5 | ||
| Matt Welliver | 8 | 2 | |
| Randy Tondreau | 6 | ||
| Charlie Clayton | 5 | ||
| Philip Ruffin | 5 | ||
| Kenny Rose | 0 |
Saturday 23 February 2013
Player of the Game Hockey - NHL1967/68, Feb 10th
Saturday 10th February 1968
Boston continue to be streaky with three losses followed by three wins and now a third consecutive loss despite McKenzie (20) scoring the games first goal, but Detroit had a first period weapon in Howe as he assisted on goals from Prentice (16) and K Douglas (6) before dropping the gloves against Doak two minutes from the intermission. The Red Wings are just three points behind the Bruins thanks to goals from P Mahovlich (15) and Henderson (12) scoring the game winning goal with a man advantage 1:34 into the final period; they cancelled out the efforts of Esposito (23) and Bucyk (29) for a sixth Wings victory in eight games.
Another three points back of Detroit are the Chicago Blackhawks who manage to string together three wins for the first time the turn of the year where they took four on the trot. It was tied at 2-2 going into the final period with Mikita (32) and W Maki (7) giving the visitors a 2-0 beofre G Tremblay (22) and Provost (10) set each other up, with Backstrom also assisting on both goals, to bring Montreal level. In the third period R Hull (26) scored twice, including his seventh game winning goal of the season, to condemn the Canadiens to their first loss in eight, third in eighteen, and reduce their home ice record to a still impressive 21-5-2.
Minnesota are winless in four games with a single victory in the last six as their only goal comes at 1:35 of the second period when Balon put in Cullen (22) to reduce Oakland's advantage to 2-1. Erickson (4) had already put the Seals up by two and Hicke's (20) fourth game winner, making him the first Seal to ever score twenty goals; Ehman is second on the team with a distant fourteen tallies. Swarbrick (10) and Boyer (9) wrapped up the win as Oakland continue to play better with a recent record of 2-1-1.
After six without a victory it's back-to-back joy for New York with Ratelle (22) scoring twice to add to goals from Hadfield (14), Goyette (17) and Fleming (11). Pittsburgh suffer a fifth loss in seven despite Schinkel (9) and Ubriaco (7) putting the Penguins up 2-1 after one period.
It was a complete goaltending duel until 3:47 of the third period where J Roberts (15) scored what would be the game winner for St Louis before assisting on Cameron's (5) goal just 1:28 later. Philadelphia endue an eleventh defeat in their last fifteen outings with a third straight loss as they failed to find a way past Martin who earned his first shutout stopping nineteen shots to push the Blues to a six point lead over the Flyers with a sixth win in nine games; all victories coming in back-to-back games.
BOS Johnston (10-7-3 .884) 38/42, Powerplay 0/5
DET Edwards (11-18-4 .891) 24/27, Powerplay 1/3
CHI D Dryden (5-13-1 .883) 22/24, Powerplay 1/3
MON Worsley (14-10-5 .915) 28/32, Powerplay 0/3
MIN Maniago (14-16-7 .902) 32/37, Powerplay 0/1
OAK Hodge (12-22-7 .896) 23/24, Powerplay 0/0
NYR Simmons (4-0-3 .916) 26/28, Powerplay 1/3
PIT Binkley (10-15-7 .907) 22/27, Powerplay 1/4
PHI Parent (14-16-4 .894) 24/26, Powerplay 0/1
StL Martin (8-6-3 .904) 19/19, Powerplay 0/2
Boston continue to be streaky with three losses followed by three wins and now a third consecutive loss despite McKenzie (20) scoring the games first goal, but Detroit had a first period weapon in Howe as he assisted on goals from Prentice (16) and K Douglas (6) before dropping the gloves against Doak two minutes from the intermission. The Red Wings are just three points behind the Bruins thanks to goals from P Mahovlich (15) and Henderson (12) scoring the game winning goal with a man advantage 1:34 into the final period; they cancelled out the efforts of Esposito (23) and Bucyk (29) for a sixth Wings victory in eight games.
Another three points back of Detroit are the Chicago Blackhawks who manage to string together three wins for the first time the turn of the year where they took four on the trot. It was tied at 2-2 going into the final period with Mikita (32) and W Maki (7) giving the visitors a 2-0 beofre G Tremblay (22) and Provost (10) set each other up, with Backstrom also assisting on both goals, to bring Montreal level. In the third period R Hull (26) scored twice, including his seventh game winning goal of the season, to condemn the Canadiens to their first loss in eight, third in eighteen, and reduce their home ice record to a still impressive 21-5-2.
Minnesota are winless in four games with a single victory in the last six as their only goal comes at 1:35 of the second period when Balon put in Cullen (22) to reduce Oakland's advantage to 2-1. Erickson (4) had already put the Seals up by two and Hicke's (20) fourth game winner, making him the first Seal to ever score twenty goals; Ehman is second on the team with a distant fourteen tallies. Swarbrick (10) and Boyer (9) wrapped up the win as Oakland continue to play better with a recent record of 2-1-1.
After six without a victory it's back-to-back joy for New York with Ratelle (22) scoring twice to add to goals from Hadfield (14), Goyette (17) and Fleming (11). Pittsburgh suffer a fifth loss in seven despite Schinkel (9) and Ubriaco (7) putting the Penguins up 2-1 after one period.
It was a complete goaltending duel until 3:47 of the third period where J Roberts (15) scored what would be the game winner for St Louis before assisting on Cameron's (5) goal just 1:28 later. Philadelphia endue an eleventh defeat in their last fifteen outings with a third straight loss as they failed to find a way past Martin who earned his first shutout stopping nineteen shots to push the Blues to a six point lead over the Flyers with a sixth win in nine games; all victories coming in back-to-back games.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| BOS | @ | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| DET | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
BOS Johnston (10-7-3 .884) 38/42, Powerplay 0/5
DET Edwards (11-18-4 .891) 24/27, Powerplay 1/3
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| CHI | @ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| MON | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
CHI D Dryden (5-13-1 .883) 22/24, Powerplay 1/3
MON Worsley (14-10-5 .915) 28/32, Powerplay 0/3
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| MIN | @ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| OAK | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
MIN Maniago (14-16-7 .902) 32/37, Powerplay 0/1
OAK Hodge (12-22-7 .896) 23/24, Powerplay 0/0
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| NYR | @ | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| PIT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
NYR Simmons (4-0-3 .916) 26/28, Powerplay 1/3
PIT Binkley (10-15-7 .907) 22/27, Powerplay 1/4
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| PHI | @ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| StL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
PHI Parent (14-16-4 .894) 24/26, Powerplay 0/1
StL Martin (8-6-3 .904) 19/19, Powerplay 0/2
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts |
| Montreal Canadiens | 52 | 29 | 17 | 6 | 64 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 51 | 28 | 18 | 5 | 61 |
| Boston Bruins | 53 | 27 | 20 | 6 | 60 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 53 | 26 | 22 | 5 | 57 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 54 | 24 | 24 | 6 | 54 |
| New York Rangers | 52 | 20 | 23 | 9 | 49 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts |
| St Louis Blues | 51 | 24 | 18 | 9 | 57 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 52 | 23 | 24 | 5 | 51 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 52 | 19 | 22 | 11 | 49 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 53 | 17 | 25 | 11 | 45 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 53 | 19 | 27 | 7 | 45 |
| Oakland Seals | 54 | 14 | 30 | 10 | 38 |
Controlled Chaos - Summer Sizzler Final
Summer Sizzler - Memphis, TN
Final
Ben Hadsell, Scott Hutchins, Jess Yates, Chris Henton, Don Davis, Matt Welliver, Danny Krol, Jamie Eilers, Steven Redden, Lynne Higgins, Andy Bing, Will Thompson
The fourteenth final of the season began with a disqualification for Matt Welliver who ends his sixth final of the year with a bad hit on Danny Krol, and Andy Bing also leaves without a point to his name for an eleventh place finish, his worst result since he finished twelfth in both the Arizona Derby and Tampa Open at the start of the season.
With the pack starting to thin Chris Henton suddenly became a popular target with Hutchins, Yates and Redden all making their presence felt before Frostbite Winter Nationals victor Ben Hadsell, in his sixth final, fell by the wayside after surviving a tough stall and having Will Thompson clobber him.
This started a sequence of seven quick eliminations and, with championship leader Darryl Lozier not competing, it was a missed opportunity for Seattle Derby winner Scott Hutchins to only come away with three points in his eighth final, all of them coming in the past nine events.
Alternate driver Don Davis (12th Valentine's Day Massacre, 2nd Jersey Derby) ends in seventh place to move up a few places in the standings, taking four late hits from the remaining pack, and Steven Redden takes his third sixth place finish of the year (Frostbite, Wisconsin) after he lost a battle with Lynne Higgins.
Higgins is able to finish in the top five for a fourth time this season, her sixth final of the year almost coming to an end most prematurely with a stall at the very start, but she was able to re-fire and suffer just four hits against as she struck Bing, Redden and Hutchins once each.
Jess Yates, whose previous final results were eighth in Arizona and seventh in Jersey, takes a good fourth place finish and was only stopped by the return of Will Thompson who came back for more after as early hit to leave three competitors, Thompson the only one to have won an event before (Arizona) but Jamie Eilers was the bridesmaid twice before, leaving Danny Krol with his best result of the season after a fourth place at the Big Apple Smash Up.
Krol hit six different opponents while taking four against, the shot on his blindside by Jamie Eilers proving fatal, and that left both Eilers and Thompson in a real fight to the finish. Thompson though would shoot up to tie Scott Hutchins for second in the standings with his second podium of the year. Winner in Arizona Thompson finished in the top five in four of the first five events but would only equal this feat once (5th Big Apple Smash Up) before today.
This means Jamie Eilers takes his debut victory, the eleventh different driver to win out this season, and rocket up into the top ten. His first two qualifications of the season at Frostbite and Ides of March resulted in him finishing second place both times. He then finished seventh at the Idaho Invitational before a ninth place result at the Big Apple Smash Up. His fifth final of the year, almost going pear shaped after his war on Scott Hutchins when he missed his next target, came to a positive end thanks to his three big hits on Will Thompson at the end.
Race Result
1. Jamie Eilers
2. Will Thompson
3. Danny Krol
4. Chris Henton
5. Lynne Higgins
6. Steven Redden
7. Don Davis
8. Scott Hutchins
9. Ben Hadsell
10. Chris Henton
11. Andy Bing
12. Matt Welliver
Final
Ben Hadsell, Scott Hutchins, Jess Yates, Chris Henton, Don Davis, Matt Welliver, Danny Krol, Jamie Eilers, Steven Redden, Lynne Higgins, Andy Bing, Will Thompson
The fourteenth final of the season began with a disqualification for Matt Welliver who ends his sixth final of the year with a bad hit on Danny Krol, and Andy Bing also leaves without a point to his name for an eleventh place finish, his worst result since he finished twelfth in both the Arizona Derby and Tampa Open at the start of the season.
With the pack starting to thin Chris Henton suddenly became a popular target with Hutchins, Yates and Redden all making their presence felt before Frostbite Winter Nationals victor Ben Hadsell, in his sixth final, fell by the wayside after surviving a tough stall and having Will Thompson clobber him.
This started a sequence of seven quick eliminations and, with championship leader Darryl Lozier not competing, it was a missed opportunity for Seattle Derby winner Scott Hutchins to only come away with three points in his eighth final, all of them coming in the past nine events.
Alternate driver Don Davis (12th Valentine's Day Massacre, 2nd Jersey Derby) ends in seventh place to move up a few places in the standings, taking four late hits from the remaining pack, and Steven Redden takes his third sixth place finish of the year (Frostbite, Wisconsin) after he lost a battle with Lynne Higgins.
Higgins is able to finish in the top five for a fourth time this season, her sixth final of the year almost coming to an end most prematurely with a stall at the very start, but she was able to re-fire and suffer just four hits against as she struck Bing, Redden and Hutchins once each.
Jess Yates, whose previous final results were eighth in Arizona and seventh in Jersey, takes a good fourth place finish and was only stopped by the return of Will Thompson who came back for more after as early hit to leave three competitors, Thompson the only one to have won an event before (Arizona) but Jamie Eilers was the bridesmaid twice before, leaving Danny Krol with his best result of the season after a fourth place at the Big Apple Smash Up.
Krol hit six different opponents while taking four against, the shot on his blindside by Jamie Eilers proving fatal, and that left both Eilers and Thompson in a real fight to the finish. Thompson though would shoot up to tie Scott Hutchins for second in the standings with his second podium of the year. Winner in Arizona Thompson finished in the top five in four of the first five events but would only equal this feat once (5th Big Apple Smash Up) before today.
This means Jamie Eilers takes his debut victory, the eleventh different driver to win out this season, and rocket up into the top ten. His first two qualifications of the season at Frostbite and Ides of March resulted in him finishing second place both times. He then finished seventh at the Idaho Invitational before a ninth place result at the Big Apple Smash Up. His fifth final of the year, almost going pear shaped after his war on Scott Hutchins when he missed his next target, came to a positive end thanks to his three big hits on Will Thompson at the end.
Race Result
1. Jamie Eilers
2. Will Thompson
3. Danny Krol
4. Chris Henton
5. Lynne Higgins
6. Steven Redden
7. Don Davis
8. Scott Hutchins
9. Ben Hadsell
10. Chris Henton
11. Andy Bing
12. Matt Welliver
Friday 22 February 2013
Controlled Chaos - Summer Sizzler, Consolation Heat
Summer Sizzler - Memphis, TN
Consolation Heat
Darrell Andresen, Timmy Barnes, Reggie Banks, Bambi Rogers, Dick Garrett, John Ruiz, Randy Tondreau, Chris Henton, Jason Ingle, Darryl Lozier, Lynne Higgins, Andy Bing
It took barely seven minutes for the consolation heat to reach it's conclusion with Reggie Banks and John Ruiz the first to be eliminated at the three minute mark. Banks' hit on Bambi Rogers proving to be a bad call as he finished the job on himself that was started by Chris Henton, and the poor form of John Ruiz continues with a fourth straight event without an appearance in the final; Randy Tondreau and Darryl Lozier making him the filling of a Canadian sandwich.
Darrell Andresen fails to make it three finals in a row after his eighth and fourth place finishes in the Lobster and Indy Nationals respectively, but it was a surprise he lasted as long as he did with seven hits against him, three of them coming from Rogers and Bing each.
Jason Ingle (tied-5th Lobster) misses out on a fifth final in eight events after reaching one (12th Frostbite) in his first six, his avoidance skills lasting a few minutes before Timmy Barnes, Henton and Lynne Higgins all caught onto his game and teamed up to destroy his chances. He is joined on the sidelines by seventh place Darryl Lozier, the eleven-time finalist and winner of three (Tampa Open, Jersey Derby, Big Apple Smash Up) misses his first final since the Wisconsin Invitational eight weeks ago, despite coming into the second chance heat well prepared, with the aforementioned Ingle hitting him twice along with Darrell Andresen.
Timmy Barnes (12th Spring Fling Derby, 4th Big Apple Smash Up) became stuck on the scenery just before the finale of the heat where Dick Garrett (5th Seattle Derby) missed out on his sixth final and the chance for a fifth top seven finish, and Bambi Rogers was seconds away from her final debut; her rampages over Andresen then Garrett ending at the hands of Andy Bing who struck her while stalled.
Chris Henton makes it to his first final since reaching three in a row (18th Idaho Invitational, 8th Seattle, 10th Jersey) but it nearly didn't happen when he was struck down by a lengthy stall while battling it out with Garrett. He will be joined by Lynne Higgins who, in her sixth final and first in six events, will be looking to add to her top five record (Arizona Derby, Valentine's Day Massacre, Spring Fling), and Andy Bing who has finished no worse than second in his last three events, winning both the Idaho Invitational and Indy Nationals.
Race Result
Q. Chris Henton
Q. Lynne Higgins
Q. Andy Bing
4. Bambi Rogers
5. Dick Garrett
6. Timmy Barnes
7. Darryl Lozier
8. Jason Ingle
9. Darrell Andresen
10. Randy Tondreau
11. John Ruiz
12. Reggie Banks
Consolation Heat
Darrell Andresen, Timmy Barnes, Reggie Banks, Bambi Rogers, Dick Garrett, John Ruiz, Randy Tondreau, Chris Henton, Jason Ingle, Darryl Lozier, Lynne Higgins, Andy Bing
It took barely seven minutes for the consolation heat to reach it's conclusion with Reggie Banks and John Ruiz the first to be eliminated at the three minute mark. Banks' hit on Bambi Rogers proving to be a bad call as he finished the job on himself that was started by Chris Henton, and the poor form of John Ruiz continues with a fourth straight event without an appearance in the final; Randy Tondreau and Darryl Lozier making him the filling of a Canadian sandwich.
Darrell Andresen fails to make it three finals in a row after his eighth and fourth place finishes in the Lobster and Indy Nationals respectively, but it was a surprise he lasted as long as he did with seven hits against him, three of them coming from Rogers and Bing each.
Jason Ingle (tied-5th Lobster) misses out on a fifth final in eight events after reaching one (12th Frostbite) in his first six, his avoidance skills lasting a few minutes before Timmy Barnes, Henton and Lynne Higgins all caught onto his game and teamed up to destroy his chances. He is joined on the sidelines by seventh place Darryl Lozier, the eleven-time finalist and winner of three (Tampa Open, Jersey Derby, Big Apple Smash Up) misses his first final since the Wisconsin Invitational eight weeks ago, despite coming into the second chance heat well prepared, with the aforementioned Ingle hitting him twice along with Darrell Andresen.
Timmy Barnes (12th Spring Fling Derby, 4th Big Apple Smash Up) became stuck on the scenery just before the finale of the heat where Dick Garrett (5th Seattle Derby) missed out on his sixth final and the chance for a fifth top seven finish, and Bambi Rogers was seconds away from her final debut; her rampages over Andresen then Garrett ending at the hands of Andy Bing who struck her while stalled.
Chris Henton makes it to his first final since reaching three in a row (18th Idaho Invitational, 8th Seattle, 10th Jersey) but it nearly didn't happen when he was struck down by a lengthy stall while battling it out with Garrett. He will be joined by Lynne Higgins who, in her sixth final and first in six events, will be looking to add to her top five record (Arizona Derby, Valentine's Day Massacre, Spring Fling), and Andy Bing who has finished no worse than second in his last three events, winning both the Idaho Invitational and Indy Nationals.
Race Result
Q. Chris Henton
Q. Lynne Higgins
Q. Andy Bing
4. Bambi Rogers
5. Dick Garrett
6. Timmy Barnes
7. Darryl Lozier
8. Jason Ingle
9. Darrell Andresen
10. Randy Tondreau
11. John Ruiz
12. Reggie Banks
Thursday 21 February 2013
Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Feb 8th
Thursday 8th February 1968
He now has fifty-one points this season and Gilbert's (21) goal and two assists today helped the Rangers to their first win in seven as he and Hadfield (13), who also had a multi-point game, gave New York a 3-0 lead in the second period. Henry (5) and Nevin (18) added later goals after Detroit, losing their second game in the last four, came back through Prentice (15), Howe (29) and F Smith (25).
Pittsburgh are once again tied with Los Angeles for that final playoff spot in the West as they lose for the fourth time in six games, only Dea (8) scoring at 10:43 of the third period for the Penguins at 10:43 of the final period to avoid the shutout. The Kings held a 5-0 lead until that part with two goals from Irvine (9), a goal and assist from B Smith (14) with White (7) adding to H Hughes' (5) game winner to give LA their first back-to-back in ten games.
NYR Giacomin (16-23-6 .888) 22/25, Powerplay 0/0
DET Edwards (10-18-4 .892) 32/37, Powerplay 0/0
PIT Binkley (10-14-7 .910) 32/37, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Sawchuk (5-11-4 .892) 20/21, Powerplay 1/2
He now has fifty-one points this season and Gilbert's (21) goal and two assists today helped the Rangers to their first win in seven as he and Hadfield (13), who also had a multi-point game, gave New York a 3-0 lead in the second period. Henry (5) and Nevin (18) added later goals after Detroit, losing their second game in the last four, came back through Prentice (15), Howe (29) and F Smith (25).
Pittsburgh are once again tied with Los Angeles for that final playoff spot in the West as they lose for the fourth time in six games, only Dea (8) scoring at 10:43 of the third period for the Penguins at 10:43 of the final period to avoid the shutout. The Kings held a 5-0 lead until that part with two goals from Irvine (9), a goal and assist from B Smith (14) with White (7) adding to H Hughes' (5) game winner to give LA their first back-to-back in ten games.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| NYR | @ | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| DET | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
NYR Giacomin (16-23-6 .888) 22/25, Powerplay 0/0
DET Edwards (10-18-4 .892) 32/37, Powerplay 0/0
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| PIT | @ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| LAK | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
PIT Binkley (10-14-7 .910) 32/37, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Sawchuk (5-11-4 .892) 20/21, Powerplay 1/2
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts |
| Montreal Canadiens | 51 | 29 | 16 | 6 | 64 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 51 | 28 | 18 | 5 | 61 |
| Boston Bruins | 52 | 27 | 19 | 6 | 60 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 52 | 25 | 22 | 5 | 55 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 |
| New York Rangers | 51 | 19 | 23 | 9 | 47 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts |
| St Louis Blues | 50 | 23 | 18 | 9 | 55 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 51 | 23 | 23 | 5 | 51 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 51 | 19 | 21 | 11 | 49 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 52 | 17 | 24 | 11 | 45 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 53 | 19 | 27 | 7 | 45 |
| Oakland Seals | 53 | 13 | 30 | 10 | 36 |
Controleld Chaos - Summer Sizzler, Heat Three
Summer Sizzler - Memphis, TN
Heat Three
Jess Yates, Dick Garrett, Phillip Ruffin, Ricky Grimes, Ben Hadsell, Leo May, Sam Harbin, Randy Tondreau, John Ruiz, Rob Remaley, Scott Hutchins, Darrell Andresen
Five-time finalist and runner-up way back at the Arizona Derby Sam Harbin had a short run today as he was blindsided by Randy Tondreau at the very start. The heat was halted so medics could attend to Harbin and looks certain to miss some time through injury.
Rob Remaley (3rd Ides of March, 4th Seattle Derby) misses out on an eighth final with six hits taking their toll on him, five of which coming in the opening minute as he was bounced around by the pack, and his dismissal is quickly followed by the elimination of Phillip Ruffin (9th Ides, 8th Big Apple Smash Up) after his collisions with five other vehicles, four of which were initiated by Ruffinbefore his finla hit on Dick Garrett resulted in a disqualification.
Runner-up at the recent Indy Nationals, Leo May (4th Wisconsin Invitational, 4th Idaho Invitational) misses out on an eighth final through fourteen events with a similar story to Ruffin's, and he will watch the rest of the event along with Ricky Grimes (11th Spring Fling Derby, 3rd Jersey Derby) who missed two targets in quick succession, propelling him into the barriers.
Six-time finalist Darrell Andresen, who finished a season best fourth at Speedway last week, also missed a pair of targets but survived to continue long enough for qualification into the consolation heat along with Dick Garrett who is seeking back-to-back finals for the third time this year. Garrett re-fired an early stall and went for Andresen in a big way with three hits while Jess Yates tailed him for two minutes, inflicting his own damage on the sixth place finisher.
Ides of March winner and five-time finalist John Ruiz enters the second chance race after missing three straight finals, his dismissal coming courtesy of two blindside hits by Scott Hutchins before a triple-shot by Yates, Garrett and Ben Hadsell eventually slowed him to a halt, and Randy Tondreau (6th Tampa Open) looks to improve with just three final appearances this year but not before leaving his mark on Hadsell who took a pair of big hits on his blindside.
Ben Hadsell would not last much longer, the Frostbite Winter Nationals champion reaching his sixth final of the year, Yates finishing off what Tondreau and Leo May had started with their blindside hits, and Scott Hutchins makes it seven finals in a row, the man second in the championship standings missing out on two points thanks to a late stall.
That leaves Jess Yates (8th Arizona, 7th Jersey) taking his second heat win this season, mowing through Remaley and Garrett before sneaking around the arena to avoid a lot of trouble and picking his spots carefully.
Race Result
1. Jess Yates
2. Scott Hutchins
3. Ben Hadsell
4. Randy Tondreau
5. John Ruiz
6. Dick Garrett
7. Darrell Andresen
8. Ricky Grimes
9. Leo May
10. Phillip Ruffin
11. Rob Remaley
12. Sam Harbin
Heat Three
Jess Yates, Dick Garrett, Phillip Ruffin, Ricky Grimes, Ben Hadsell, Leo May, Sam Harbin, Randy Tondreau, John Ruiz, Rob Remaley, Scott Hutchins, Darrell Andresen
Five-time finalist and runner-up way back at the Arizona Derby Sam Harbin had a short run today as he was blindsided by Randy Tondreau at the very start. The heat was halted so medics could attend to Harbin and looks certain to miss some time through injury.
Rob Remaley (3rd Ides of March, 4th Seattle Derby) misses out on an eighth final with six hits taking their toll on him, five of which coming in the opening minute as he was bounced around by the pack, and his dismissal is quickly followed by the elimination of Phillip Ruffin (9th Ides, 8th Big Apple Smash Up) after his collisions with five other vehicles, four of which were initiated by Ruffinbefore his finla hit on Dick Garrett resulted in a disqualification.
Runner-up at the recent Indy Nationals, Leo May (4th Wisconsin Invitational, 4th Idaho Invitational) misses out on an eighth final through fourteen events with a similar story to Ruffin's, and he will watch the rest of the event along with Ricky Grimes (11th Spring Fling Derby, 3rd Jersey Derby) who missed two targets in quick succession, propelling him into the barriers.
Six-time finalist Darrell Andresen, who finished a season best fourth at Speedway last week, also missed a pair of targets but survived to continue long enough for qualification into the consolation heat along with Dick Garrett who is seeking back-to-back finals for the third time this year. Garrett re-fired an early stall and went for Andresen in a big way with three hits while Jess Yates tailed him for two minutes, inflicting his own damage on the sixth place finisher.
Ides of March winner and five-time finalist John Ruiz enters the second chance race after missing three straight finals, his dismissal coming courtesy of two blindside hits by Scott Hutchins before a triple-shot by Yates, Garrett and Ben Hadsell eventually slowed him to a halt, and Randy Tondreau (6th Tampa Open) looks to improve with just three final appearances this year but not before leaving his mark on Hadsell who took a pair of big hits on his blindside.
Ben Hadsell would not last much longer, the Frostbite Winter Nationals champion reaching his sixth final of the year, Yates finishing off what Tondreau and Leo May had started with their blindside hits, and Scott Hutchins makes it seven finals in a row, the man second in the championship standings missing out on two points thanks to a late stall.
That leaves Jess Yates (8th Arizona, 7th Jersey) taking his second heat win this season, mowing through Remaley and Garrett before sneaking around the arena to avoid a lot of trouble and picking his spots carefully.
Race Result
1. Jess Yates
2. Scott Hutchins
3. Ben Hadsell
4. Randy Tondreau
5. John Ruiz
6. Dick Garrett
7. Darrell Andresen
8. Ricky Grimes
9. Leo May
10. Phillip Ruffin
11. Rob Remaley
12. Sam Harbin
Wednesday 20 February 2013
Controlled Chaos - Summer Sizzler, Heat Two
Summer Sizzler - Memphis, TN
Heat Two
John McCrory, Danny Krol, Matt Welliver, Joe Ramage, Bill Malbrough, Chris Henton, Reggie Banks, Billy Edgington, Timmy Barnes, Bambi Rogers, Tom Gariepy, Jamie Eilers,
With four of the remaining six drivers who have yet to feature in an event final it was surely a safe bet that one of them could make it this time. Right? The first of this exclusive group, Ed Smith who finished last in the opening heat and Tommy Miller the other two, was out in another long start to the race as Billy Edgington was finally put down at the eight minute mark when Bambi Rogers and Tom Gariepy sandwiched him.
This started a chain where twelve became three in the space of just two minutes, and next to go was John McCrory (3rd Spring Fling, 5th Indy) as the four-time finalist took nine hits, five of them coming when he was trapped against the wall.
Joe Ramage's return from injury was short lived when the Valentine's Day Massacre winner and three-time runner-up lost in a long battle with Bill Malbrough, and fellow title contender Tom Gariepy was right behind him when he initiated contact with Timmy Barnes for his ninth delivered hit of the day and the man who finished runner-up behind Ramage at VDM before going on to win the Wisconsin Invitationaldeflected himself straight into the path of Bambi Rogers going full speed for a crunching hit.
Bill Malbrough is the second of the final-less group to be eliminated as he finishes in the unlucky spot of eighth thanks to an ill-timed hit on Danny Krol that took the Canadian out instead, leaving Bambi Rogers to claim seventh place and move on into the consolation heat. After taking two early hits from Ramage, Rogers was able to evade a lot of traffic until Jamie Eilers delivered a fatal blow to her vehicle.
Timmy Barnes also qualified for the second chance after he finished the heat in sixth place, a lengthy stall was re-fired but his joy was short lived as a foursome of drivers all had him lined up for a brutal finish, and Spring Fling Derby champion Chris Henton lives to fight another heat after losing a head-to-head with Matt Welliver. The final consolation heat qualifier is the fourth non-finalist Reggie Banks who managed to free himself from a tough spot in the very early stages before he bounced from Henton to Eilers for his elimination.
That left two-time runner-up Jamie Eilers (Frostbite, Ides of March) battling it out for the heat win with Danny Krol and Matt Welliver who reach their fourth and fifth finals receptively. Eilers makes it to a fifth final by delivering nine hits, three on Banks and a pair on McCrory, while suffering six against; the final blow coming from Matt Welliver who had charged at Eilers earlier in the heat.
With Danny Krol stalled, Matt Welliver turned to face the opponent who had badgered him on and off for the best part of ten minutes and charged. Krol re-fired just in time to engage and the crowd roared when they smashed into each other for the finale. The officials determined that the heat was a draw, giving both men their second heat wins of the season.
Race Result
1. Matt Welliver
1. Danny Krol
3. Jamie Eilers
4. Reggie Banks
5. Chris Henton
6. Timmy Barnes
7. Bambi Rogers
8. Bill Malbrough
9. Tom Gariepy
10. Joe Ramage
11. John McCrory
12. Billy Edgington
Heat Two
John McCrory, Danny Krol, Matt Welliver, Joe Ramage, Bill Malbrough, Chris Henton, Reggie Banks, Billy Edgington, Timmy Barnes, Bambi Rogers, Tom Gariepy, Jamie Eilers,
With four of the remaining six drivers who have yet to feature in an event final it was surely a safe bet that one of them could make it this time. Right? The first of this exclusive group, Ed Smith who finished last in the opening heat and Tommy Miller the other two, was out in another long start to the race as Billy Edgington was finally put down at the eight minute mark when Bambi Rogers and Tom Gariepy sandwiched him.
This started a chain where twelve became three in the space of just two minutes, and next to go was John McCrory (3rd Spring Fling, 5th Indy) as the four-time finalist took nine hits, five of them coming when he was trapped against the wall.
Joe Ramage's return from injury was short lived when the Valentine's Day Massacre winner and three-time runner-up lost in a long battle with Bill Malbrough, and fellow title contender Tom Gariepy was right behind him when he initiated contact with Timmy Barnes for his ninth delivered hit of the day and the man who finished runner-up behind Ramage at VDM before going on to win the Wisconsin Invitationaldeflected himself straight into the path of Bambi Rogers going full speed for a crunching hit.
Bill Malbrough is the second of the final-less group to be eliminated as he finishes in the unlucky spot of eighth thanks to an ill-timed hit on Danny Krol that took the Canadian out instead, leaving Bambi Rogers to claim seventh place and move on into the consolation heat. After taking two early hits from Ramage, Rogers was able to evade a lot of traffic until Jamie Eilers delivered a fatal blow to her vehicle.
Timmy Barnes also qualified for the second chance after he finished the heat in sixth place, a lengthy stall was re-fired but his joy was short lived as a foursome of drivers all had him lined up for a brutal finish, and Spring Fling Derby champion Chris Henton lives to fight another heat after losing a head-to-head with Matt Welliver. The final consolation heat qualifier is the fourth non-finalist Reggie Banks who managed to free himself from a tough spot in the very early stages before he bounced from Henton to Eilers for his elimination.
That left two-time runner-up Jamie Eilers (Frostbite, Ides of March) battling it out for the heat win with Danny Krol and Matt Welliver who reach their fourth and fifth finals receptively. Eilers makes it to a fifth final by delivering nine hits, three on Banks and a pair on McCrory, while suffering six against; the final blow coming from Matt Welliver who had charged at Eilers earlier in the heat.
With Danny Krol stalled, Matt Welliver turned to face the opponent who had badgered him on and off for the best part of ten minutes and charged. Krol re-fired just in time to engage and the crowd roared when they smashed into each other for the finale. The officials determined that the heat was a draw, giving both men their second heat wins of the season.
Race Result
1. Matt Welliver
1. Danny Krol
3. Jamie Eilers
4. Reggie Banks
5. Chris Henton
6. Timmy Barnes
7. Bambi Rogers
8. Bill Malbrough
9. Tom Gariepy
10. Joe Ramage
11. John McCrory
12. Billy Edgington
Tuesday 19 February 2013
Player of the Game Hockey - NHL 1967/68, Feb 7th
Wednesday 7th February 1968
After losing just once in nine games the Maple Leafs suffer their third defeat in five contests as they get a meager thirteen shots on Chicago's DeJordy as he collects his second shutout of the season. The Blackhawks, with Schmautz (6) and D Hull (8) scoring to support the two goal performance from Mikita (31), winning for the fourth time in six matches.
Los Angeles scored three unanswered goals on two occasions to win their third in eleven games, but it was the North Stars who took the lead just twenty-four seconds in through Collins (6). Flett (19) tied the game at 1-1 to kick off his three-point night before Irvine (7) and Campbell (8) made it 3-1. Connelly (35) then countered twice for Minnesota, who are now three games without a win, with B Hughes (3), Rolfe (2) and Labossiere (14) put together the next three Kings' goals before McMahon (9) scored the only goal in the third period.
After three wins in a row it's back-to-back defeats for the Flyers who managed just ten shots on Worsley to hand the Montreal number one his eighth shutout of the year. Duff (16) had the only goal until the third period where Rousseau (10) and Provost (9) both scored with the man advantage to give the Canadiens their sixth win in a seven game undefeated streak and increase their lead at the top of the league to three points.
K Douglas (8) and Odrowski (6) had game-tying goals for Oakland, cancelling out the efforts of Rivard (3) and Stratton (14), before Pittsburgh took charge in the final period with goals from Bathgate (17) and Boivin (4) for the Penguins' second win in three games. Hodge suffers his twenty-second loss in his fortieth start in net for the Seals, their thirtieth defeat of the year.
The Blues bounce back off their two game skid to defeat Boston thanks to a pair of goals from Melnyk (15) adding to the tallies of B McCreary (18), Crisp's (10) game winner, and Sabourin (19). The Bruins had a 2-0 lead through Bucyk (28) and Sather (7) before going on to suffer their fifth loss in eight games where they have been very streaky.
TOR Gamble (11-7-3 .922) 35/39, Powerplay 0/0
CHI DeJordy (19-10-5 .899) 13/13, Powerplay 2/7
MIN Maniago (14-15-7 .903) 32/38, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Rutledge (14-16-3 .893) 28/32, Powerplay 0/4
PHI Favell (9-8-1 .902) 28/31, Powerplay 0/0
MON Worsley (14-9-5 .916) 10/10, Powerplay 2/7
PIT Bassen (7-9-4 .906) 36/38, Powerplay 0/0
OAK Hodge (11-22-7 .894) 22/25, Powerplay 0/0
BOS Cheevers (17-13-3 .892) 39/44, Powerplay 1/1
StL Hall (16-12-6 .893) 25/27, Powerplay 1/4
After losing just once in nine games the Maple Leafs suffer their third defeat in five contests as they get a meager thirteen shots on Chicago's DeJordy as he collects his second shutout of the season. The Blackhawks, with Schmautz (6) and D Hull (8) scoring to support the two goal performance from Mikita (31), winning for the fourth time in six matches.
Los Angeles scored three unanswered goals on two occasions to win their third in eleven games, but it was the North Stars who took the lead just twenty-four seconds in through Collins (6). Flett (19) tied the game at 1-1 to kick off his three-point night before Irvine (7) and Campbell (8) made it 3-1. Connelly (35) then countered twice for Minnesota, who are now three games without a win, with B Hughes (3), Rolfe (2) and Labossiere (14) put together the next three Kings' goals before McMahon (9) scored the only goal in the third period.
After three wins in a row it's back-to-back defeats for the Flyers who managed just ten shots on Worsley to hand the Montreal number one his eighth shutout of the year. Duff (16) had the only goal until the third period where Rousseau (10) and Provost (9) both scored with the man advantage to give the Canadiens their sixth win in a seven game undefeated streak and increase their lead at the top of the league to three points.
K Douglas (8) and Odrowski (6) had game-tying goals for Oakland, cancelling out the efforts of Rivard (3) and Stratton (14), before Pittsburgh took charge in the final period with goals from Bathgate (17) and Boivin (4) for the Penguins' second win in three games. Hodge suffers his twenty-second loss in his fortieth start in net for the Seals, their thirtieth defeat of the year.
The Blues bounce back off their two game skid to defeat Boston thanks to a pair of goals from Melnyk (15) adding to the tallies of B McCreary (18), Crisp's (10) game winner, and Sabourin (19). The Bruins had a 2-0 lead through Bucyk (28) and Sather (7) before going on to suffer their fifth loss in eight games where they have been very streaky.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| TOR | @ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CHI | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
TOR Gamble (11-7-3 .922) 35/39, Powerplay 0/0
CHI DeJordy (19-10-5 .899) 13/13, Powerplay 2/7
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| MIN | @ | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| LAK | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
MIN Maniago (14-15-7 .903) 32/38, Powerplay 0/0
LAK Rutledge (14-16-3 .893) 28/32, Powerplay 0/4
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| PHI | @ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MON | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
PHI Favell (9-8-1 .902) 28/31, Powerplay 0/0
MON Worsley (14-9-5 .916) 10/10, Powerplay 2/7
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| PIT | @ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| OAK | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
PIT Bassen (7-9-4 .906) 36/38, Powerplay 0/0
OAK Hodge (11-22-7 .894) 22/25, Powerplay 0/0
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | F | ||
| BOS | @ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| StL | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
BOS Cheevers (17-13-3 .892) 39/44, Powerplay 1/1
StL Hall (16-12-6 .893) 25/27, Powerplay 1/4
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts |
| Montreal Canadiens | 51 | 29 | 16 | 6 | 64 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 51 | 28 | 18 | 5 | 61 |
| Boston Bruins | 52 | 27 | 19 | 6 | 60 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 51 | 25 | 21 | 5 | 55 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 |
| New York Rangers | 50 | 18 | 23 | 9 | 45 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts |
| St Louis Blues | 50 | 23 | 18 | 9 | 55 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 51 | 23 | 23 | 5 | 51 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 51 | 19 | 21 | 11 | 49 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 51 | 17 | 23 | 11 | 45 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 52 | 18 | 27 | 7 | 43 |
| Oakland Seals | 53 | 13 | 30 | 10 | 36 |
Controlled Chaos - Summer Sizzler, Heat One
Summer Sizzler - Memphis, TN
Heat One
Bob Alexander, Charlie Clayton, Lynne Higgins, Steven Redden, Andy Bing, Darryl Lozier, Will Thompson, Randy Corson, Don Davis, Norm Gibson, Ed Smith, Jason Ingle
The first elimination came quickly when Ed Smith made contact with both Don Davis and Darryl Lozier before Norm Gibson crushed him against the barriers, and five-time finalist Randy Corson was not too far behind when he stalled out after he collided with Gibson.
It was the Lobster Nationals champion Norm Gibson who left in tenth place, but not until the nine minute mark of a sixteen minute heat. Gibson was denied a fourth straight final but his race was an eventful one with a short stall, a brief stop on the barrier, and eight hits against him, two of them coming off Steven Redden.
Quickly after that Bob Alexander (3rd Lobster) was taken out by Jason Ingle having the final say in their battle, but not before the three-time finalist laid on eight hits of his own with Lynne Higgins, Don Davis and Ingle all suffering twice. Charlie Clayton (7th Frostbite) took three shots from Alexander to help the three-time finalist barely miss out on the consolation heat despite re-firing a very long stall.
Andy Bing was hit nine times, becoming locked up at the bumper with Lozier before Redden laid his fourth hit of the day on Bing to free the drivers and send the double event winner into the second chance race. Championship leader Darryl Lozier will make a rare appearance in the consolation heat after coming out second best on multiple contacts with Will Thompson, and Jason Ingle became a popular guy towards the end to finish his heat in fifth place just behind Lynne Higgins who survived a stall only to become Steven Redden's favourite new target.
Will Thompson becomes the second driver to reach eleven finals (Lozier) and he reaches his fourth in a row by mowing through Randy Corson early on, his first of eight targets in the heat, before ending up in a stall, and Steven Redden makes it seven finals on the year with his first back-to-back qualifications. Redden was relentless against both Bing and Higgins before finishing off Thompson. This, and multiple hits from his remaining opponent, led to a stall of his own where he could only wait for the final blow.
It came courtesy of Don Davis as the replacement driver for Will Murphy claimed his second heat victory of the season to qualify for his third final. Suffering multiple stalls Davis rode both his luck and some late challenges from Thompson to survive until the end and lay a hat-trick on Redden for the result.
Race Result
1. Don Davis
2. Steven Redden
3. Will Thompson
4. Lynne Higgins
5. Jason Ingle
6. Darryl Lozier
7. Andy Bing
8. Charlie Clayton
9. Bob Alexander
10. Norm Gibson
11. Randy Corson
12. Ed Smith
Heat One
Bob Alexander, Charlie Clayton, Lynne Higgins, Steven Redden, Andy Bing, Darryl Lozier, Will Thompson, Randy Corson, Don Davis, Norm Gibson, Ed Smith, Jason Ingle
The first elimination came quickly when Ed Smith made contact with both Don Davis and Darryl Lozier before Norm Gibson crushed him against the barriers, and five-time finalist Randy Corson was not too far behind when he stalled out after he collided with Gibson.
It was the Lobster Nationals champion Norm Gibson who left in tenth place, but not until the nine minute mark of a sixteen minute heat. Gibson was denied a fourth straight final but his race was an eventful one with a short stall, a brief stop on the barrier, and eight hits against him, two of them coming off Steven Redden.
Quickly after that Bob Alexander (3rd Lobster) was taken out by Jason Ingle having the final say in their battle, but not before the three-time finalist laid on eight hits of his own with Lynne Higgins, Don Davis and Ingle all suffering twice. Charlie Clayton (7th Frostbite) took three shots from Alexander to help the three-time finalist barely miss out on the consolation heat despite re-firing a very long stall.
Andy Bing was hit nine times, becoming locked up at the bumper with Lozier before Redden laid his fourth hit of the day on Bing to free the drivers and send the double event winner into the second chance race. Championship leader Darryl Lozier will make a rare appearance in the consolation heat after coming out second best on multiple contacts with Will Thompson, and Jason Ingle became a popular guy towards the end to finish his heat in fifth place just behind Lynne Higgins who survived a stall only to become Steven Redden's favourite new target.
Will Thompson becomes the second driver to reach eleven finals (Lozier) and he reaches his fourth in a row by mowing through Randy Corson early on, his first of eight targets in the heat, before ending up in a stall, and Steven Redden makes it seven finals on the year with his first back-to-back qualifications. Redden was relentless against both Bing and Higgins before finishing off Thompson. This, and multiple hits from his remaining opponent, led to a stall of his own where he could only wait for the final blow.
It came courtesy of Don Davis as the replacement driver for Will Murphy claimed his second heat victory of the season to qualify for his third final. Suffering multiple stalls Davis rode both his luck and some late challenges from Thompson to survive until the end and lay a hat-trick on Redden for the result.
Race Result
1. Don Davis
2. Steven Redden
3. Will Thompson
4. Lynne Higgins
5. Jason Ingle
6. Darryl Lozier
7. Andy Bing
8. Charlie Clayton
9. Bob Alexander
10. Norm Gibson
11. Randy Corson
12. Ed Smith
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