Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph from Colorado Springs, Colorado • Page 9

gazett T' th raph Monday, Feb. 27, 1978 Ralph Routon Sports Editor Tigers Clinch WCHA Playoff Berth By SCOTT SMITH GT Sports Writer DULUTH. Minn. Colorado College hockey coach Jeff Sauer advised Dave Delich to get his posterior in gear in fewer words, naturally before ultra-important showdown with Mmnesota-Du- luth. Delich did even better than that.

He got his stick in gear, very high gear. He scored three goals and assisted on two others to lead the to a 6-3 triumph over the Bulldogs before a disappointed crowd of 4.358 in Duluth Arena. The victory assures the Tigers a berth in the Western Collegiate Hockey playoffs and vaults CC back into fifth place. CC is 13-17 for 26 points, one ahead of Notre Dame and three in front of seventh-place Duluth, 11-18-1. CC is four points ahead of eighth-plare Michigan, but would achieve the final playoff berth should the Wolverines tie with the Tigers in the final standings.

been a long season, but we finally made said a relieved Sauer. played three periods of hockey tonight. Last night (an 8-5 loss to the Bulldogs) we just played one period of hockey. started putting pressure on them tonight And we played much better moving out of our zone tonight, forcing them to move. We took And the Tiger most in control was Delich, who earned his first hat trick of the season on a pair of slapshots from the point and a rebound goal.

Two of those goals came in the third period, enabling the Tigers to take total command of the game. With the Tigers leading 3-2 after two periods, Delich rebounded Greg shot past Duluth goalie Rick Heinz 1:48 into the final stanza. Two minutes later. Delich and Dale Maksymyk assisted on a slap-shot goal by Larry Sol- tvedt that made it 5-2. Dave Johnson scored to make it 5-3, but ich boomed another slapper from just inside the blue line midway through the period for the final score.

ones that went in were the shots that supposed to go said Delich. the ones that were supposed to go in go in. But that's the way Heinz is. I thought he played well. He made a lot of saves While it was Delich who had the magic touch around the net, it was W'hyte and Dave Feamster who controlled the puck everywhere else.

That duo assisted on all three of his goals, in addition to setting Jim second-period goal. long slapshot from the right side while the Tigers were skating short-handed, beat Heinz just 30 seconds into the period and gave CC a 2-1 lead. Delich scored his first goal of the night midway through the period to make it 3-1, but Dan Lempe scored a power-play goal to make it 3-2. Lempe and the Dean Magee exchanged power-play goals in the first period. The Tigers, unlike their loss Saturday, got stronger as the game progressed.

Heinz made 19 saves in the final period and finished with a total of 39, although he was not as sharp as the night before. Paul Mitchell had a relatively easy night in the nets for the Tigers, finishing with just 19 saves. But Mitchell was at his best in the final period, frustrating the comeback efforts on all but one occasion. CC power-play was also impressive, scoring two goals outright and providing the momentum for two others. This weekend's series with rival Denver University will decide the initial des- in at ion in the playoffs.

CC, depending on its performance against the top-rated Pioneers and the results of other key WCHA series during the final weekend, could finish anywhere from fifth to eighth. Sts All Just a Breeze for Connors By TFRI THOMPSON GT Sports Writer DENVER Jimmy Connors wins tennis tournaments like Willie Mays used to catch pop flies. He makes it seem so very easy. Connors disposed of one Stan Smith Sunday in the finals of the United -Bank Tennis tournament 6-2. 7-6 at the Denver Auditorium Arena.

It was closest match of the tournament but even against Smith the former No. 1 player in the world Connors was not tested. If anything, the 25-year-old top player in the world improved on one aspect of his game while in Denver his sometimes inconsistent serve. It has been said that serve can be his undoing but it was not evident this week he came up with aces in every match and dominated Smith with a low, flat spinning serve. in other matches been able to attack his said Smith.

he was serving well Connors, who has now won the United Bank tournament three times, remained jovial and likeable throughout the tournament. He has developed an uncanny ability to entertain the crowd and was a definite favorite even against the ever-popular Smith with the sell-out crowd Sunday. participation is where he said. crowd can win me games or lose them. I just want them to show up, whether to see me or my opponent.

1 played Vilas and Borg in New York before 19 or 20,000 people a few weeks ago and the crowd was definitely a factor. We had to hold up play for them to quiet down. 1 think that set a Connors has also changed another aspect of his game. He no longer antagonizes the officials. couldn't pay me all the money on the court to take their he said.

the toughest job in tennis. They do the best they can. But I really do think they should be professional. They should be paid for what they do. I say much to the linesmen anymore because usually bigger than Inevitably, when Connors is present the question of Bjorn Borg, considered by some to be superior, arises.

Connors said he would to play Borg in a challenge match. not by my design that 1 don't meet him very often. I love to play him or Vilas because such electricity and excitement when we play. electrifying. When Borg and I played at Forest Hills in 1976 it was for excellence.

I played some of the best tennis of my Connors broke Smith in the third game of the first set to go ahead 2-1. Smith gutted out the rest of the set but seemed lackadaisical with his ground strokes and less consistent with his powerful serve. Smith had a chance to break Connors in the second set, and gained a 40-15 lead before Connors' surprising serve trapped Smith on the following two points. Connors double-faulted at deuce but came up with two more big serves to take the game. Smith held serve, though not with ease, the remainder of the set and gained a 1-0 lead in the seven-point tiebreaker before Connors unleashed a five-point rally to win 7-2.

played Stan since I was said Connors, the way we play is no surprise to either of us. He serving as well as strong point, his return, was never better than against Smith. He repeatedly sent the ball flying down the baseline or cross-court. up his serves said Connors. pretty good at picking up on serves.

I learned that from hitting the ball off boards back in St. Louis. In fact, where I got my Frew McMillan and Bob Hewitt, the No. 1 ranked doubles team in the world, walked away with the doubles championship with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Fred McNair and Sherwood Stewart. McMillan, 36, and Hewitt, 38, were in control from the beginning, breaking Sherwood in the first game of the second set to go ahead 1-0.

score says it was said Hewitt, who makes his home in Winter Park, Colo. they had a couple of chances; with our (AP Wirephoto) Fifth-seeded Stan Smith concentrates on returning Jimmy Connors' serve Smith finished second to No. 1 seed Connors in United Bank Tennis Classic serves. We had a squeaker with them a couple of weeks McMillan and Hewitt have been playing doubles since December of 1966 and have no idea how many titles they have collected over the years. and I were successful from the said Hewitt, who looks more like a roughneck off the streets than a tennis player.

won 50 or 60 matches without said Hewitt. not good when you first start, why should you ever be. We have a blend of a consistent player and a brilliant player. very good friends and we never yell or scowl at each other. I think kept us Hewitt and McMillan will play Davis Cup next month for South Africa while Connors says he may play later in the year.

be able to play against South he said, of prior engagements. But if they want me later on. probably Late Irish Rally Tips Marquette SOUTH BEND. Ind. (AP) know what said rookie Marquette Coach Hank Raymonds, trying to figure out what bombshell shattered his disciplined game.

Notre Dame freshman Kelly Tripucka had a very simple answer: made a heck of a Tripucka scored 15 second-half points and led the torrid Notre Dame surge that turned a 39-25 halftime deficit into a 65-59 victory over Marquette. The Sunday setback, seen on national television, probably will topple the 22-3 Warriors from the head of the college basketball rankings. was nice while it said Raymonds. should put Kentucky up there. where they you hold a 14-point lead with the kind of team we have, you deserve to said Raymonds.

just got off to a lousy start, which is an admitted Digger Phelps, coach of the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish. But, he added, In the first half, Marquette streaked from a 16-12 edge to a 34-17 bulge with 3:17 left. Butch Lee, who led Marquette with 14 points but made only 6 of 19 from the field, penetrated for baskets and Jerome Whitehead, who had 12, hit repeatedly from inside. The Warriors made 61 percent of their field goal attempts to 41 percent for the Irish and won the first half rebounding battle, 15-8. played so well in the first said Raymonds.

told the kids this was probably the best half they played all But Notre Dame won the opening tip, made the first two baskets and forced the Warriors to commit six fouls in the final minute. Notre Dame, 19-5, outgunned the Warriors 68 percent to 39 percent from the field in the final period. got the tip to start the second half. They took control right said Raymonds. had absolutely no just playing in the first half, said pucka, we knew we play two bad Tripucka, who led all scorers, was shut out in the first half but sank 13 points to draw Notre Dame within 49-48 with 11:03 left.

Marquette held Notre Dame off until Don Williams, who finished with 14, canned a 15-footer with 2:48 left to put the Irish up 58-57. As the partisan home crowd roared, Notre Dame took its first lead -of the game and never lost it. mv St. Mary's Battles State's Defending Ice Champ i iil III! Gazette Telegraph Photo by JOHN MORGAN CHI'S top scorer, Steve McCrea, shoots Pirates into state Pirates will challenge Cherry Creek in today's hockey opener By RAY ABEYTA GT Sports Writer St. is no stranger to the State Hockey Tournament the Pirates have been there the past two years.

But what the Pirates done is win a single tourney game. Two years ago St. playing with mostly sophomores and juniors, was blitzed by the Lions in the opening round 8-0. The Pirates lost the consolation game that year 8-2 to Cherry Creek. Last year the Pirates lost again to Littleton in the opening round before losing the third-place game 7-3 to the Indians.

But this year things could be different. For the first time the Pirates will go into the state tourney as the City Hockey No. 1 seed. They earned that distinction by stomping Cheyenne Mountain 11-1 in the district finals. St.

will tangle with defending champion Cherry Creek at Denver University today at 6:15 p.m. The Bruins already own a victory over St. this season, stopping the Pirates 6-1 two weeks ago. St. also has played Littleton to a scoreless tie earlier in the season.

Even though Cherry Creek owns a one-sided victory over the Pirates, Bruin coach Buddy Blom about to let his icers overlook St. respect St. Blom said. trying hard to not to look ahead to Littleton. We expect Littleton to be in the finals and we want to play them again.

They beat us three times this year. But the last game we beat them 6-0. If we play like that in the tourney beat anybody. have to get by St. first.

We beat them 61 up here but the score wasn't indicative of the game. We had them 1-0 five minutes into the second period. Then (Steve) McCrea got a penalty and we scored on a power play. In the third period they just got tired. They only skated 11 players while I skated 15.

That was the difference. Blom indicated his main concern was McCrea, the leading Scorer with 65 points on 35 scorer goals and 30 assists. have three lines that I use. I have two scoring lines and one checking Blom continued. try to use my checking line when McCrea is out there and use my other two lines to score If McCrea is the focal point of the Bruin defense, that could leave the door open for the Bingham cousins, Paul and Kevin.

Paul finished fifth in the CI1L in scoring with 42 points while Kevin was right behind with 38. The Pirates also have the third leading scorer in John Scott, who finished with 43 points. St. has perhaps the best goalie in Jon Leibensperger. Leibensperger has given up a microscopic 1.42 goals per game this season.

He is surrounded by a pair of stalwart defensemen in Kris Kryzanowski and Alex Schmidt. St. will have to have a strong performance from Leibensperger and his mates if the Pirates are to gain their much awaited first victory in the state tourney. At least one Denver fan will be rooting for the Pirates to knock off Cherry Creek in the1 first round. Littleton coach Rich Blanche would personally like to see his icers face the Pirates in the finals, since the 0-0 tie left some unfinished business.

Backyard Rink Ices McCrea Prep Hockey Career Most youngsters have no trouble creating props at home for their favorite sports. You only need open spaces for football and baseball. Put up a backboard, and you have basketball. Streets and sidewalks take care of the running urges. not that way with hockey.

You put up goals on each end of the closest pond and wait for it to freeze over. For one thing, the ice would be far from smooth. For another, there would be no boundaries other than the water edges. Thanks to his initiative six years ago, Steve McCrea has not suffered those problems. It is no accident, either, that McCrea is the dominant offensive force leading St.

Pirates into the State Hockey Tournament tonight at Denver University. One of the main reasons for his development as a hockey player, McCrea will tell you, is the strange-looking rectangle in his back yard. It is a hockey rink of his own, a full 90 feet by 35 feet, set up for his personal use whenever he desires and the weather permits. gotten about three good months out of it already this McCrea proudly says. the last week or so been too His father, William, grew up in New Engand, and knew R4LPH ROUTON SPORTS EDITOR something about backyard hockey rinks from his younger days.

When the time came that Steve would obviously be pursuing hockey as more than just a pastime, that idea became more than just a memory. Steve had skated since he was 6. and began competing in junior hockey at 9. By his second year, he was leading his league in scoring. when I guess I really got into Steve said.

afler I was 12 or so, I started going to hockey camps in Minnesota and Canada. Those camps really About the same time, William McCrea and some friends went to work on that back yard. They leveled off a sufficient area of ground, then put up posts and boards. When cold weather arrived, all that remained was to lay down plastic and pour on the water. Once it froze, it was time to work on hockey.

used it a lot ever said Steve, estimating he has spent at least 90 minutes every weekday and six hours every weekend on his homemade rink. really make much difference teamwise, but it has helped me on things like shooting and For whatever reason, McCrea has commanded the City Hockey League scoring race all season long. But he quite decide whether St. midseason win over Cheyenne Mountain or the 11-1 retum-match romp in the CHL championship game was more satisfying. course, it meant a lot to win the city he said.

beating Cheyenne that first time, after they had been on top for so long, really meant a Now St. heads into the state tournament, where the Pirates have never won a game. McCrea admits his team may have been intimidated by the state tournament setting last year, but not this time. way been all season for says McCrea, that our seniors have felt like this would be our year. Most of them have been playing together the last four years (Steve has only been with them two, since moving in from Air Academy after his sophomore year), and they have looked toward this year for a long In other words, McCrea and his seven fellow St.

seniors know this will be their last shot at doing something the Pirates have never done before win a game in the state tournament. You might think the Pirates might be worried, too, since first-round opponent Cherry Creek handed them a stinging 6-1 defeat just a few weeks back. But McCrea assuredly reminds that several key St. players missed that game with the flu, and that things will be different this time around. Littleton, the Centennial League champ and favorite to win this state title, only managed a scoreless tie in its early-season meeting with the Pirates.

When Steve McCrea says St. has something to prove, he kidding. The CHL is generally thought as weaker than the Centennial League, for one thing. And for another, some of those Pirate seniors with further ambitions have to be thinking in terms of possibly luring college offers with their state tournament play. McCrea has heard from a couple of Eastern schools, and hopes to get the chance to play college hockey somewhere.

But first, there is the unfinished business of this state tournament. Then, unless he stays around these parts for college, Steve McCrea may have to retire that backyard hockey rink..