Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 49

A una (i i iimiii Cnatflvn ff cccrobssriS JffW The T'9ers surprised some people by irYoC sending down lefthander Jeff Holly, who For the complete sports (j pjtchecJ in exhibition play, rundown. Page 4. Brian Bragg gives all the cuts on Page 7D. 3 LOVE LETTERS 2 HORSE RACING CLASSIFIED ADS 8-12 LJ DETROIT FPEE PRESS COMICS 13-13 SABRES DO THE QiRVING 6 10 1 lose. Upstart In only ils 4th year home games as Gil Perrcault.

Tony McKeg-ney, former U.S. Olympian Rob McClanahan, Bill Hajt and Bob Mongrain also knocked in goals. Perreault opening scoring after just 63 seconds of play. McKegney tipped in Jim Schoenfeld's shot from the blue line for the second goal, Van Boxmeer scored unassisted on a long shot after intercepting a Detroit pass with the Red Wings two men short and Gare capped the first period with his 49th goal on his third straight shot at Detroit goalie Jim Ruther BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Danny Gare scored a pair of goals Thursday, giving him an even 50 this season, as the Buffalo Sabres crushed the Detroit Red Wings, 10-1.

Don Luce also scored two and defenseman John Van Boxmeer had a goal and three assists as the Sabres unloaded on the squad of Marcel Pronovost, their former coach. Rookie Mike Foligno gave Detroit its lone bright spot of the evening with his 35th goal of the season In the second period. It cut the margin to 5-1. Buffalo extended its unbeaten streak to eight games and is unbeaten in 15 straight NMU hockey team guns for NCAA title By BILL McGRAW Free Press Sports Writer The upstart Northern Michigan Wildcats play the biggest game in the smallest state Friday night when they confront Cornell in the second-to-last step toward the national college hockey title. The winner of that game will play the winner of Thursday night's contest between North Dakota and Dartmouth for the NCAA national championship Saturday in the Civic Arena in Providence, R.I.

It should be hockey at its best: College teams seldom fight, they are innovative, and the games are played faster and more intensely than professional contests, mainly because college squads play about 50 fewer games each season. The ambience will be more U.S. Olympic than Detroit Red Wing. NMU is only four years old as a hockey team, but it counts eight seniors and was ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the year.

Its style is adopted from the men of motion of the Swedish national team, who skate in swirls while bringing the puck down the ice. Cornell, which has only two seniors on the roster and a YL playoffs? 5 games left for Wings After Thursday night's loss to Buffalo, time is slipping away from the Red Wings in their attempt to make the NHL playoffs. With five games left in their season, the Wings (61 points) trail Edmonton (64) and Washington (63) In the overall NHL standings and the race to be the 16th and last team In the playoffs. Neither the Oilers nor the Capitals played Thursday night. The Wings have three home games left against Quebec (on Saturday), Montreal (April 2) and Chicago (April 5).

Their two remaining away games are against the New York Rangers (March 31) and Hartford (April 6). jmmm uwwfi II f) Jim Hawkins ford. Rutherford and Detroit's Peter Mahovlich protested so strongly on Van Boxmeer's goal that a Buffalo player had tipped it in with a high stick that they both received 10-mlnute misconduct penalties. That gave Buffalo a second straight power play. McClanahan made it 5-0 in the second period, but Foligno scored less than two minutes later on a rebound.

Gare drew a standing ovation when he rammed in his 50th goal a rebound off the back boards and Buffalo's 10th. That odor in the Dome? For once, it's not Pistons AP Photo Buffalo's Craig Ramsay, (left) fights off the Red Wings' Dale McCourt Thursday night. It was about the only scrap the Wings put up in losing to the Sabres, 10-1. Stegman HR lifts ers freshman goalie, tries to force opponents to make mistakes in their own zone. Offensively, they dump the puck and chase it, the way North American teams have moved on ice for decades.

"Our scouting report tells us that our style of play should do well against them," says Northern coach Rick Comley. He learned a lot of hockey as a player and assistant coach at Lake Superior State from Ron Mason, who coaches now at Michigan State. "We're young, but we got old awfully quick in the last five games. We skate both ways for 60 Rick Comley By BRIAN BRAGG Froc Press Sports Writer '''t LAKELAND Dave Stegman's1 three-run, seventh-inning homer and three innings of shutout relief by bullpenners Aurelio Lopez and Pat Underwood gave the Tigers a 4-2 exhibition win over the New York' Yankees here Thursday n'eht- Stegman's lef tf ield shot came with two out after hot-hitting rookie Rick Peters and Alaft Trammell, had singled off Chris Welsh, the fourth New York hurler, It was the Tiger outfielder's second HR of the spring. Ace Tommy John started for the Yankees and pitched one inning, but was given the rest of the evening off after the contest was delayed by rain for 64 minutes in the top of the second inning.

Dan Schatzeder worked threes shutout innings in his fifth appearance and third start for the Tigers. The Yankees jumped in front in the fourth when Brian Doyle hit a wrong-field triple' and then was balked home by righthander Dave Tobik. It was the first earned run off Tobik this month. Doyle singled home the visitors' second run in the sixth. 'T'Xi I v- The Tigers got on the scoreboard in the sixth when Steve Kemp doubled and scored on a John Wockenfuss base hit.

i TIGERS, Page 7D Icky La Bumba Icky La Picky Wicky Uffle La Duffle Wuffle VKa Tee Ah Nothing happened? Oh, well. It worked wonders for the basketball team from UCLA this winter and I thought perhaps it might perk up the pitiful Pistons, too. I guess they are beyond help, even from a powerful Hawaiian war chant. Too bad, too, because in places such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston and Milwaukee, this pro basketball season is really just beginning to become fun. Meanwhile, our pitiful Pistons are done.

They'll go through the motions once more Friday night in Houston, and again Sunday in San Antonio. Then they can pack their bags for the last time and flee to Leighton, Ramsey, N.J., Canton, Ohio, and points beyond. I'm sorry to say they will not be missed. Seldom in the annals of professional sports has any team, in any sport, ended its season in such a deplorable, disastrous state. The lousiest, losingest team in the history of this franchise put on its final parody of a pro basketball game at the Silverdome the other night.

It was not particularly funny, or even entertaining. Of the five players who opened the season for the Pistons back in October, only two Bob McAdoo and John Long are still part of the team. And they were both in civvies, sidelined with injuries, for the final home show. It was Richie Adubato's farewell as coach and fall guy for that putrid team. In honor of the occasion, several of the players spent their timeouts eyeballing the Classy Chassis instead of listening to what Adubato had to say In the huddle.

Playing chicken ivilh a rcf The most emotional display of the evening occurred in an auxiliary locker room where an angry Cocky Rocky kicked a trash can because his act had been pre-empted by a bevy of high school pompom girls at halftime. Later, Rocky exchanged uncomplimentary comments with referee Ed Rush. "If you brought your 10-year-old son to the game, would he enjoy that bleep?" asked the disgusted official. "There's no place in basketball for that bleep." I wasn't sure whether he was referring to the Pistons or to Rocky. Bill Davidson, who bankrolls this burlesque, was nowhere to be seen Wednesday night.

Nor was Dick Vitale. Or Dave Bing. fi I 1 1 1 minutes, says Cornell coach Dick Bertrand. He studied under Ned Harkness over 10 years ago, then took over when Harkness left Ithaca for Detroit to became coach of the Red Wings. NMU HAS something to prove in Providence.

Many NCAA skeptics feel its 33-5-1 record the best in college hockey is inflated because its conference is weak. Northern won the Central Collegiate Hockey Association title. Cornell finished eighth in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association. Its overall record is 16-13, but it beat the top three ECAC teams (Boston College, Providence and Dartmouth) to advance in the playoffs. "I think a lot of guys (on the team) are starting to wonder if people are still taking us for granted," says senior defenseman Tom Laidlaw, who broke his stick over h's helmeted head after scoring Northern's first goal last season.

"That's going to help us." There are also those who don't believe a team in Year Four of its program can be for real. "I have never seen a faster rise, from a beginning to a national championship," said Dennis Poppe, assistant director of events for the NCAA. "We're kind of a novelty out here," said Comley. "And its really enjoyable for me. Everybody can't imagine that we can be here like how in the world can you be here in only four years.

I'm very proud of that. It makes me feel good." NORTHERN'S SUCCESS turned the town of Marquette on edge this winter with hockey delirium. Tickets were scarce, and some fans braved sub-zero Lake Superior weather to wait in line all night to buy them. Northern, with a 9,000 student population, competes in only hockey and skiing in Division 1. NMU's roster includes 1 1 Canadians and 15 Americans, six from Michigan.

There are five former members of the See NORTHERN, Page 6D' Salvino slips to 5lh in PBA ByTOMSCHRAM i Frco Press Sports Writer4 Carmen Salvino faltered in the opening round of match play In the Professional Bowlers Association National Championships Thursday night and Jay Robinson, a 3-year tour veteran, was there to pick up the slack; Salvino had led the $100,000 tournament being contested at Sunnybrook Lanes in Sterling Heights from the outset and took a 155-pin edge into the first of three match-play rounds Thursday. But Salvino, who had. been bowling at a 233 clip going Into the round, averaged only 209 for the night; winning two of eight matches and missing put on the valuable. 30-pin bonus for match-play i Just the opposite happened for who has three PBA titles to his iv; Robinson came Into the round jn the third place, 282 pins v. 1 See BOWLING, Page 7D UPI Pholo Lee Trevino's wealher-bealen Grrl Lee Trevino gnashes his teeth in the cold at the Heritage Golf Classic.

He shot a 77 Thursday to trail leader Jerry Pate by 1 1 strokes. For details, turn to Page 3D. Or Bob Lanier, or John Shumate, or James McElroy. Or most of the Classy Chassis. But Don Buttry was there, seated well, seated wherever he could find a choice chair that wasn't taken.

You remember Don Buttry, the world famous "Boot?" The huge human garbage disposal the Pistons imported earlier this season, during happier days, to swallow pizzas whole at mid-court at half-time? The act was such a smashing success the Pistons have never 'SPORTSTALK' CAN TURN TO ICE Michigan hires one coach one scoop or two? Fah hiii jF' Q8 Lapointe sports on the air "That's up to Mr. Lindsay and Ron Cameron and Mr. Norris. If they wish to make (coaching) chanm, that's their prerogative." i 'Ir Bobby Kromm Kromm made this semi-tongue-in-cheek comment last November, when he was a guest on the Ron Cameron "Sport-stalk" radio show, right after Cameron had reported friction between Red Wings' players and their Cameron had said Lindsay was interviewing candidates to coach the Red Wings, He said Kromm soon would lose his head coaching job. That very thing happened seven days as 23-year-old captain Dale McCourt assumed the traditional sports role of clubhouse lavyer to lead ah impeachment that left Kromm in British Columbia, between Gary Moeller, the former head football coach at Illinois, will rejoin Bo Schembechler and coach the U-M quarterbacks.

f. I- V( but anotliei says no, thanks invited Boot back. "You stink!" Boot screamed at the referees. "You stink!" Indeed, it did smell in the Dome, but the Pistons blamed the odor on the rodeo next door. A convenient excuse, I thought.

Between outbursts, Boot campaigned for his candidate, Bill Musselman, to become the next coach of the Pistons. "Things couldn't be any worse than this," he declared. I must confess, I couldn't disagree. What's even more alarming, I fear the Pistons' predicament may get much worse before it gets better. Draft leaves 'cm out in the cold Big man Leon Douglas and little guard Eric Money are both eligible to exit as free agents, a la Ml.

Carr and Kevin Porter, this summer. The Pistons are also obligated to give Dallas one of their second-stringers to help stock that expansion team. By rights, the Pistons' rotten record should at least entitle them to either the first or second pick in the college draft in June. And couldn't they use Joe Barry Carroll or Darrell Griffith? However, the front office long ago turned that privilege over to the Boston Celtics, as partial payment for McAdoo. They also gave the Celtics the first-round rights they had acquired from the Washington Bullets as compensation for Kevin Porter.

All they have left Is Milwaukee's first-round pick. And the Bucks finished first in their division this year, which means th? blue chip players will all be gone by the time Pistons' GM Jack McCloskey gets a chance to speak. In addition they have surrendered their own second- and third-round selections, although they will be permitted to pick In place of the Atlanta Hawks, who, unfortunately, also finished first. However, late In the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's funeral, public address announcer Tom Ryan somehow managed to find one encouraging bit of information to relay to the long-suffering Silverdome fans. "Here's a final hockey score," he proclaimed.

"Edmonton 5, the Red Wings 2." Misery loves company, I guess. Gary Moeller, who was fired as Illinois' head football coach at the end of last season, has returned to the University of Michigan as an assistant to head coach Bo Schembechler. Moeller, Lloyd Carr and Tim Davis have been hired as assistants to fill the vacancies created when Don Nehlan became the head coach and Dennis Brown an assistant at West Virginia and Jack Har-baugh became defensive coordinator at Stanford. Before taking the head spot at Illinois, Moeller had coached for Schembechler at Miami of Ohio and was the defensive coordinator at U-M. Moeller will now coach the quarterbacks at U-M.

Carr, who was an All-Stater at Riverview high school, was an outstanding high school coach at Westland John Glenn for three years before spending two years as an assistant at Eastern Michigan and two years at Illinois. He will handle the defensive secondary. Davis, a native of Warren, Ohio, was a three-year starter at U-M as a middle guard. He was a graduate assistant at U-M for two years and spent the last two years as an assistant at Miami of Ohio. He will coach U-M's defensive Since then, on his telephone call-in show on WXYZ-AM, "Scoop" Cameron has.

been bragging about how he was the first to predict the exit of the third-year Detroit coach. Cameron hasn't mentioned some of his far-out trade rumors, like the Danny Bolduc for Marty Howe deal that never happened. Instead, he crows about a fresh That Lindsay's general manager duties have been trimmed by team owner Bruce Norris, who is reported by Cameron to be angry that one of hockey's greatest payrolls has purchased one of hockey's worst teams. Cameron predicts that Lindsay, too, might soon be fired even If his miserable Wings manage to sneak backward into the Stanley Cup playoffs as the sixth-worst team in a 21-team league. Is Cameron right again? Perhaps.

Although he isn't trained as a journalist or broadcaster and he sometimes airs questionable information, Cameron gets the jump on many local hockey stories because he can be a pest an informed one. AS A NATIVE Detroiter and a member of Detroit's sometimes desperate, always fanatical hockey cult, Cameron's opinions aren't always popular with some members of the Red Wing family. "Cameron, get out of here!" forward Dennis Polonich screamed from the shower a few weeks ago in the Wings dressing room at the JOe Louis Arena. Cameron says he isn't intimidated. "Polonich threatened me in public in front of policemen, who were out of uniform," Cameron said.

Exactly what was the nature of the "threat?" Cameron was asked. "He said he wanted to see me in the dressing room," i See TV, Page 7D Jim Dutcher, the head basketball coach at the University oft i Minnesota, said Thursday he is not candidate to return to the University of Michigan to succeed Johhny Orr as head couchs Dutcher had served as Orr's assistant before he took oyer at Minnesota. "No, I'm not interested in that job," Dutcher told the Free Press. "Before this season I signed a new three-year contract at Minnesota and I believe in honoring those commitments. These people have been very nice to me.

"I haven't talked to Don Canham (U-M athletic director), I think he knows what my situation is." Dutcher had been named as a possible successor to Orr, who i'hini took the head coaching job at Iowa State. But the C-c-phgW r.anh eolH ho KoKovoH mirront 1 1M oociMonl 11111 LVIn im.ll I trflBaeTJ I 6(101110 fl6t It. wiuwij ouiu ill. ui-iiviu vuiiwiv in aoaioiaill Ulll I i ICUCI Hll ii He's; been ther seven be the new coach. years and he's deserving "I think Bill should get itlDutcher said.

seven years and he deserving of it. It 'l. 4.