Monday, October 25, 1999
Home finally sweet again for Ducks
Naumenko blanks Pens
BY JOHN P. WISE
Enquirer contributor
What a difference a day makes. After allowing four first-period goals in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Rochester, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks scored four of their own in the first period Sunday en route to a 6-0 defeat of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Rookie goaltender Gregg Naumenko, pulled from Saturday's loss just 3:32 in, got his first career shutout in front of 3,146 witnesses at the Gardens. The ninth shutout in Ducks history and first home victory since the opener kept the visitors winless in nine tries.
“I don't even remember (Saturday),” said Naumenko, who kicked away all 29 shots he faced. “That's over and done with. You put it behind you and go onto the next game. (Sunday) I played my game and didn't let anything affect me.”
Coach Moe Mantha praised Naumenko's professionalism.
“Any time you get pulled from your net, you want to go right back out there and prove that you can do the job,” Mantha said. “That's the best thing you can do and Gregg did that. It's a sign of a good pro.”
Several Ducks recorded multi-point performances Sunday. Right Wing B.J. Young scored his third and fourth goals of the season, while centers Darryl Laplante and Bob Wren each had a goal and two assists. Joel Kwiatkowski had a goal and an assist, while 20-year-old Jay Legault's two assists accounted for his first pro points. Mantha appreciated the team effort.
“We just wanted to stick to our system,” he said.
“We played smart with the puck and smart without the puck. It was a good team win.” Naumenko agreed. “We had 16 skaters play like 50 men (Sunday). Guys are sweating and bleeding and working hard. We're coming together.”
Sunday's game was the third in three days for Cincinnati (2-3-1-1). It also was the second of a seven-game homestand.
Wilkes-Barre ....... 0 0 0—0
Cincinnati ....... 4 0 2—6
First period: Cin, Laplante 2 (Wren, Trebil) ppg, :49; Cin, Trebil 2 (Stevenson, Davidsson) 3:19; Cin, Young 3 (Legault, Laplante) ppg, 16:48; Cin, Kwiatkowski 1 (Legault, Leboutillier) 18:31.
Second period: None.
Third period: Cin, Young 4 (Wren) 1:46; Cin, Wren 3 (Laplante, Kwiatkowski) 6:42 (pp).
Shots on goal: WBSC 14-9-6=29; Cin 8-14-5=27. Goalies: WBSC, Hillier 18:31 (4 saves), Weninger 41:29 (17 saves); Cin, Naumenko (29). Power Plays: WBSC 0-for-4; Cin 3-for-4. Attendance: 3,146.
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