Monday, November 15, 1999
Saint John 4, Mighty Ducks 1
BY JOHN P. WISE
Enquirer contributor
The Mighty Ducks ended their seven-game homestand Sunday the way it began — with a 4-1 loss.
Saint John avenged Saturday's 3-1 loss by outplaying Cincinnati's special teams in the first period. The visiting Flames scored shorthanded and power play goals 3:25 apart at the Gardens.
“We didn't come out ready to play hockey,” Ducks coach Moe Mantha said tersely.
The home team's lone goal came between intermissions when Frank Banham took a pass from Jay Legault inside the right circle. His one-timer beat Fred Brathwaite, and cut Cincinnati's deficit to 3-1. Brathwaite led NHL parent team Calgary in wins a year ago (11) and goals-against average (2.43).
“It's good to finally get the monkey off my back,” said Banham, who also recorded his first assist of the season in Saturday's win. “The big thing is to keep working and stay positive. If you stop working, that's when you run into trouble.”
Added right wing B.J. Young: “It's nice to see Frankie get his first goal. Hopefully, he'll start picking it up. Everybody's got to start picking it up.”
Several Ducks' streaks were snapped Sunday:
• Five games of allowing two or fewer goals.
• Nine games of Bob Wren scoring a point.
• Five games unbeaten.
The loss keeps the Ducks, 2-2-3-0 on the homestand, in last place in the AHL Mid-Atlantic Division of the Western Conference. The team's three-game road swing opens Wednesday at Quebec, beginning a stretch of 15 games in 25 days.
“We could have scored a couple on the power play,” Young said. “We're playing disciplined, we need to execute better. We've all been talking about wanting to play some more games ... so we better be ready.”
Saint John ....... 2 1 1—4
Cincinnati ....... 0 1 0—1
First period: SJ, Clark 5 (McLean) 14:54 (shg); SJ, Karlamov 5 (Gratton, St. Louis) 18:19 (ppg).
Second period: SJ, Sorochan 2 (Tkaczuk) 1:04; Cin, Banham 1 (Legault, Ferguson) 9:04.
Third period: SJ, Begin 1 (Johnson) 12:37.
Shots on goal: SJ 16-6-6=28; Cin 10-9-8=27. Goalies: SJ, Brathwaite (26 saves); Cin, Miller (24). Power plays: SJ 1-for-3; Cin 0-for-5.
Attendance: 3,555.
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