BY BY DAVE HELLER
Enquirer contributor
The superb goaltending of Tom Askey helped the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks skate to a 2-2 tie with the Hershey Bears on Saturday at Cincinnati Gardens.
Askey had his second solid start after allowing five goals on 31 shots to Albany on Dec. 4. Askey, noted for wearing a Jim Morrison T-shirt under his jersey, switched to a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt on Friday and stopped 31 of 33 shots in the Ducks win over Philadelphia. Against Hershey, Askey made a season-high 43 saves, including 20 in the second period.
The Ducks (9-11-0-2) are 1-7-15 in overtimes in their two seasons. Cincinnati's only overtime win came on Nov. 1, 1997, at Hershey. Hershey's Brian Willsie forced the OT by scoring with 8:11 remaining in the third period.
A double minor to Lloyd Shaw in the second period and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed to Peter LeBoutillier with 27 seconds left in Shaw's infraction gave Hershey a power play for 5:33. Cincinnati withstood the test as goalie Tom Askey stopped all 16 shots.
With renewed vigor, the Ducks scored just 1:10 after LeBoutillier's penalty expired. From behind the net, Craig Reichert fed Bob Wren with a pass in the slot, Wren wristing a one-timer past Hershey goalie David Aebischer, tying the game at 1-1.
Just over 1:30 later, Scott Ferguson gave Cincinnati a 2-1 lead on the power play when he skated in from the point and blasted a slapshot into the upper right corner of the net. The shot rattled the net, knocking Aebischer's water bottle off the top of the goal.
Hershey 1 0 1 0-2
Cincinnati 0 2 0 0-2
First period - 1, H, Hinote 2 (Armstrong, Lamoureux), 16:09.
Second period - 2, C, Wren 11 (Leclerc, Banham), 15:36; 3, C, Ferguson 1 (Wren, Banham), ppg, 17:17.
Third period - 4, Willsie 4 (Gretzky), 11:49.
Overtime - None. Shots on goal: Hershey, 10-20-13-2-45; Cincinnati, 7-11-9-2-29. Power play opportunities: Hershey, 0-7; Cincinnati, 1-3. Goalies: Hershey, Aebischer (3-3-2); Cincinnati, Askey (6-5-2). Attendance: 3,870.
