Sunday, February 21, 1999
PROVIDENCE 4, MIGHTY DUCKS 2
AHL's best team shows why
BY DAVE HELLER
Enquirer contributor
The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks played tough against Providence, the AHL's premier team, but lost to the Bruins 4-2 Saturday night at the Gardens. The loss snapped Cincinnati's six-game home winning streak.
“It's not a moral victory for us,” Mike Crowley said. “I think last year if we had played a team like this to a one-goal game, we would have been happy. You can't doubt yourself, and even if we had won we wouldn't have thought we were the greatest.”
The Ducks (24-27-0-4) have won nine of their last 13 games, but are just 2-4 during that span against teams that currently have better than .500 records.
“When we play our game,” Joel Kwiatkowski said, “I think we're up there with any team in this league. We just have to play consistently and for the whole 60 minutes.”
Providence (39-12-2-3) capitalized on a third period power play after the Ducks, which own the best home power play percentage in the league, failed on two opportunities with the man advantage in the final period.
“Their special teams beat us, and they got an empty-netter,” Kwiatkowski said.
Chris Taylor's second power play goal of the game, with 9:11 to play was the game winner. After compiling 35 shots over the first two periods, Taylor's score was Providence's first shot on goal in the third period.
Cincinnati held one-goal leads in each of the first two periods, but couldn't hold them.
Bob Wren scored a power play goal to open the scoring, digging out a rebound from the pads of Bruins goalie John Grahame and stuffing into the goal.
But Providence scored on a power play rebound goal of its own, Taylor following his own shot and flicking the puck into the top right corner of the net.
The Ducks took a 2-1 lead in the second on another man advantage score on a goal by Mike Leclerc, his 19th of the season.
Cincinnati was playing without four key contributors. Terran Sandwith, Rasto Pavlikovsky and Igor Nikulin are injured and defenseman Dan Trebil is still in Anaheim.
Providence ....... 1 1 2—4
Cincinnati ....... 1 1 0—2
First period: 1, C, Wren 22 (Ferguson, Kwiatkowski), ppg, 7:23; 2, P, Taylor 3 (Smith, Nickulas), ppg, 17:15.
Second period: 3, C, Leclerc 19 (Ferguson, Reichert), ppg, 5:58; 4, P, Smith 11 (Mathieu), 13:57.
Third period: 5, P, Taylor 4 (Nickulas, Savage), ppg, 10:49; 6, P, Prpie 9, eng, 19:38.
Shots on goal: Pro 18-17-5-40; Cin 9-10-4-23. Power play opportunities: Pro 2-6; Cin 2-6. Goalies: Pro, Grahame (22-6-0); Cin, Askey (15-12-3).
Attendance: 6,141.
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