Sunday, March 05, 2000
Mighty Ducks 4, Providence 0
BY JOHN P. WISE
Enquirer contributor
The Mighty Ducks entered this weekend hoping for two wins while fourth-place Louisville remained idle until Tuesday. Mission accomplished.
Cincinnati earned its second win in two nights at the Gardens with a 4-0 victory against defending AHL Calder Cup Champion Providence Saturday night. Trailing the Panthers by 11 points for the fourth and final Mid-Atlantic Division playoff berth 48 hours ago, the Ducks' deficit now stands at seven.
“We know we can catch (Louisville),” said goalie Gregg Naumenko, who earned his second shutout of the year. “We know they're within reach, and we know we have to play them a few more times this year. It's just a matter of going out and getting it done.”
Naumenko stopped all 31 Providence shots — including 16 in the final period — en route to his 16th win of the season and first star of the game honors. Still, the rookie remained humble.
“I made a big save on the first shot of the game, and the team picked it up from there and took care of the rest,” Naumenko said.
First-period goals by Scott Ferguson and Marc Chouinard gave the home team the 2-0 lead. Both forwards accounted for Cincinnati's goals in Friday's overtime defeat of Syracuse. The Ducks are now unbeaten in the six games in which Ferguson, the team captain, has scored a goal.
B.J. Young and Jeremy Stevenson added third-period goals for Cincinnati, unbeaten in its last seven home games. The Ducks, with three games in hand on Louisville, play the Panthers four more times this year. “We try to take one game at a time, but in order for us to have a chance, we knew we had to have a great weekend,” Ducks coach Moe Mantha said. “We're starting to learn how to win again, and winning's fun.”
The Ducks (26-26-8-3) play host to Syracuse Wednesday, then play eight straight road games in 14 days.
Providence ....... 0 0 0—0
Cincinnati ....... 2 0 2—4
First period: Cin, Ferguson 6 (Young, Wren) 1:33; Cin Chouinard 13 (Balmochnykh, Audet) 11:15.
Second period: None.
Third period: Cin, Young 23 (Wren, Trebil) 8:18; Cin, Stevenson 11 (Chouinard) 11:30.
Shots on goal: Pro, 9-6-16=31; Cin, 10-19-10=39. Power plays: Pro, 0-for-4; Cin, 0-for-7. Goalies: Pro, Whitmore (35 saves); Cin, Naumenko (31). Attendance: 6,227.
DAVIDSSON RECALLED
Center Johan Davidsson has been recalled by Anaheim. Davidsson, 24, has appeared in 55 games this season with Cincinnati, ranking third on the club in scoring with 39 points on nine goals and a team-leading 30 assists along with 24 penalty minutes. He is scoreless in four games with Anaheim (Jan. 3-13).
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