For three periods and a 5-minute overtime, the Golden Eagles dominated the San Diego Gulls at the Delta Center Tuesday night. They outshot the Gulls 36 to 17 and outplayed them at both ends of the ice.
All that didn't matter, however. The game was decided in a sudden-death shootout where the Gulls prevailed and came away with a 3-2 victory.Although the outcome sent 5,950 fans home disappointed, at least they got to see a guy called "Bungee Mike" leap from the top of the Delta Center rafters attached to a bungee cord to within 5 feet of the ice . . . and survive.
"Sometimes the game doesn't have justice," moaned Eagle Coach Bob Francis, who doesn't like shootouts even when he wins them. "I thought our guys deserved to win tonight and I was very happy with our effort and execution. I couldn't have asked any more from them."
Across the arena in the visitors locker room, Gull Coach Don Waddell was thrilled to escape with two points in the standings and basically agreed with Francis.
"That team didn't deserve to lose tonight," said Waddell. "They shut us down pretty well. I don't think it's fair. They should make another column in the standings, `bonus point' for shootout wins."
After the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie through regulation and the overtime, it came down to a 5-on-5 shootout with the team scoring the most goals winning. Last time the two teams met here three weeks ago, the Eagles took a shootout victory, winning when their final shooter scored.
They had a chance to do that again after Dennis Holland scored and Len Hachborn scored for San Diego. But the Eagles' fifth shooter, Darryl Olsen, was denied by goalie Rick Knickle.
It went to sudden death where San Diego's Dimitri Kvartalnov was stopped by Jason Muzzatti and Kevin Wortman, the hero of the last shootout win over San Diego, missed the goal.
Then Ron Duguay, the 12-year NHL veteran and former all-star, got his chance and made the most of it. He skated down the left side of the ice with his trademark long hair blowing behind him (he's one of the few professional hockey players not required to wear a helmet). Near the goal, he cut to his right, watched the puck get away from him twice, before sliding it around Muzzatti with his right hand.
"It was meant to be," said Duguay. "I felt denied because I hadn't been used in the last couple of shootouts. The other day I was thinking about a shootout and knew what I was going to do. Tonight I used that same move."
And what was it?
"I don't want to tell you, because, he's going to know next time," said Duguay with a laugh.
After Duguay's shot, Salt Lake still had a chance to stay in it, but Knickle made a great stop of Todd Harkins' shot.
Later Knickle, a veteran of 10 IHL seasons, admitted it was "pure luck," saying, "He had me dead to the right. I was frozen. I just laid my glove out and stopped it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't."
Knickle kept his team from losing in regulation, because by all rights, a team should win when it doubles its opponents' shots on goal.
"We had our chances, but Knickle came up with the big stops for them," said Francis.
"I got my money's worth tonight," said Knickle.
The two teams go at it again Thursday night in the Delta Center. As for "Bungee Mike," he'll be back again next week to jump at the Feb. 8 game with Phoenix.