Thursday, April 24, 2014

This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 24

Today's entry sees the Indianapolis Ice win an epic 1-0 game to oust Cincinnati in 1999, Jim Malwitz and Neal Coulter score two goals each to lift the Checkers to a playoff win in 1985, the Checkers completing a sweep of Wichita in 1982, and Jim Park posting a playoff shutout in 1976. Also, birthday celebrations for Joe West, Doug Weiss, Craig Channell, Jeff Jackson, Frederic Barbeau, Drew Smolcynski and the late Thain Simon and Jack Douglas.


April 24 in Indianapolis hockey history
2010: Green Bay eliminates the Ice with a 4-2 defeat in Game 4 of their semifinal series at the Coliseum. Antti Roppo and Max Cook give the Ice a 2-1 lead at the first intermission, but the Gamblers score twice on the power play in the second to seize the lead. The Gamblers win the series 3-1. 
1999: The Ice win their first playoff series since 1990, as Todd Rohloff scores exactly midway through the third period and Marc Lamothe stops 43 shots to give the Ice a 1-0 victory in Cincinnati and a 2-1 series win. 
1985: The Checkers beat Peoria 5-4 to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series. Jim Malwitz scores two first-period goals, and Neal Coulter two third-period goals in the victory. Coulter's second tally comes with 4:22 left and braeks a 4-all tie. Rob Holland stops 38 shots in the win. 
1983: The Birmingham South Stars' Jim Dobson scores his third goal of the game nine seconds into OT to beat the Checkers 4-3 and even their best-of-9 championship series at a game apiece. Glen Duncan tallies a goal and an assist for the Checkers, who led 3-1 in the third.
1982: The Checkers complete a four-game sweep of Wichita -- in four relatively close games -- by a 5-3 score in front of 7,115 at the Coliseum. Tied 3-3 early in the third, Garth MacGuigan scores the game-winner at 8:13 o the period. Red Laurence, Dave Simpson, Kevin Devine and Lorne Stamler also score, and Kelly Hrudey stops 28 shots, putting the Checkers in the Adams Cup Final. 
1976: The Racers' Jim Park posts his second straight shutout, making 30 saves to blank New England 4-0 at Market Square Arena to cut the Racers' series deficit to 3 games to 2. Reggie Thomas' power play goal midway through the first stands up as the game-winner. Michel Parizeau scores twice and adds an assist. Hugh Harris assists on three goals, and Hall of Famer Dave Keon adds a third-period goal after assisting on Thomas' first-period marker. Pat Stapleton also has two assists.

Happy birthday to ... 
Thain Simon: Defenseman who played 55 games for the Capitals from 1946-48, with three goals and four assists. His pro career lasted three seasons -- and included three NHL games with the Red Wings in 1946-47. He retired after playing 65 games with the AHL St. Louis Flyers in 1948-49. A native of Brockville, Ont., he was born in 1922. He passed away in 2007.
Jack Douglas: Defenseman who played 51 games for the Chiefs as a rookie in 1956-57. He had three goals and 16 assists, and also had six assists in eight playoff games as the Chiefs advanced to the Turner Cup Final. He was a silver medalist for Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics, and was known for the "six-inch slapper" -- a powerful slapshot he could get off despite moving the stick only six inches. He retired after the 1963-64 season. A native of Trenton, Ont., he was born in 1930. He passed away in 2003.  
Joe West: Right wing who played 24 games for the Checkers as a rookie in 1986-87. He had 13 goals and six assists, and also had three points in six playoff games. He played in Germany through 2001, and also coached in Europe. A native of Winnipeg, he is 51.
Doug Weiss: Played one game for the IHL Ice in 1988-89 as a rookie out of Dartmouth College. He played three pro seasons, primarily in the ECHL, where he had 19 goals for Johnstown in 1989-90. A native of Greenfield, Mass., he is 49.  
Craig Channell: While he was primarily known in these parts as a member of the Fort Wayne Komets, Channell joined the Ice at the end of the 1989-90 season and played 16 games, tallying one assist, and all 14 games of the team's Turner Cup run. He had two points in those games. His pro career began in 1982 with AHL Sherbrooke, then he moved to the IHL in 1984 with Fort Wayne and stayed with the Komets until joining the Ice in 1990 and winning a title. He retired after his Ice stint and became an NHL scout. A native of Vancouver, he is 54.
Jeff Jackson: Left wing who played 18 games for the Ice in 1991-92. He had three goals and seven assistswith the Ice, a stint that came in the final year of an eight-season pro career that saw him play 238 NHL games. He had 38 goals, 86 points and 313 PIMs for the Maple Leafs, Rangers, Nordiques and Blackhawks. After retiring, he became an attorney and an executive with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A native of Chatham, Ont., he is 49.
Frederic Barbeau: Defenseman who played four games for the Ice in 1995-96. He played one and a half years of U.S. minor pro hockey, and then played several seasons of senior hockey in Quebec. A native of Victoriaville, Quebec, he is 39.
Drew Smolcynski: Forward who played 89 games for the Ice from 2011-13. He had 24 goals and 23 assists in Indy. He is now a freshman at St. Lawrence University, where he had 11 points in 25 games this past season. A native of Hatfield, Penn., he is 20.

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