Monday, April 29, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
It was a button Chris McSorley didn't need to push. But whether it was a hunch or a matter of getting a certain matchup, the Thunder coach tapped Paul DiPietro on the shoulder and said, "You're in."
After DiPietro responded with two goals in the opening-round IHL playoff series-clinching 4-2 win Saturday at Phoenix, don't look for McSorley to take his hand off the button any time soon.
The Thunder will face Chicago in the Western Conference semifinals after the Wolves ousted San Francisco Sunday in overtime, 2-1. Games 1 and 2 in the best-of-seven series are Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The series will shift to the Rosemont Horizon May 8 for Game 3. Game 4 will be played May 10 with Game 5, if necessary, in Chicago May 12.
As the Thunder attempts to advance in the playoffs, it will be counting on people like DiPietro to deliver in the clutch.
The veteran center was acquired from Houston for such occasions, as his ability to adapt and perform endeared him to general manager Bob Strumm. Plus, his playoff experience (he was a member of the 1993 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens) was considered a bonus.
After getting drubbed 5-0 in Game 3 Friday, McSorley knew winning Game 4 in Phoenix was crucial.
He remembered the enormous pressure the team felt last year when it let a 2-0 series lead slip away before finally putting the Atlanta Knights away in Game 5 at the Thomas & Mack. He did not want an encore.
So McSorley made a withdrawal from the Thunder's ample talent account. DiPietro came through with a pair of goals to give the 3-year-old franchise its first-ever road playoff victory. The Thunder was 0-7 away from the Mack before Saturday's win.
DiPietro sat out Game 1 with the stomach flu, then was a healthy scratch for Game 2 as McSorley didn't want to disrupt the team's rhythm. But DiPietro knew his time would come and he knew he would have to be ready when McSorley called his number.
However, he wasn't ready when he made his playoff debut in Game 3 Friday.
"Having not played, I didn't know what to expect from Phoenix," he said. "But we were awful as a team in Game 3 and we just had to get back to playing the way we were capable."
The Thunder did that Saturday, moving the puck quickly, playing up-tempo hockey and putting pressure on Roadrunners goalie Jamie Storr from the opening faceoff.
McSorley sat rookie Bill Bowler and had DiPietro center for Patrice Lefebvre and Vaclav Nedomansky Jr. The trio played well.
DiPietro's first goal came on a second-period breakaway, ending a 104-minute, 47-second scoring drought by the Thunder dating to Game 2. It also marked the first time in the series the Thunder scored the first goal.
DiPietro's second goal, sandwiched between a Sergei Zholtok second-period slapshot and a third-period Grigori Panteleyev wrist shot from the slot, came from the right side as Lefebvre set him up.
At that point, the Thunder had a 4-0 lead with under nine minutes remaining. Phoenix scored two late goals, but the Roadrunners' season was over.
DiPietro's may be just beginning.
"This is the Paul DiPietro I remember seeing in 1993," McSorley said. "If he plays like that, it's going to be hard to keep him out of the lineup."
Thunderbolts...
* QUINNEY OUT: LW Ken Quinney did not dress for Game 4 in Phoenix and may miss part or all of the Chicago series with a strained right hip flexor. Quinney was to be examined today, but the early prognosis was he could be sidelined for two weeks. "I don't expect Q to be available," said coach Chris McSorley. "But I like to think we can overcome one person being out."
* WOLVES TOUGH FOE: Chicago was one of the few teams in the IHL to play the Thunder tough during the regular season, splitting four games with Las Vegas. Each team prevailed on its home ice with the Thunder winning 13-6 on March 15 and 6-5 on April 9. The Wolves won 4-2 on Oct. 15 and 5-2 on Feb. 3 at the Horizon. "It's going to be a pretty good matchup," McSorley said. "To beat a solid team like San Francisco without one of their top players (Brian Wiseman) is impressive."
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