IHL recaps for Dec. 17, 1997

Thursday, Dec. 18, 1997 | 3:54 a.m.

Michigan K-Wings 3, Orlando Solar Bears 1

KALAMAZOO, Mich.--Goalie Manny Fernandez made 43 saves to help the Michigan K-Wings (12-10-6) to a 3-1 win over the Orlando Solar Bears (16-10-5) Wednesday at Wings Stadium. Fernandez, making his first start since being assigned from the NHL's Dallas Stars, had a shutout going until Kevin Smyth slipped in a goal on a power play at 17:57 of the third period. Petr Buzek and John Emmons scored to wrap up the game for Michigan in the first period. Chris Tancill capped the win with a power play goal at 3:46 of the second. Orlando goalie Scott LaGrand faced 35 shots and made 32 saves.

Cincinnati Cyclones 4, Las Vegas Thunder 1

CINCINNATI--Mark Labelle scored his first goal since February 1996 to help the Cincinnati Cyclones (14-10-6) defeat the Las Vegas Thunder (17-12-3) 4-1 Wednesday before 4,187 at The Crown. Labelle's goal came 4:07 into the game. Scott Morrow netted the game-winner 1:47 later. Mike Casselman and Todd Simon added third-period scores. Simon also had two assists. Defenseman Steve Bancroft notched the lone Las Vegas score, at 9:03 of the third period, with assists from IHL scoring leader Patrice Lefebvre and Ken Quinney, who moves into a tie with Houston's Brian Wiseman for fourth on the list. Geoff Sarjeant stopped 31 of the Thunder's 32 shots to post the win. Manny Legace turned away 39 of 42 for Las Vegas.

Chicago Wolves 4, Milwaukee Admirals 2

ROSEMONT, Ill.--The Chicago Wolves (22-7-2) scored three power play goals on their way to a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals (17-12-1) Wednesday in front of 5,535 at the Rosemont Horizon. Steve Maltais had a hand in all three extra-man tallies, scoring one and assisting on goals by Ravil Guzmanov and Jamie Baker. Scott Pearson finished off Chicago's scoring, in the third period. Kerry Clark and Martin Gendron scored for the Admirals, whose three-game winning streak came to an end. Stephane Beauregard made 27 saves on 29 shots in goal for the Wolves. Milwaukee's Danny Lorenz also stopped 27, on 31 chances.

Kansas City Blades 3, Utah Grizzlies 1

KANSAS CITY--The Kansas City Blades (13-16-3) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Utah Grizzlies (18-9-4) Wednesday at Kemper Arena. Mike Craig's shorthanded goal, at 16:20 of the first period, was the game-winner. Jason Cirone put the Blades on the board at 9:26 of the first, and Brent Bilodeau made the score 3-0 at 11:50 of the second. Kip Miller spoiled the shutout 41 seconds into the final period, beating goalie Jeff Salajko on an unassisted play. Salajko finished with 26 saves. Utah's Philippe DeRouville stopped 33 of KC's 36 shots.

Long Beach Ice Dogs 5, Indianapolis Ice 4 (SO)

LONG BEACH, Calif.--Four goals from Patrik Augusta, plus three shootout tallies, gave the Long Beach Ice Dogs a 5-4 win over the Indianapolis Ice Wednesday at Long Beach Arena. Lane Lambert, who had two assists in regulation, put away the winning shootout score, in the fifth round. Russ Romaniuk and Andrei Vasilyev also scored in the tiebreaker to help Long Beach snap a four-game skid. Augusta's four-goal performance tied a franchise record. Three of his goals, at 17:23 of the first period, 15:33 of the second and 2:34 of the third, came on power plays. He also scored at 12:35 of the second, with the help of Romaniuk's second of three assists. Ryan Huska gave the Ice a 1-0 lead at 10:41 of the opening period. Steve McLaren scored late in the period to give Indianapolis a 2-1 edge at the intermission. Eric Lecompte boosted the Indianapolis lead to 3-1 early in the second period, but the Ice fell behind, and needed Dan Hodge's goal at 5:27 of the third to tie the score 4-4 and force the tiebreaker. Ice Dogs goalie Kay Whitmore faced only 20 shots in regulation, making 16 saves, and stopped three of five in the shootout. Jani Hurme stopped 45 of 49 for the Ice.