Bash a blast in debut

Tim Graham

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Welcome to Las Vegas, Andrei Bashkirov.

The newest member of the Las Vegas Thunder made his International Hockey League debut a memorable one Tuesday night. Not only did Bashkirov score the game-tying goal with less than five minutes left in regulation, he also netted the clinching goal in the ensuing shootout, giving his new team a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Blades.

"As the game progressed (Bashkirov) stepped up and wanted to win it for us," Thunder head coach Chris McSorley said.

But before he did, Las Vegas appeared as if it would finally set its franchise record for futility. For the third time this season, it needed a victory to avoid going winless in five straight games.

"This team is a draining experience," said McSorley, whose squad has needed a shootout in its last four victories. "What a seesaw these guys perform on."

The Thunder was far from teetering early in the game, leading 2-0 6 1/2 minutes into the first period. But the tottering started shortly thereafter when the Blades scored four unanswered goals through the second period.

Thunder goalkeeper Parris Duffus, who raised his record to 23-13-4, was deluged, facing 42 shots.

"We have to clean our kitchen, meaning our defensive zone," McSorley said. "I think our forwards played hard, but our defenders didn't punch the time clock until midway through the third period. They worked hard; they just didn't work intelligently."

At 4:12 of the third period, Thunder right wing Martin Gendron cut the Blades' lead to 4-3 when he stuffed in his own rebound. It was Gendron's second goal of the game and his team-leading 28th of the season.

But before the public address voice had finished announcing Gendron's goal, Kansas City's Dean Sylvester re-extended the lead to 2 with his second goal of the game at 4:36 of the third.

But from then on, it was all Thunder.

"We were aggressive, but we pulled back a little bit in the third period," Kansas City head coach Don Jackson said. "We let the game open up. Las Vegas gots lots of speed, lots of heart. Chris got them jacked up in the third."

Ken Quinney netted a power-play goal at 7:33, giving him his second score of the night and 20th of the season.

Then, at 15:11, a shot from Egor Bashkatov rebounded to Bashkirov in front of the net. From point-blank range, Bashkirov fired the puck past Blades goaltender Larry Dyck to tie the game and give the Thunder its second power-play goal in four attempts.

In the shootout, Patrice Lefebvre started the Thunder with a score, while the Blades' first two shooters were stopped. David Bruce was successful for Kansas City in the third round and so was Gendron. But a score from Jeff Madill and a miss from Kevin St. Jacques in round four made it even entering the fifth and final frame.

The Blades' Jason Cirone misfired on his shot, setting up Bashkirov's heroics.

Bashkirov, the MVP of the East Coast Hockey League All-Star game, arrived in Las Vegas Monday and entering Tuesday night's game, hadn't practiced with the Thunder. Nevertheless, he claimed he wasn't nervous when he was called on to win the shootout.

"I was excited, of course," the 26-year-old Russian winger said. "I didn't even think about (the consequences). When the coach tells me, I go in. I'm ready always."

The Thunder seemed to share Bashkirov's readiness early in the game with two goals in its first five shots.

The first came 1:47 in, when Lefebvre made a nearly impossible pass to set up Gendron's first goal. Skating in toward Dyck, Lefebvre saw that he had no play, spun to his left and, with his back to Gendron, sent a pinpoint offering across the front of Dyck, leaving a wide-open net.

"I didn't know if I was passing to Gendron or Quinney, to be honest," said Lefebvre, who learned before that he, Quinney and defenseman Kevin Dahl had been selected as reserves for the upcoming IHL All-Star game. "As I came in, I saw I didn't have a shot and couldn't make the forehand pass. It was just one of those plays where if I make the pass I look good, and if I don't I look stupid."

The Thunder made it 2-0 when Quinney scored a short-handed goal. It was set up when Quinney stopped a poor clearing attempt by Dyck and passed the puck to Darcy Loewen, who skated in one-on-one. Loewen waited for Dyck to commit before passing back to Quinney for an easy goal.