December 23

With no big-league games last night, we have just a few Quick Hits for your Saturday morning:

Quick Hits

• Minnesota North Stars will give Gary Bauman the start in goal tonight against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Bauman has not played in six games, thanks to the recent hot streak put together by Cesare Maniago. Bauman has a goals-against average of 2.51 for the season.
• It’s Christmas time in Philadelphia. Flyers goalies Bernie Parent (30) and Doug Favell (1) flank Santa Claus, who looks like he knows what he’s doing with that Northland hockey stick. Flyers’ captain Lou Angotti (7) gets ready to try and put one by the trio guarding the net.
• Slumping Toronto Maple Leafs will use Bruce Gamble in goal tonight against the Red Wings on Young Canada night at Maple Leaf Gardens. Leafs coach Punch Imlach said to not read too much into Gamble’s start over veteran Johnny Bower: “Gamble goes better against certain teams and we try to get him in those games. He has a fair record against New York Rangers and Detroit. I had planned to use him in some of our earlier games, but he was bothered by the flu.”

  

• Boston Bruins will go with 26-year-old rookie goalie Andre Gill in net tonight against the New York Rangers. It will be the first National Hockey League game for Gill, who was called up from Hershey of the American Hockey League to replace the injured Ed Johnson. Bruins had planned to try and construct a light-weight cast for Johnston’s broken bone in his right hand, but nothing suitable could be fashioned. Backing up Gill will be Wayne Doll, who plays for the Long Island Ducks of the semi-professional Eastern Hockey League.
• Baz Bastien, who does the Red Wings bench duties in games for head man Sid Abel, likes rookie forward Gary Marsh. Marsh was called up four games ago from Fort Worth of the Central Professional Hockey League and has a goal and an assist in that span. Bastien:  “He impressed me at training camp – he has a lot of moxie.”
• Centre Ralph Backstrom is a doubtful starter for Canadiens tonight when they host the Oakland Seals at The Forum. The swift-skating pivot pulled a groin in yesterday’s practice.
• Retired Detroit Red Wings goalie Roger Crozier is now working as a carpenter in his hometown of Bracebridge, Ontario. But he hasn’t completely dismissed any chance of an NHL comeback: “I haven’t closed the door completely on hockey. But right now I don’t know.”
• Here is Rochester Americans coach and general manager Joe Crozier with three future prospects: Milan Marcetta Jr., Mark Horvath (Bronco’s boy) and Kevin Duff (son of Les).
• Garry Swain and Don Tannahill each scored four goals as the Niagara Falls Flyers demolished the London Nationals 14-2 in the Cataract City. Tom Webster also had a big night for the Flyers, scoring one goal and adding seven assists. The eight points moves him into a tie with Toronto’s Richie Bayes for the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A scoring lead.
• The Kitchener Rangers drubbed the Oshawa Generals 6-2 in another OHA Junior A game. Jack Egers, Lee Inglis, Henri Lehvonen, Ab DeMarco, Don Luce and Jim McRae found the net for the Rangers. Joe Robertson and Scott Seagrist where the Generals scorers.
• In the other OHA game, the St. Catharines Black Hawks fired 63 shots at Ottawa goalies Gary Doyle and Michel Larocque en route to a 7-3 pasting of the 67s in St. Catharines. Skeeter Teal had two goals and two assists for the Black Hawks, and Glen Sherwood also added a pair. Pierre Jarry scored two of the Ottawa markers. Doyle started in goal for Ottawa and faced 18 shots in the first period and 26 in the second, giving up five goals. He was mercifully relieved by Larocque in the third. He gave up 2 goals on 19 shots.