SPORTS
University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, February 18, 1992
9
Sweden skates to tie against U.S. hockey team
U.S. coach snubs opponent after game
The Associated Press
MERIBEL, France — Nothing like the Olympics to foster good sportsmanship.
Just 2:04 into the U.S. hockey team's 3-3 tie with Sweden last night, former NHL gentleman of the year Mats Naslund bloodied the face of U.S. defenseman Greg Brown by checking him from behind into the boards.
The bad will continued 8/2 hours later, as U.S. coach Dave Peterson refused to shake hands with Swedish assistant coach Curt Lundmark at the post-game news conference.
The incidents took away from an exciting game that included 45 saves by U.S. goalie Ray LeBlancand a tying goal by Sweden's Mikael Johansson with 21 seconds to go.
Despite blowing a 3-0 third-period lead, the United States won its group
and earned the right to play France in a quarterfinal game today. The 4-0-1 start mirrors the record the 1980 U.S. hockey team had going into the medal round.
The only bllemish in 1980 was also a tie with Sweden.
Lundmark said that Peterson also swore at Swedish coaches and players between periods but that he did not have anything against the U.S. players.
"It's against Peterson. I think he is not a proud member of the coaches," Lundmark said. "After a game, you have to shake hands. I have been coaching since 1974. Such things that happened in this game have happened before. But after the game, you have to shake hands and be friends."
"This isn't war, guys, this isn't war.
But almost."
It sure seemed like an enemy attack
when Naslund took a running start and a flying leap at Brown. Brown suffered a concussion, a broken nose and an inch and a half
cut that needed 12 stitches. Naslund was assessed a charging penalty and was ejected by referee Seppo Makela.
U. S. general manager Larry Johnson said that another look should be taken at the replay to see what a dirty shot it was. He said that the U.S. team was going to show the tape to the International Ice Hockey Federation and that it would like to see Naslund get thrown out of the tournament.
Naslund never drew as many as 20 penalty minutes in any of his eight seasons with the Montreal Canadians and
won the 1988 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player considered to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.
Naslund said that he had never tried to hurt another player and that if the referee had not seen blood, it would have passed as a good bit.
"It's nothing you're proud of. When it happened like this, I think it's part of the game and a lot of un-luck." Naslund said. "I'm not banging my chest and thinking I'm Tarzan, but what can I do now?"
"I felt it wasa very good hit at the moment. He cleared the puck and I just followed through with a hit, like North American-style or whatever you want to call."
that has become known as the "Shame in Chamonix."
Coach Lundmark said that in Chamonix, they thought it would be an exhibition game. But the U.S. team did not want to have it that way.
"It it was very rough, but tonight we wanted to win." Lundmark said. "We told our players to stay up and play closer to them. We have to play them the way they play us. We can't go away from them."
U. S. forward Jim Johannson said that it was pretty rough on the ice.
For all their North American play, the Swedes could not pass the U.S. goalie for more than 46 minutes.
LeBlanc stopped break aways and point-blank barrages and was instrumental in maintaining a U.S. lead built on goals by Clark Donatell, Ted Donato and Marty McInnis.
Le Blanc has played every minute of the tournament and has allowed only seven goals. He had a scoreless string of 136 minutes, 39 seconds snapped by
Tommy Sjodin at 6:21 of the third period. It was the first third-period goal he had allowed in the Olympics.
Hakan Loob made it 3-2 with a power-play-lab at13:25.
Peterson's answers to reporters' questions were brief after the game. He left shortly after refusing to shake hands with Lundmark and was not available for comment on the incident. Lundmark, however, was now
And then, with Sweden's goalie pulled for a sixth attacker, Johannson tried a wraparound from LeBlanc's left and the puck deflected off the right skate of U.S. defenseman Dave Tretowicz and into the net.
Lundmark, however, was very available.
"Why? Why? Why? Why! can't explain it.
I think it's very bad for sport," the Swedish coach said. "After the game, when 60 minutes is played, then you have to shake hands and forget everything that's happened."
OLYMPIC UPDATE
"It's history. Everything is history.
Even bad accidents, it's history."
Unified Team pair wins ice dancing
Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko of the Unified Team won the Olympic ice dancing gold medal yesterday, edging Isabelle and Paul Duchenay, the home-ice heroes.
Another Unified Team couple, Maia Usova and Alexander Zhuilin, took the bronze medal.
Entering the competition in second place behind the Klimova-Ponomarenko, the Duchesnays skated last.
The over-capacity audience was jubilant at the end of the Duchesnays "West Side Story" routine, but the judges placed it only second-best behind Kilmoñarenko's classical dance.
Towin, the Duchesnayswould have had to finish two places above Klimova-Ponomarenko in the free dance. That was impossible before they entered the ice: Klimova-Ponomarenko already had the highest marks in the free skate and were assured of no lower than second in that decisive portion of the competition.
Veteran U.S. skater looks for first medal
Two fourth-place finishes in his strong event — the men's 500 - are the best Jansen has done.
Now that Dan Jansen has kept his feet, it's time for the next step — winning a medal.
His last chance is today, when Jansen returns to the rink for the men's 1,000-meter speedskating. In three Olympics, Jansen has won hearts and provoked tears, but never taken home a medal.
Jansen went to Calgary in 1988 expecting medals in both the 500 and the 1,000. Instead he found heartbreak and the ice, falling students after learning his 27-year-old sister had died of leukemia.
Jansen has since set the world record in the 500, and stands fourth in the World Cup 1,000 rankings.
He skated again Saturday in the 500 and finished in fourth place.
From The Associated Press
Olympic medals count
Country G S B T
Germany 8 8 5 21
Unified Team* 7 4 6 17
Austria 4 6 6 16
Norway 6 4 3 13
France 3 4 1 8
Italy 1 3 3 7
United States 3 2 1 6
Finland 3 1 2 6
Japan 0 1 2 3
The Netherlands 0 1 2 3
Canada 1 0 1 2
Switzerland 1 0 1 2
China 0 2 0 2
Czechoslovakia 0 0 2 2
Sweden 0 0 2 2
Luxembourg 0 1 0 1
- Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Kansas forward Alonzo Jamison and Nebraska's Dapreis Owens scramble for a loose ball during a Kansas victory. The Javhawks and Cornhuskers will plav again tomorrow in Lincoln. Neb
Julie Jacobson/KANSAN
Big Eight teams falling on road
"Kansas won some big road games early, so they are in good position."
By Chris Jenson
Kansas coach writer
With just about three weeks remaining in the Big Eight Conference regular season, the road is becoming less friendly to visiting conference teams.
The Jayhawks, who moved up to No. 3, started conference play at 5-0, with three of those victories coming on the road.
In the first 13 conference games this season, only six were won by the home team. In the last 19 games, 17 were won by the home team.
Last night, the road claimed yet another victim as Missouri beat Nebraska 87-61 in Columbia, Mo.
"It is hell in this league, that's for sure," Iowa State coach Johnny Orr said at the Big Eight's weekly coaches' teleconference. The Cyclones cracked The Associated Press 'top-25 this week. They are ranked 23rd.
"What makes
Kansas good is their depth. They have the total package."
Danny Nee
Nebraska basketball coach
Orr said.
With two conference road games this week, Kansas coach Roy Williams
"I can't really explain it," Kansas State coach Dana Altman said. "Teams like Missouri and Kansas can do well on the road, but mostly the home court gives the weaker teams an advantage."
Other Big Eight coaches agreed with Orr at the teleconference.
said he hoped to break the current conference streak of losing on the road.
"I hope we can turn it around since we have road games coming up," he said. "But the court is still the same size on the road, and the referees will still allow the other team five players on the court."
The coaches agreed that parity in the league had made every game a battle and that no longer were there any pushovers in the conference. Every team in the conference has a winning percentage above .500.
"The intensity level rises in a conference like ours," Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton said. "It is tough to be up every night, and without the home-crowd advantage, it makes it tough."
Sutton and the Cowboys should know. After suffering road losses at Colorado and Nebraska, the Cowboys fell to Iowa State in front of a rowdy Hilton Coliseum crew in Ames, Iowa. They also fell to No. 8 in the nation after
the losses.
Sutton said the home crowd helped in boosting the Cyclones to their overtime victory.
Colorado coach Joe Harrington, whose team upset the Cowboys in Boulder, Colo., said Kansas' Allen Field House and Oklahoma State's Gallagher-Ia B arena were the toughest arenaes in the Big Eight.
"Their crowd played the part of the sixth man," he said. "That crowd was not going to let them lose."
When it comes to tough conference road victories for Kansas, Nebraska's Devaney Center is high on the list. Nebraska coach Danny Nee, who is 4-1 against the Jayhawks in Lincoln, Neb., during his career, said his team usually played well against Kansas.
"We have been fortunate to play our on-game against Kansas." Nee said. "We've played well."
Looking ahead to tomorrow's game against Kansas, Nee had nothing but praise for the Jayhaws.
"Williams has done a great job of balancing the old and the new and getting them to play well together," he said. "What makes Kansas good is their depth. They have the total package."
In other conference news:
■ Iowa State's junior guard Justus Thipper was named the conference's player of the week. He had 50 points and 12 rebounds in three games last week. In the Cyclones' victory against Oklahoma State, he scored 22 points.
- Iowa State coach Johnny Orr expressed concern yesterday that the Big Eight postseason tournament could limit the number of conference teams that make the NCAA Tournament. The Big Eight could have as many as six teams in this year's tournament.
"But unless somebody knocks that top team out of there, we're not going to get it," Orr said. "The Big Ten, with no tournament, will get six or seven in there."
Kansas pitcher shocked by Trojans
By Jerry Schmidt Kansan sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas pitcher Jimmy Walker learned a valuable lesson Sunday in Kansas' 8-3 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock.
Based on the Jayhawks' 12-1 rout of the Trojans on Saturday behind the pitching of senior Curtis Schmidt, Walker expected an easy outting for his first start of the season. Schmidt held Arkansas-Little Rock to four hits and one run in five innings, striking out six batters and walking one. Junior pitches Todd Breyfogle, Joel Bacon and Tom Stewart held the Trojans scorele for the final four innings and gave up two hits.
"I thought I could just throw my hat out on the field and beat them," Walker said.
But Sunday was a different story.
The Jayhawk pitching staff gave up seven hits and walked seven batters. Walker said it was a case of taking the Troians for granted.
"I took them a little lightly," said Walker, Nickerson junior. "I was getting the ball up the first two innings and luckily I was getting some fly balls."
The trouble for the Jayhawks began in the third inning when Walker walked four straight hitters. The result was a four-run inning and a 4-2 lead for Arkansas-Little Rock.
"It got us in a bind," Kansas coach Dave Bingham said of the walks.
Bingham hesitated to pull Walker out of the game in the third inning in hopes that he would出 of the jam. But Bingham said he would handle things differently next time.
"From my standpoint, I wouldn't want to take him out that early," he said. "We may have learned something about our personnel. We may have to make that move a little earlier than we did."
Bingham said the Jayhawks' problems were not limited to pitching. They also struggled offensively, he said. But that was a problem he said he expected early in the season.
"It was going to take a guy with a lot of confidence to steen up and do something," Sweden said. "We could never get that guy to the plate. We probably don't even know who that guy is right now."
Saturday's offensive hero was John Wuycheck. The junior from Phoenix was 2-for-5 with five RBIs, including a three-run home run in the fourth inning. Sophomore centerfielder Darryl Monroe was 2-for-2, scored four runs and stole two bases.
Sun avenueier was 3-for-4 Sunday with one run batted in.
Walker said that for Kansas to be successful, Sunday's performance could not be repeated.
Kansas will play Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
"We have to play with the same intensity whether it's a KCAC team or a Division I team," he said. "We can't be up for one game and down the next."
Top-25 AP Polls
Here are the top 25 teams in The Associated Press 1991-92 college basketball polls (records through Feb. 16 in parentheses) and last
Previous Women
Previous
1. Duke (20-1) 1 1. Virginia (22-1) 2
2. UCLA (19-1) 2 2. Tennessee (20-2) 3
3. Kansas (19-2) 4 3. Stephen F. Austin (21-1) 4
4. North Carolina (18-3) 4 4. Maryland (20-3) 5
5. Arizona (19-3) 5 6. Mississippi (22-1) 6
6. Ohio St. (17-3) 8 6. Stanford (19-2) 7
7. Indiana (18-4) 8 7. Iowa (19-2) 6
8. Oklahoma St. (21-3) 8 9. Miami (22-1) 8
9. Missouri (17-3) 9 9. Purdue (16-4) 9
10. Arkansas (19-5) 11 10. Vanderbilt (17-5) 10
11. Michigan St. (17-4) 12 11. Penn St. (17-6) 11
12. UNLV (22-2) 15 12. SW Missouri St. (20-2) 12
13. Kentucky (18-5) 19 13. Hawaii (17-2) 13
14. Alabama (19-5) 16 14. George Washington (17-4) 14
15. Southern Cal. (17-1) 16 15. West Virginia (19-2) 19
16. Florida St. (18-6) 23 16. Washington (15-6) 18
17. Syracuse (16-5) 17 17. W. Kentucky (16-6) 15
18. Tulane (19-4) 14 18. Kansas (19-4) 16
19. Cincinnati (19-4) 24 19. Cleveland (18-7) 23
20. Nashville (15-6) 17 20. Texas Tech (18-4) 17
21. Connecticut (18-5) 18 21. Houston (17-5) 20
22. Seton Hall (15-6) 25 22. Alabama (18-5) 21
23. Iowa St. (18-6) — 23. North Carolina (18-5) 24
24. St. John's (14-7) — 24. Wisconsin (16-5) 25
25. Georgetown (15-6) — 25. Texas (15-7) —