Not 1986. Not 1988

Edmonton Oilers v Philadelphia Flyers, February 15, 1992

Spectrum, Section V Row 8

A few years removed from their last Stanley Cup and many years removed from 2 Stanley Cup Finals in the 80s when these same 2 teams squared off. 1992 was the 75th anniversary of the NHL. To celebrate, the league switched back to the home team wearing dark jerseys and the away team white for the 2nd half of the regular season. So the Oilers came to town wearing their familiar "home" white jerseys.

The 1st started out quiet with a mere goal early on when Kevin Dineen scored his 19th of the year at the 2:23 mark while the Flyers were on a power play. Vincent Damphousse tied it up for the Oilers at the 10:52 mark.

Then Mark Petersen put the Flyers up again with assists going to Mark Howe and Mike Ricci. Then the gloves started flying. Claude Boiven was flagged for a cross checking penalty until the Oilers scrummed around him. Boiven and David Maley both got fighting majors.

When the Flyers got back to even strength they scored two more in 1st when both Corey Foster and Keith Acton connected.

A little more scoring an a bunch more roughing and fighting majors in the 2nd. Semenov scored for the Oilers while Dineen connected for his 2nd of the game. Boiven squared off again with Louie DeBrusk The same two came together later in the period and were assessed coincidentals.

Five more goals were tallied in the 3rd. The first 3 of the period by Edmonton. MacTavish, Murphy and Semenov all squeaked one past goaltender Ron Hextall. The Flyers Kerry Huffman scored on a power play and Rich Tocchet scored an empty netter in the last minute of the game for a Flyers 8-5 win.

17,380 was the announced attendence.

Who Own the Chiefs?

Boston Univ Terriers v UMass-Lowell Chiefs, February 14, 1998

Tsongas Arena, Section I, Row 18

In 1998 Boston University's Chris Drury won the Hobey Baker Award. Drury, the most honored player in the 77-year history of hockey at BU, is the University's all-time leading goal scorer, with 113, and the third all-time leading point producer, with 213. During the 1997-98 season the Trumbull, Conn., native helped lead the Terriers to a 28-8-2 record. They won the Beanpot Tournament and the Hockey East regular-season title for the fourth straight year. Statistically, Drury finished the year leading the team in goals, 28, points, 57, shorthanded goals, 4, and hat tricks, 2.

In this game Drury scored one of his 2 hat tricks in the 97-98 season.

Technically, UMass-Lowell were no longer the Chiefs. They buckled to political correctness and bent over and changed their nickname from the proud and strong Chiefs to the sissified Riverhawks. This change occurred around the time the team moved from an on campus arena to the newly constructed (Paul) Tsongas Arena. Tsongas was a well known Democrat at the time.

I think this was UMass-Lowells first year in the new arena. The season prior I attended the BU game at their old on campus rink. The old place was a tight tinderbox with a low ceiling, loud dueling bands and wall to wall students jumping up and down on the bleachers. The paint was thick and there was some nostalgia in the old barn.

The next season, same teams, different rink, all of the excitement was sucked out of the arena.
I set this match up on my calendar as I have to travel 8 hours based on the excitement level of the year prior experience I had. Granted, Drury did score a hat trick but the atmosphere was totally void in this new arena. I never went back.

I unfortunately cannot find my previous year's ticket stub so I do not know the date in order to make a post.

Saturday Matinee

UNC v Maryland, February 13, 1999

Cole Field House, Section RS Row 1

My old college buddy was coaching at Maryland and hooked me up with a ticket. The student newspaper had a front page article claiming scalpers were asking $1500 per ticket.

I have never been inside Cole Field House. After the experience I can only imagine it was a notch below a Cameron Indoor or Palestra.

Steve Francis scored 22 points and No. 7 Maryland completed a rare sweep of North Carolina by forcing 25 turnovers Saturday in an 81-64 rout of the 12th-ranked Tar Heels.

Terence Morris had 14 points and nine rebounds and Laron Profit scored 15 for the Terrapins, who solidified their hold on second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with their third straight win, the second since losing center Obinna Ekezie for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Maryland (22-4, 10-3) caused 16 turnovers in the first half and never trailed over the final 24 minutes in recording their first regular-season sweep of North Carolina in nine years. It matched Maryland's most lopsided home win over the Tar Heels since a 17-point win in 1962.

Ademola Okulaja scored 15 and Brendan Haywood 13 for North Carolina (19-7, 9-5). The Tar Heels' 25 turnovers were a season-high.

The Terrapins, who beat UNC on the road last month, became the first ACC team to defeat the Tar Heels twice in the regular season since Georgia Tech in 1993-94. It's also the first time in school history that Maryland has swept both North Carolina and North Carolina State in the same season.

Maryland led 56-51 before Morris hit a jumper and Francis scored on a follow. After a basket by Carolina's Vasco Evtimov, Francis hit a 3-pointer to start a 9-2 run that made it 69-55 with 7:09 left.

The Tar Heels never made a run after that.

Maryland thrilled the sellout crowd of 14,500 by forcing seven turnovers in the opening five minutes and scoring 10 straight points to go up 14-4.

North Carolina called a timeout, settled down and immediately went on a 7-0 run. The Tar Heels then took a 20-18 lead on six straight points by Okulaja, including a free throw following a technical foul on Maryland coach Gary Williams.

Down 26-25, Maryland outscored North Carolina 12-2 over a five-minute stretch and led 37-32 at halftime.

Sens Come Up Short

Ottawa Senators v Philadelphia Flyers, February 13, 1997

Core States Center, Section 221 Row 3

A chippy game. Eric Lindros scored first at the 8:23 mark of the first with assists to Mikeal Reneberg and Rod Brind'Amour.

The 2nd period was a fist filled. A major fight broke out involving Ottawa's Lambert and Crowe against the Flyers Scott Daniels and Daniel Lacroix. The Sens tied it up on a Scott Chorske well place goal off a feed from Radek Bonk and Alexandre Daigle. In a fistfest 2nd, it was ironic Flyers enforcer Dan Kordic would get a goal to help his team's cause.

Ottawa tied it early in the 3rd on a Scott McEachern goal. Mikeal Reneberg scored the game winner at 7:10 of the 3rd and Joel Otto added an insurance goal.

19,425 were on hand.

Pesky Hexy

Washington Capitals v Philadelphia Flyers, February 13, 1995

Spectrum, Section 59 Row 5

A Flyers onslaught of goals in the 1st. On the power play, Rod Brind'Amour scored the game's first on a pass from Eric Desjardins. The Legion of Doom struck next when Mikeal Reneberg scored off feeds from linemates John LeClair and Eric Lindros. Chris Terien and Patrick Juhlin also scored in the 1st to put the Flyers up 4-0 going into the intermission.

The 2nd period was a chippy donnybrook of a segment. In the middle of the pleatura of misconduct, fighting and majors, two more goals were scored. Craig MacTavish scored for the Flyers and the Capitals Petr Bondra finally put his team on the board.

The 3rd period was no different then the 2nd. More roughings and fighting majors. The Capitals managed to score 2 more.

With 3 seconds to go to close out the game more fireworks ignited. Not only were the Flyers Craig Berube and the Caps Poulin assessed with fighting majors, but he was also assessed with an intent to injure major. Also involved in the mayley was Flyers goaltender. He was carted off with a fighting major and an intent to injure major, to the delight of the fans.

Goose Eggs

Montreal Canadians v Philadelphia Flyers, February 11, 1993

Spectrum, Section A Row 12

An outcome not possible in today's NHL. There was a point in this game when you just knew who ever scored a goal was going to win the entire game.

Future Flyer John LeClair made it on the scoring sheet with a high sticking penalty for the Canadians.

Both teams failed to convert on 5 power play chances.

In all of my years attending hockey games, this ranks up there as one of the most exciting.

The Habs had backup net minder Andre Racicot starting. The Flyers had Swede Tommy Soderstrom between the pipes.

After 60 minutes of regulation and 5 minutes of sudden death overtime the game ended in a 0-0 tie. The 0-0 tie was the Flyers 6th scoreless game in team history.

17,279 were on hand.