Good defense is supposed to beat good offense, especially in playoff hockey.
And in Game 4 of the International Hockey League’s Turner Cup finals, that credo finally held true.
After getting two goals late in the second period from an unlikely source–banging left winger Phil Crowe–the Detroit Vipers clamped down and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Wolves at the Palace before 10,276. The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2.
“I thought we took the body tonight,” said Detroit coach Steve Ludzik. “The only chance we have to win the Cup is to keep banging, banging, banging. We’re not going to play pretty. Pretty wins beauty contests; it’s not going to win championships.”
Sunday’s game didn’t get ugly. But after Crowe’s second goal, the Vipers defused the Wolves, the IHL’s top-scoring team in the regular season and playoffs.
“That was (Detroit’s) best game of the series, no question,” said Wolves coach John Anderson. “They came out very hard and played very smart in the third period. They played a little more desperate than we did too. When you do that, you’re going to win one-goal games.”
Crowe, a 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound left wing, tied the game 2-2 at 15:42 of the second period by driving around Wolves defenseman David Craievich and then plowing to the net. Crowe made it 3-2 at 17:47 when he walked out unchallenged from behind the net and pounded a shot between Stephane Beauregard’s pads.
“I don’t think (Ludzik) was looking for a lot from us offensively,” said Crowe of himself linemates Jimmy Carson, who also scored, and Sylvain Cloutier. “We just tried to work them down low, maybe wear out their defense.”
For most of the third period, the Vipers forced the Wolves to dump the puck into the Detroit zone. They also pushed the play to the perimeter.
“Once they got a 3-2 lead, they definitely tightened up,” said Wolves left wing Scott Pearson. “We’ve just got to fight through their checking and be more determined to get to the puck.”
“It’s a sprint to the finish now,” said Crowe, who had just three goals in 16 previous playoff games. “It’s a best-of-three series. They’ve got a heck of a team.”
