Looking At The Minor League Scoreboard

Struggle Facing Utica For Playoff

UTICA— Losing two veteran players who combined for over 130 points, dropping seven straight games and winning just three of 17 might tend to make some coaches a little grey, but coach Larry Mickey of the Utica Mohawks has tried to forget his team’spast and concentrate on the future. Mickey took over the coach’s and general manager’s jobs from Chuck Catto, who was fired at mid-season and things haven’t been too rosy for the former player turned coach. Though their once secure playoff spot is now in jeopardy with the sudden emergence of the Johnstown Wings, Mickey remains confident his club can make the playoffs with 60 points. “You have to remember,” stressed Mickey, “that I have the youngest team in the league here. We don’t have all’the former major league players on…

PASSING THE PUCK

• THE MONTREAL Canadiens were involved in an unusual hockey hat trick in that on three occasions this year the coaches of teams that had just lost to the Canadiens were fired. First Marcel Pronovost of Buffalo was axed in December after the Sabres lost a home-and-home series, then on Jan. 30, Philadephia fired coach Bob McCammon after a loss to the Canadiens and Roger Neilson became the third to lose his job, although he was quickly hired again…Among the rising young stars from American college ranks, one to particularly watch is Ralph Cox, a Braintree, Mass, native who recently set the New England career record for goals. Cox, a senior at the University of New Hampshire, was drafted by the Boston Bruins, but is still undecided whether to turn…

No Doubts About Thomas’Value To Stingers

CINCINNATI— Cincinnati Stingers’ left winger Reggie Thomas is having his best year as a professional, but he gives much of the credit to the line he plays on. “Playing with those guys (Robbie Ftorek at center, Jamie Hislop on right wing) really makes your job a lot easier,” said Thomas, now in his first full year with the Stingers. “Instead of having one guy doing backchecking, you always know there’s a guy coming back. Jamie gets in the corners and backchecks and Robbie is the guy who makes the play.” Yet Thomas is also another who makes the play happen, as evidenced by his statistics. Through 58 games, Thomas had scored 21 goals, added 30 assists for 51 points, which placed him 14th in scoring in the league. He is virtually assured of surpassing his career…