Laperriere, LA Give B's First Loss
Former IceCat Notches A Hat Trick
(from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
By The Associated Press
October 15, 2000 - LOS ANGELES - Steve Passmore's timing couldn't have been better in his first regular-season appearance with the Los Angeles Kings.
Coach Andy Murray benched goalie Jamie Storr for missing a team meeting, allowing Passmore to make the start Friday night.
The Kings defense, which gave up a four-goal lead in their previous game, tightened up and former Worcester IceCat Ian Laperriere scored his first career hat trick in a 5-0 victory over the Boston Bruins.
"That was really a team shutout," said Passmore, who faced only 18 shots. "They didn't have a ton of great scoring chances, and any rebounds that were in front of me were cleared. So it made my job pretty easy."
Murray said he had no choice but to bench Storr, who started the team's first four games because of Stephane Fiset's sprained left knee.
"I don't have any team rules, but don't break any," Murray said, sounding a little like Yogi Berra. "Jamie was late for our meeting today, so it was clear to me that Steve Passmore was going to play as soon as that happened.
"I'm not mad at Jamie. But it's about accountability. If you have a team meeting, you should be there -- or at least call. He was going to be the goalie tonight, but Steve got the opportunity and did well."
The Bruins, who scored nine power play goals during their season- opening, four-game unbeaten streak, were 0-for-4 with the man advantage and recorded only one shot on net during a two-man advantage they held for a minute and 43 seconds in the third period.
"I don't know if we could have played that any better," said Passmore, who came to Los Angeles on May 1 in a trade from Chicago. "We kept them to the outside and we didn't let them get any passes across the box."
Ziggy Palffy scored his 400th NHL goal and Eric Belanger connected on a power play, helping hand Boston its first loss of the season and ending the Bruins' three-game winning streak.
"We just didn't work as hard as we should have," Boston defenseman Kyle McLaren said. "They were a better team, all around the ice. From power play to penalty killing, they basically dominated the game."
Laperriere's first three goals of the season represented one-third of the total he scored in 79 games last season. However, his joy was tempered because of his father's fight with pancreatic cancer back in Montreal.
"He'll be the first to be mad at me if I don't focus on hockey," Laperriere said. "He tells me, 'Forget about me. Just focus on your career.' And I'm doing that out of respect for him.
"He's battling back and he's got a great spirit. They think they got the tumor out in time, but they can't promise anything. To see him battling through that, he's just a model for me."
Laperriere scored his first goal on a 20-foot wrist shot past Byron Dafoe's glove at 14:40 of the opening period, giving the Kings a 3-0 cushion. On his next one, he converted Steven Reinprecht's pass from behind the net for a 4-0 lead.
Laperriere completed the hat trick with 2:52 left in the game, as Luc Robitaille stole the puck off Hal Gill's stick in the left circle, went behind the net and fed it in front.
"I just drove to the net and I knew he was looking for me," Laperriere said. "I wasn't sure that it hit me, but Luc said, 'Yeah, it did, it did, it did.' So I said, 'OK, I guess it did.' "
Raycroft called in
Bruins rookie Andrew Raycroft played the final two periods in goal after Dafoe surrendered three goals on the Kings' first nine shots in his return from a strained left hamstring. ... The Kings have outscored their opponents, 11-0, in the first period through their first five games. ... Defenseman Paul Coffey returned to the Bruins' lineup after missing three games because of a bruised left shoulder.