In their first preseason game as an NHL franchise, the Cincinnati Stingers faced off against the Boston Bruins at home in front of a crowd of 8,732 excited fans. Unfortunately for the Stingers faithful, the game did not go as planned, and they suffered a heavy defeat, losing 8-2.
The game started off poorly for Cincinnati, with Boston's Milke Milbury scoring the opening goal just 2 minutes into the game, Brad Park would continue the scoring for the Bruins shortly after to extend the lead. The Stingers managed to get on the board early in the first period, with a goal from Rick Dudley, but Boston quickly responded with another goal to secure a two-goal lead. Terry O'Reilly of the Bruins would score the lone goal in the second period, further increasing their lead.
Despite some solid saves from Cincinnati goaltender, Ernie Wakely, the Bruins continued to pour on the pressure in the third period, scoring four more goals to complete the 8-2 victory. Terry O'Reilly was named the first star of the game, with an impressive performance that included one goal and three assists.
While the result was disappointing for the Stingers, there were some positives to take away from the game. Rick Dudley's goal showed that the team had some offensive firepower, and Wakely’s 56-save performance in net gave the team some hope going forward. However, it was clear that the team had a lot of work to do before the start of the regular season.
2-8 L, BOS
3-2 W, @LAK
8-7 W, @PHI
2-2 T, HOU
2-7 L, @ATL
1-5 L, BUF
3-7 L, @PHI
A record of 2-4-1 in preseason, no big surprises there but would like to tighten up defensively as many of the games were blowouts. Robbie Ftorek lead the team with 3 goals and 10 points in preseason.
