This is the first visit by the Quebec Caribous to the Boston Garden. The Bolts have played Quebec twice at the Coliseum, winning the first game 14 to 12 and the second 17 to 13. Larry Smeltzer and Rick Palla have been dividing the Caribous goalkeeping chores with Smeltzer getting somewhat the better of it in time played but Palla posting the lower average. After 12 games, Smeltzer had played 374 minutes and 7 seconds and had a 14.9 average. Palla had played 305 minutes and 7 seconds and had an average of 14.7.
Keep an eye on the Caribous’ Number 159 Gaylord Powless, tonight. The 6 ft.: 170-1b. full blooded Indian is one of the league’s rougher players as well as a man who knows where the net is. He scored 10 goals in Quebec’s first 11 games but has scored only once in two games against Boston.
Boston goalie Ted Gernaey had to contend with some mock cheers in that May third 16-7 drubbing by Montreal, but since then Gerns has had a hot hand, backstopping the Bolts to a 17-13 win over Quebec and a 14-11 win over Maryland. He also came up with 43 saves in. a losing effort vs. Montreal and 39 saves, many of them on breakaways, in a 15-12 loss at Philadelphia.
Boston defenseman Ron “Moose” Liscombe has his brown belt in karate. He’s been studying karate and the martial arts for seven years at the Tsuruoka Karate School in Toronto. He says it’s an important part of his season, training. He expects to get his black belt this winter.
As of Thursday, the Bolts’ Brian Davidson had played 13 of the team’s 14 games without picking up a single penalty. He has picked up some goals, though. He has 19 for the season plus 9 assists and ranks seventh among Boston scorers. He scored five goals the last time the Bolts met the Caribous.
Word out of New York is that Rick Dudley of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres will be joining the Long Island Tomahawks this month. Dudley, a forward, was voted to the NLL’s first all star team last season when he played for the Rochester Griffins.
Dave Johnston will be representing the Bolts at the Mass. Special Olympics Annual State Games to be held Sat., June 7 at Tufts. Other Boston athletes will be in attendance but Johnston has a special interest in this type of program for handicapped and retarded children, Before becoming a professional lacrosse player, Dave spent a year working with crippled kids at a rehabilitation and therapy center in Toronto. He is doing graduate work in this field at the University of Western Ontario.