Blades Stay Sharp in Victory Over Gulls

What a difference a season makes.

The Kansas City Blades, owners of the worst record in the International Hockey League last season, stormed into the San Diego Sports Arena and defeated the Gulls, 5-2, in front of 3,332 Thursday.

The first-place Blades (12-2-1) improved to 3-0 against the Gulls (9-9-0) this season and moved four points ahead of second-place Peoria in the standings.

A year ago, Kansas City was the laughingstock of the league. Like a Vaudeville act, they went from town to IHL town giving away goals and leaving fans howling. They finished with the fewest victories of any team at 25-53-4 and allowed a league-high 385 goals.

Left wing John Carter deftly performed a hat trick for San Diego’s viewing displeasure Thursday, getting his third goal with 2:08 to play in the second period and giving his team a 3-1 lead.

The spree by Carter, who came in with two goals in eight games, was merely a sideshow. It triggered a Blades’ barrage of three goals in 2:15 that put the game out of reach at 5-1 just 1:34 into the final period.

Chalk up another victory for the Blades, who won an IHL-record 10 consecutive games to start the season.

“I played in the minor leagues for a few years, and this is one of the best teams I’ve played for,” said Kansas City wing Craig Coxe, a native of Chula Vista. “I think they’re going to win a lot of hockey games.”

Coxe, after scoring the NHL expansion San Jose Sharks’ first goal, was sent down to the Blades by the Sharks a week ago. But he is familiar with the talent that has pooled in Kansas City after several veteran free agents failed to land with San Jose.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who were star players on their minor league teams,” he said. “I saw all these guys play in training camp, so I know what they can do.”

“They’re a good hockey team, let’s give them credit,” Gulls Coach Don Waddell said. “But we also did not play the way we’ve been playing.”

The Gulls were coming off an emotional 4-3 overtime victory Wednesday at Phoenix, but couldn’t get untracked against Wade Flaherty, who stopped 34 of 36 shots.

Flaherty improved to 6-1, while Gulls’ goalie Rick Knickle (7-3, 3.40) ended a personal three-game winning streak. Gulls center Len Hachborn’s club record 16-game scoring streak was snapped as well, and Dmitri Kvartalnov, who leads the IHL in goals with 16, went scoreless.

Gulls Notes

News of Magic Johnson’s illness and sudden retirement came as stunning news to the Gulls and player/coach Charlie Simmer before Thursday’s game. Simmer, in his years with the Kings, played on a charity softball team with Johnson and other Lakers and Kings.

“I heard the news today and I was shocked,” said Simmer, who plans to send a get-well card to Johnson, who announced his retirement after he tested positive for HIV. “From the standpoint of him being such a great human being, the basketball is secondary. As good a basketball player he was, he’s twice the person. And I think, as he says, it can happen to anybody. Because it happened to Magic Johnson, it’s a bigger shock because he’s such a great person.

“Just knowing him, you love the guy. I think you’ve seen the enthusiasm. No matter what he does, he’s always smiling. In the day of the spoiled rotten athlete I think he’s something different. If he’s got 10 years to live--like I think the doctor said--that’s a long time. You know he’s going to go at it the same way he went at playing basketball.”