Ducks Beaten at Own Game, 3-2 : Hockey: Blackhawks prove more adept and experienced at physical style of play.

That was good old-fashioned Mighty Duck hockey Sunday at Anaheim Arena.

It’s just that the Chicago Blackhawks have 60-odd more years of experience at it, and they beat the Ducks, 3-2, before a sellout crowd of 17,174.

The history of the Ducks spans only 56 games, but they know the tradition they want to adopt and it isn’t very pretty.

Sunday’s game was textbook. They fought, they mucked, they dumped, they chased, they bumped, they grinded.

Problem was, so did the Blackhawks.

“Chicago plays physical, we play physical,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “It was a good game, great from start to end. Maybe not in terms of flow or puck movement, but in terms of physical, gritty hockey--old-fashioned hockey, good old-fashioned Chicago Blackhawk hockey. That’s our style, too, and both teams were up to it.”

So it was good for the Ducks, better for the Blackhawks--and at times quite dreary for the fans, except perhaps for the four fights and numerous scuffles.

“We just try to get the puck in deep. It may be like watching paint dry to our fans, but it’s the only way we’re going to beat these guys,” Peter Douris said.

The Ducks, trying to fend off a vengeful Blackhawk team that they embarrassed, 6-2, at Chicago Stadium last month, scored first on a goal by Joe Sacco.

But Chicago took a 3-1 lead before the first period was over, on goals by Steve Smith, Jeremy Roenick--a weak one that trickled between Guy Hebert’s pads--and Stephane Matteau.

The Ducks cut their deficit to one goal at 17:06 of the second period, when Troy Loney scored off Eric Weinrich’s giveaway in his defensive zone.

Chicago goalie Ed Belfour survived the rest of the Ducks’ shots, and their best chances slipped through their hands.

“The second half of the game, Eddie Belfour shut the door on us, plus he had a little luck with some posts,” Wilson said. “That’s the way it goes. You can’t really be upset with our effort. We outshot and outchanced them.”

Though they lost this one, the Ducks are playing better at home, with a .500 record in their last eight games. They are also playing some of their most physical hockey of the season, largely behind the tag team known as “Stuie and Ewie” to their teammates--Stu Grimson and Todd Ewen. Between them, they fought three times in the first period, and Ewen went at it with Chicago’s Cam Russell 79 seconds into the game.

“Stu and Todd have started throwing their weight around,” said left wing Tim Sweeney. “I think we needed to play more physically. I think we were trying too much to show our fans we could score goals. We forgot what wins games.”

Said Grimson: “Looking back, it may have been the one element of our (home) game that was probably lacking. I think we could have on certain nights initiated more where that was concerned. As you see (today), we held our own physically, we played well physically. That may have been a problem for us through our real struggles at home, but I don’t think you can point the finger at one specific thing.”

Ewen says another factor is the standings.

“You have to look at what time of year it is,” he said. “The points are a lot more desperate right now, and teams are looking for points along with playoff spots. Along with that extra pressure comes a lot more altercations.”

Duck Notes

Coach Ron Wilson has called his goalies “No. 1 and 1A” all season, but Guy Hebert now has a decided edge over Ron Tugnutt and has started nine of the last 11 games. “I think Guy has played solid the last month and his record is much better than Tugger’s,” Wilson said. “In the big games, I think he should be the guy in there right now. It’s simple as that.” . . . Chicago was without defenseman Chris Chelios, who is serving a four-game NHL suspension.