McDonald Has Taken Big Strides From Minors

Andy McDonald’s first professional game was a doozy. He scored two goals for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in Lexington, Ky. Not bad for a guy who was without NHL dreams four years earlier, when he was a freshman at Colgate.

After a month and half in the minors, McDonald is in the NHL, centering the Ducks’ third line. He was recalled on Nov. 16 after center Steve Rucchin suffered a broken nose and cheekbone. Scoring, though, wasn’t why the Ducks sent for him.

“First and foremost, I have to play well on defense,” said McDonald, 23, who signed as a free agent last summer. “I’m not trying to do anything complex out there. I just get the puck out of our zone.”

Coach Craig Hartsburg probably wouldn’t mind if McDonald gave seminars on that to his teammates.

McDonald was a standout on offense at Colgate, where he scored 67 goals in four seasons. He had 45 goals in his last two seasons.

Hartsburg and the Ducks took notice. “His last couple of years [in college], he was a dominant player,” the Duck coach said.

McDonald didn’t plan on an NHL career when he enrolled at Colgate, but by his senior year, the thought had entered his mind. Duck officials contacted him last December and signed him in April.

McDonald, who is generously listed at 5 feet 10, struggled in training camp and was sent to Cincinnati.

“Training camp was tough,” McDonald said. “You don’t have a lot of time to get going. Each day I felt a little more comfortable. It is still going to take some time.

“Getting to play every game in Cincinnati helped. I got a lot of ice time. The coaching staff there showed a lot of confidence in me.”

As are the coaches in Anaheim now.

“He is adapting to this league,” Hartsburg said. “He learned in college and became one of the best players in the nation. As he keeps learning about the league, he will learn what he can and can’t do. He’s given us a spark, with his speed, especially.”

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Goalie Guy Hebert, who suffered a shoulder injury against New Jersey on Wednesday, accompanied the Ducks to Calgary on Thursday for the start of a four-game trip. Still, the Ducks aren’t taking chances and have recalled Jean-Sebastien Giguere from Cincinnati.

Hebert is listed as day-to-day and does not expect to miss much time, if any.

“I had this same thing with my right shoulder a few years ago and they said it was a strain,” Hebert said. “I was day-to-day then. So that’s good news.”

Hebert was injured during a pileup in front of the net. He was hit in the left shoulder by teammate German Titov, who had been knocked to the ice.

Giguere, acquired in a trade with Calgary, was 6-4-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage with Cincinnati.

TONIGHT

at Calgary, 6 PST

* Site--Saddledome.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 8-10-3-2; Calgary 5-11-4-3.

* Record vs. Flames (1999-2000)--1-0.

* Update--The Flames are 1-6-2-2 at home. They are playing without standout defenseman Derek Morris, who is in a bitter contract squabble with the team. Defenseman Phil Housley is day-to-day because of a concussion. This begins a crucial 10-game stretch against Western Conference teams for the Ducks.