Brian Bellows
. . .  booed in Ottawa

     OTTAWA – “I’m not creating any more monsters,” declared Kitchener Rangers captain Brian Bellows.
     That may be the case with his remarks about the Ottawa 67s, but when it comes to playing against them he hopes to continue appearing like King Kong.
     Bellows ruled the Civic Center Wednesday night and did everything but beat his chest and cause the building to shake in one of his finest moments as a Ranger.
     The sensational right-winger, who fired two goals in Sunday’s 4-1 win, potted two more and assisted on the other two as he spearheaded a crucial 4-3 victory that gave the Ranges a commanding 5-1 lead in the eight-point Ontario Hockey League championship series which resumes Friday in Kitchener.
     Bellows, with 13 goals in 13 playoff games, scored twice and assisted on Jeff Larmer’s goal in the second period as the Rangers overcame a 2-0 deficit to surge ahead 3-2.
     Then, with the scored tied 3-3 in the third, Bellows made a spectacular play on the winning goal by defenceman Joel Levesque with ten minutes left.
     Bellows was tripped up as he crossed the Ottawa blueline, but, while still on his knees, passed the puck behind his back to Levesque, who blasted a long, low shot past Jim Ralph’s glove for only his second goal of the playoffs and fourth in 78 games.
     “I guess you could call this a real goal,” joked Levesque whose other playoff marker was into an empty net against Sault Ste. Marie.
     Bellows created a stir among Ottawa hockey fans this week after the Ottawa media played up his remark that the 67’s “played like pansies,” Sunday.
     Even the owner of a submarine-pizza shop across from the arena picked up on Bellows’ comment and ran a message on his billboard that read:  “Brian Belheese and Rangers Pushing Pansies Tonight?”
     Bellows constantly was booed when he touched the puck and during a second period stoppage in play when Bellows was on the ice fans began chanting: “Pansy, Pansy.”
     Bellows smiled at the fans waved his arms like a music conductor and led the chants.
     “I thought it was funny,” Bellows said.
     “It didn’t get me mad.  It went in one ear and out the other.  I was under a lot of pressure, but when the fans get on me it makes me want to play better and prove something.”
     Bellows also learned something – not to title the opposition.  Coach Joe Crozier was upset with Bellows over the pansy remark and told him to be more selective with his words and, “not to create any more monsters.”
     After the game Bellows imitated Crozier’s flowery style of praising the opposition.
     “Ottawa’s got a good team,” Bellows grinned.  “I’ll tell you one thing – that Ralph is one hell of a goalie.”
     Crozier blamed the media for blowing the pansy statement out of proportion and said: “naturally when you call someone a pansy something is going to happen, wouldn’t you say?”
     The “something” was a wild second period that turned into a bit of an animal show and stretched the game into three hours.
     There were six fights and 28 penalties in the second period, which combined with 19 penalties in the first period and only two in the third for a total of 49 penalties and 200 minutes.
     The second period got out of hand on referee John Willsie at 13:20 when on the faceoff Ottawa’s Mike James highsticked Mike Moher in the mouth.  Rangers’ Mario Michieli went after James – who got a five minute penalty – and Michieli – who also got five minutes – was ejected for being the aggressor, which nullified Kitchener’s powerplay.
     Before play resumed, Moher and Doug Stewart squared off, Stewart was tossed for being the aggressor, and Moher, who wouldn’t settle down, also was ejected after being restrained in the penalty box by several Rangers.
     Late in the period, three fights erupted at the same time and Rangers wound up shorthanded for the first 2 ½ minutes of the third period.
     They were two men short when former Ranger Don McLaren fired his second of the game and 17th in 16 playoff gmaes to tie the score three-three.
     Minutes later Bellows hit the post and later on he had several good scoring chances before setting up Levesque’s winner.
     Ironically, while it was Bellows who called Ottawa pansies, the strapping winger continued to refuse to fight and stayed out of the penalty box.  He had the Rangers’ lowest penalty total during the regular schedule with only 23 minutes.
     “Obviously Bellows is speaking for somebody else,” Ottawa coach Brian Kilrea said.
     “He was challenged a few times tonight and wouldn’t fight.  Our guys know he won’t fight.  He sticks to hockey.  He wa Mr. Everythin out there tonight.”
     Rangers, playing without star center Grant Martin who was serving the first game of a 3 game suspension for spearing, boosted their road record in the playoffs to 4 wins, 2 ties and one loss.  It was Ottawa’s first playoff loss at home in eight games.
     Mike Eagles’ skated between Bellows and Larmer in the first half of the game before Crozier inserted Kevin Casey on the big line.
     When the teams weren’t hacking and fighting they played some excellent hockey.  Both goalies Ralph and Wendell Young made some fabulous saves as the Rangers outshot Ottawa 46-29, including 13-7 in the first period when both teams appeared tired from the second-period nonsense.
     The fighting was a carry-over from the end of the first period when two fights erupted after the buzzer.  Levesque and John Odam tangled in one fight while Moher destroyed Allen Hepple in the other.