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Show The Daily Utah Chronicle, Wednesday, January 22, Page Ten SPORTS Runnin' Utes aire forally foomroe, but not for long Utah home for AFA tonight but hit road for next four by John Voungrcn high-enou- Sports Editor Here today, gone tomorrow. That's the Runnin Ute story, you know. They've been home for two of their past seven games and they'll be home for one of their next five. Never mind that by the time the end of the season rolls around, Utah will be playing every game at home, for right now this road business is taking a definite toll. Wednesday night comes a brief reprieve. That's when the Utes, 6 overall and now 3 after a brief road swing into Colorado and Wyoming last week, will play H iij 11-- 3-- host to Air Force in a single-gam- e is at 7:35 p.m. The homcstand. Tip-o- ff game will be broadcast locally by KALL Radio (AM-910- ). After the Air Force game, the Utes hit the road again, albeit not too far, traveling to Provo Saturday. It'll be the first matchup of the season; an afternoon affair that'll also be televised 2. locally by KUTV-ChannFor the meantime, however, the Utes have the Falcons to contend with. On paper, a Utah victory should be in order, as the Falcons are in the WAC, overall and Utah beat them three times last season. But in reality, it's a different story. The Falcons have played several tough losses this year, and Ute Coach Ly.n Archibald's not foolish enough to look beyond them. "We played them three times last season and won by a total of seven points," Archibald said. "Air Force is a very dangerous team. (The Falcons) are very and very patient on good, offense. This game is very important for Utah-BY- U cl 1- x r o X - Chronicle photo bjr Stcwe Griffin Utah reserve point guard Tommy Connor drives to the hoop while dishing off the pass in recent home action. The Utes return to the SEC for a Wednesday is 7:35 p.m. night matchup with Air Force. Tip-o- ff well-coach- -5 caliber to win Force was of the conference, particularly after a dismal start, but that "they're going to be the 7-- 10 ed us. Archibald said that he didn't think Air gh spoiler in this league. They'll upset somebody." Forward Maurice McDonald leads the Falcons; the senior averages 11.5 points a game. Forward Jim Gulsvig averages 9.1 and center Mike Lockwood is averaging 7.4 points. The Utes will be trying to rebound from 94-7a 9 drubbing at the hands of Wyoming in Laramie Saturday. Actually, their last two games have been tastes of both worlds for Utah, who beat Colorado State 59-5- 4 last Thursday at CSU before Saturday's loss. Still, Archibald says the split on the trip helped more than it hurt. "You can win the league if you can split on every road trip. We have had a good first half of a season, considering most of our games have been on the road," Archibald said. Senior forward Jerry Stroman continues to pace the Utes. He's averaging 17.4 points a game in 17 total games, just ahead of Manuel Hendrix's 16.2 points a contest. But, more impressively, Stroman scored 26 during both of his last two games to add to an amazing 2 1 , 2 1 , 2 1 , 1 4, 25, 30, 26, 26 and 26 string. He's pumping in 24.5 points a game since the WAC season began, far ahead of anyone else on the team. For as great as that is for Stroman, Archibald admits he'd like one or two other players to find the hoop once in a while as well. "We can't rely on Jerry all the time we need to get some scoring from our other players, too," he said. After the Air Force game Wednesday and the BYU game Saturday, Utah hits the road for its next three, including Notre Dame Jan. 29 and Hawaii Feb. 6. Ski coach Miller not happy with anything but 1st by Mike Prater Assistant Sports Editor Most coaches would be pleased with a second- - or finish in an event featuring nine teams, including the defending national champion. But not Pat Miller, whose Ute ski team has dominated collegiate skiing the past three years by collecting two national titles and a runner-u- p trophy. Success always spoils the victor, right Pat? "We've started off slowly, but I'm not concerned coach. "I'm hoping, though, that yet," said the third-pla- ce 10-ye- ar we can be more consistent this week. That would be a start in the right direction." Utah, second and third in its first two meets, hits the slopes again this weekend after a brief layoff from competition. Miller's entourage will face 1985 NCAA champion Wyoming and six western regional teams in the Western States Invitational outside Gunnison, Co. Wyoming, winner of the season's first two outings, is favored again. "They have surprised everybody," said Miller. "They have no depth, but who needs it when you are skiing as well as they are." This weekend's alpine events will take place at Crested Butte. Nordic races will be decided at Bozeman. And both courses face the same problem which have hampered Utah's resorts there's very little snow. The lack of snow means icy conditions, which could be a welcome relief for Utah, according the Miller. "Because we are going back east for the NCAA's (in Vermont in March), any icy conditions we ski on are welcome. If it's too icy though, that could hurt," he said. "They may have to scratch the giant slalom and run two slaloms instead." Miller says his skiers have lacked consistency; it's a problem he believes is responsible for the slow start. "I would be real happy if we can get two solid runs out of everybody. Also, placing three skiers in the top 10 (of each discipline) would be nice," said Miller. "We've had a hard, intense, week of training. Everybody's looking good," he continued. "So we'll take this meet like any other and hope for better results." Eagles ailing not on the ice, but in the bankbook The classified ad might as well read "Help wanted for an ailing Salt Lake City hockey franchise, businesses or persons without money need not apply." Would anyone have ever guessed that the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, who in the championship years of the early '80s were counting profits, would be in the monetary straits which are now haunting their very existence? back-to-ba- ck six-figu- re HOCKEY NOTES Larry B. Tunks The Eagles, who were once considered the Louisville Redbirds of minor league hockey, are now in danger of going the way of the old Central Hockey League which they used to dominate so thoroughly. Art Teece, the beleaguered owner of the Salt Lake franchise, was forced at the end of last season to shake up the front office, firing long-tim- e Eagle favorite Doug Palizzari and general manager Chuck Schell. Teece has taken on a lot of the operations in the front office and has added the title of GM to his name; day-to-d- ay He is responsible for putting together the deal which brought goalie Rick Heinz back to the club from the Peoria Rivermen. But the problems that Teece encountered concerning the eligibility of Heinz under IHL rules in that deal were only a minor foreshadowing of problems that the club now faces. The problems can be summed up in three words: the International Hockey League. The IHL is a five-sta- te Midwestern bus league. But the distances between the other nine cities involved could well fit within the boundaries of the state of Utah. While the other cities calculate travel mileage in hundreds on buses the Eagles figure theirs in the thousands on airplanes. And Salt Lake not only has its own travel to consider but they also have, as a condition of membership in the league, to subsidize the travel expenses of the other teams in the league. Two years ago, in the last season of the CHL, the moneyless Tulsa Oilers, who ironically won the last-ev- er Adams Cup championship, were taken over by the other owners in the league and finished the season playing all their remaining games, including playoffs, on the road. : While Patriot fans could take heart at that unlikely Jturn.. of events, it is unrealistic to believe, that if the worst does happen and the Eagles are unable to finish their second IHL season because of lack of money, that the other owners in the league would be just as bighearted in finding a solution to the Eagles' problem. First of all, the loss of the Eagle franchise does not threaten the existence ofthe league like the Tulsa affair did in the CHL and second of all, because quite realistically the Birds don't really belong in this league. But with the demise of the CHL, the IHL was the only minor league to which the Eagles could turn. There has been some talk of forming a new league and trying to include some of the same cities which made up the old Western Hockey League the league that christened the birth of the Eagles in the late '60s. But the success of that venture remains clouded because an important variable in the equation of existence for the Salt Lake club is one they are having a hard time controlling lately: getting the turnstiles to record the necessary attendance. In The Crease: ...both Brent Sapergia and Scott MacLeod had their consecutive point streaks snapped on the last, road. trip a trip that saw the Eagles go 1-- 3. |