Gould Major Force Behind Buffalo Offense, NAHL pennant race, Lou Nistico, articles (The Hockey News, 1975-12-05).htm
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Gould Major Force Behind Buffalo Offense, NAHL pennant race, Lou Nistico, articles (The Hockey News, 1975-12-05).htm
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Gould Major Force Behind Buffalo Offense
The Buffalo Norsemen have what is now the most potent offense in the North American Hockey League. In three games last week the Norsemen scored 18 goals to raise their league leading total of goals-scored to 78.
The major portion of Buffa1o’s fire-power has been generated by their number one line of Larry Gould, Steve Atkinson and Bryan McSheffrey. Last week it was Gould who showed the way by scoring points in the Buffs three encouters.
Larry began his big week with a six-point performance against the Beauce Jaros. He scored one powerplay goal, one unassisted shorthanded goal, and one even-handed goal for a hat trick, plus added three assists. He closed his week by assisting on three goals, including the tying and go-ahead goals, in a 43 win in Maine.
Larry Gould’s eleven-point week was enough to move him up to second place in the NAHL scoring race, and it was more than enough to make him the North American Hockey League player of the week for the week of November 10 thru November 16.
NAHL Gearing Up For Hottest Pennant Race
BUFFALO—
The cold depths of winter may be just around the corner, but these chips say that the fans in at least three Western Division rinks are never going’ to notice. They should be warmed by what looms as the hottest pennant race in the three-year history of the NAHL.
As the teams neared the Thanksgiving quarter pole, Johnstown, Buffalo, and Erie were all taking turns at holding first place and unsuccessfully fighting off the challenges of the other two. And right behind those three was Philadelphia, a pre-season favorite that started dismally but has been coming on strong as of late.
How close has the chase been? In one four-day period from November 15 to November 18 the Norsemen, Jets and Blades all had been in the top spot at one time or another. That is close.
Closer than the races in either of the league’s first two years when it consisted of one division only. In each of those years Syracuse won fairly easily after being challenged early. In 1973-74 the Blazers outdistanced the Maine Nordiques by 19 points. Last year the Blazers held off the Firebirds by 12 points.
The 1975-76 Western Division race could be much closer than either of those. The Norsemen have won eight of ten and eleven of fourteen with an offense filling the nets at a faster rate than the 1973-74 Nordiques who hold the NAHL record with 398. Their offense has been hyped even further by the recent addition of Lou Nistico from the Toronto Toros.
The Jets are challenging partly due to continued success on the road. Last season’s Lochhart Cup champs posted the top road record in the NAHL. This year’s Jets trail only Cape Cod in that category and have come on strong, losing only once in their last four forays into enemy rinks.
Erie has taken a more traditional approach. They have yet to lose in eight starts at the Erie County Fieldhouse. Also in the tradition of hockey winners, they have the best goals-against mark of the ten NAHL teams.
Certainly not to be dismissed yet are the Firebirds, who in winning five of their last six have nudged themselves ever closer to the leaders that everyone figured that they would be among. They match Buffalo by having four players listed in the league’s top twenty scorers thru Nov. 16. If they could cut down on their goals-against they could easily climb right into the thick of things.
f0036-01
Lou Nistico
A four-team race would be a luxury never before experienced in the NAHL. And that is only one of the two divisions.
BEAUCE: Les Jaros boast the league leading scorer in Jocelyn “Joe” Hardy, who had accumulated 34 points and 14 goals, both pacesetting figures, in his first 14 games.
But the hottest Beauce scorer or late has been Richard Grenier, the former New York Islander, who had one stretch where he scored eight goals in five games. Grenier’s center Dwayne Byers has taken to wearing a knitted toque while playing. That has to be a pro first.
The Jaros had available some pretty fair talent as spare goaltenders when regular netminder Yves Archambault was sitting out a recent suspension. First Detroit loaned Jim Makey and then Vancouver sent Bruce Bullock.
BINGHAMTON: The Dusters have set a record that they didn’t want. Their currently running streak of eight losses in a row snapped their previous record of six set in 1973-74 and matched last year. But not until Buffalo swamped them 9-1 on Nov. 17 had they lost by more than two goals during the skein. Three of those losses were in overtime, they had one other one goal loss, and they lost three times by a pair.
Considering the team that the Dusters had sidelined by injury their plight was easily explainable. Center Rob Walton was leading the team in scoring when he was sidelined by a knee injury. Randy MacGregor, another knee victim had yet to play in 1975-76. Ditto for right wing Barry Brooks. Bill Gratton had been lost ever since his freak injury suffered in a fight in Erie. Veteran defenseman Paul Laplante had been sidelined by a succession of maladies, the most recent being broken ribs.
BUFFALO: Lou Nistico was a second team All Star at Mohawk Valley last year before being promoted to the Toronto Toros. His second-half Toronto performance and his flamboyant onice personality made him a Maple Leaf, Gardens darling, just as he had been in Utica. A six-goal in six-game playoff performance made him the Toros most effective post-season performer.
But Lou had had his problems this season and eventually was demoted to the Norsemen. Typically, the 5’7” pepperpot scored two goals, rang the pipe with a blistering slapper in missing his hat, and had a fight in his first appearance in the Green and Gold. Louis was named First Star in that initial start. He is well on his way to becoming a favorite in the Queen City.
CAPE COD: General managercoach Larry Kish shook up the NAHL by making two major trades within 24 hours.
Firsthe landed right wing Mike Boland from Philadelphia in exchange for defenseman Mike Penasse. Boland was a second team All Star last year. Then he pulled a surprise by selling former Cape Cod Cub super star Luc Simard to the Beauce Jaros. Simard had been lured back to the Cape this season after he spent a year in the AHL.
Kish explained the moves bv a saving. “Boland gives us a natural right wing who will give us experience and goal producttion. Although Luc had already scored eight goals, he had not played well of late. The additions of Nick Fotiu and Boland give us a set lineup up front and Luc became expendable.”
ERIE: The Blades attracted their largest home crowd since their off season move to the Pennsylvania city when 3,728 showed up for a game with Cape Cod. The fans were treated to the Blades’ eighth consecutive home win when Erie whipped the Codders 6-3.
They also saw Codder captain Bob Charlebois earn the dubious honor of being the first player given a mis-conduct under the NHAL’s new penalty structure. Charlebois argued a bit too strenuously with referee Alan Glaspell.
He received an automatic one-game suspension for his labor.
MAINE: After ten straight losses the Nordiques won three in succession, over Johnstown, Binghamton, and Mohawk Valley. All three in succession, over Johnstown, Binghamton, and Mohawk Valley. All three were by identical scores of 4-3 and the Duster and Comet wins were in overtime. All of which prompted general manager Mo Ducharme to comment, “I relax whenever the score gets to 3-3.”
Not so soon, Mo. The Nordiques turned right around and dropped their next two games by scores of, you guessed it, 4-3.
MOHAWK VALLEY: Brian McKenzie is off to the best start in his pro career with nine goals and 11 assists. Mac was the eighteenth player chosen in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, buthe has never lived up to the promise indicated by his second round selection. He did score 18 times in the WHA two years ago, and he had 28 goals in 55 NAHL games with the Comets last year. But reports out of Utica say that Brian is putting forth the best effort of his five-year career. The results he is getting substantiate it.
PHILADELPHIA: Trainer David Settlemyre was activated as backup goaltender when Ron Marlow was injured. Gregg Pilling chanced that he might stir the Firebirds into playing a tight game on the road when he started Settlemyre in Mohawk Valley. Pilling’s gamble failed. Both teams played wide open hockey; the Comets took 47 shots at Settlemyre. So much for strategy.
By the way…Settlemyre stopped 46 of those shots to stone the Comets 4-1. Pretty heady stuff for a kid from Greensboro, N. C. who started in hockey as a stickboy for the then EHL Generals. Settlemyre, Pilling’s trainer at both Roanoke Valley and Philly, works out every day with the team and has in the past played a handful of games in both the EHL and NAHL while serving as an emergency backup. But this was the first time he had ever started, finished and won.
The Firebirds biggest disappointment continues to be the knee miseries of Tom Young. The right winger was being counted on as one of the Birds leading scorers. So far he hasn’t a point in nine games in between trips to the disabled list.
SYRACUSE: Rick Newell only played six games with the Blazers before deciding to retire in order to return to law school. Newell has already completed one year towards his graduate degree. Bim McFall was reactivated to fill Newell’s spot on the roster. McFall had been waived by the Blazers earlier in the season.
Danny Belisle has named Craig Reichmuth captain and has appointed Pat Russell, Terry West and Brian Bowles as his alternates.
Reichmuth and Blazer vice-president Don Swete received the Governors Cup from commissioner Jack Timmins in recent pre-game ceremonies at the Onondaga War Memorial.
The Blazers thought they would be happy returning home after eight games on the road but they dropped two of three, including 7-1 bombing by Erie.
The Buffalo Norsemen have what is now the most potent offense in the North American Hockey League. In three games last week the Norsemen scored 18 goals to raise their league leading total of goals-scored to 78.
The major portion of Buffa1o’s fire-power has been generated by their number one line of Larry Gould, Steve Atkinson and Bryan McSheffrey. Last week it was Gould who showed the way by scoring points in the Buffs three encouters.
Larry began his big week with a six-point performance against the Beauce Jaros. He scored one powerplay goal, one unassisted shorthanded goal, and one even-handed goal for a hat trick, plus added three assists. He closed his week by assisting on three goals, including the tying and go-ahead goals, in a 43 win in Maine.
Larry Gould’s eleven-point week was enough to move him up to second place in the NAHL scoring race, and it was more than enough to make him the North American Hockey League player of the week for the week of November 10 thru November 16.
NAHL Gearing Up For Hottest Pennant Race
BUFFALO—
The cold depths of winter may be just around the corner, but these chips say that the fans in at least three Western Division rinks are never going’ to notice. They should be warmed by what looms as the hottest pennant race in the three-year history of the NAHL.
As the teams neared the Thanksgiving quarter pole, Johnstown, Buffalo, and Erie were all taking turns at holding first place and unsuccessfully fighting off the challenges of the other two. And right behind those three was Philadelphia, a pre-season favorite that started dismally but has been coming on strong as of late.
How close has the chase been? In one four-day period from November 15 to November 18 the Norsemen, Jets and Blades all had been in the top spot at one time or another. That is close.
Closer than the races in either of the league’s first two years when it consisted of one division only. In each of those years Syracuse won fairly easily after being challenged early. In 1973-74 the Blazers outdistanced the Maine Nordiques by 19 points. Last year the Blazers held off the Firebirds by 12 points.
The 1975-76 Western Division race could be much closer than either of those. The Norsemen have won eight of ten and eleven of fourteen with an offense filling the nets at a faster rate than the 1973-74 Nordiques who hold the NAHL record with 398. Their offense has been hyped even further by the recent addition of Lou Nistico from the Toronto Toros.
The Jets are challenging partly due to continued success on the road. Last season’s Lochhart Cup champs posted the top road record in the NAHL. This year’s Jets trail only Cape Cod in that category and have come on strong, losing only once in their last four forays into enemy rinks.
Erie has taken a more traditional approach. They have yet to lose in eight starts at the Erie County Fieldhouse. Also in the tradition of hockey winners, they have the best goals-against mark of the ten NAHL teams.
Certainly not to be dismissed yet are the Firebirds, who in winning five of their last six have nudged themselves ever closer to the leaders that everyone figured that they would be among. They match Buffalo by having four players listed in the league’s top twenty scorers thru Nov. 16. If they could cut down on their goals-against they could easily climb right into the thick of things.
f0036-01
Lou Nistico
A four-team race would be a luxury never before experienced in the NAHL. And that is only one of the two divisions.
BEAUCE: Les Jaros boast the league leading scorer in Jocelyn “Joe” Hardy, who had accumulated 34 points and 14 goals, both pacesetting figures, in his first 14 games.
But the hottest Beauce scorer or late has been Richard Grenier, the former New York Islander, who had one stretch where he scored eight goals in five games. Grenier’s center Dwayne Byers has taken to wearing a knitted toque while playing. That has to be a pro first.
The Jaros had available some pretty fair talent as spare goaltenders when regular netminder Yves Archambault was sitting out a recent suspension. First Detroit loaned Jim Makey and then Vancouver sent Bruce Bullock.
BINGHAMTON: The Dusters have set a record that they didn’t want. Their currently running streak of eight losses in a row snapped their previous record of six set in 1973-74 and matched last year. But not until Buffalo swamped them 9-1 on Nov. 17 had they lost by more than two goals during the skein. Three of those losses were in overtime, they had one other one goal loss, and they lost three times by a pair.
Considering the team that the Dusters had sidelined by injury their plight was easily explainable. Center Rob Walton was leading the team in scoring when he was sidelined by a knee injury. Randy MacGregor, another knee victim had yet to play in 1975-76. Ditto for right wing Barry Brooks. Bill Gratton had been lost ever since his freak injury suffered in a fight in Erie. Veteran defenseman Paul Laplante had been sidelined by a succession of maladies, the most recent being broken ribs.
BUFFALO: Lou Nistico was a second team All Star at Mohawk Valley last year before being promoted to the Toronto Toros. His second-half Toronto performance and his flamboyant onice personality made him a Maple Leaf, Gardens darling, just as he had been in Utica. A six-goal in six-game playoff performance made him the Toros most effective post-season performer.
But Lou had had his problems this season and eventually was demoted to the Norsemen. Typically, the 5’7” pepperpot scored two goals, rang the pipe with a blistering slapper in missing his hat, and had a fight in his first appearance in the Green and Gold. Louis was named First Star in that initial start. He is well on his way to becoming a favorite in the Queen City.
CAPE COD: General managercoach Larry Kish shook up the NAHL by making two major trades within 24 hours.
Firsthe landed right wing Mike Boland from Philadelphia in exchange for defenseman Mike Penasse. Boland was a second team All Star last year. Then he pulled a surprise by selling former Cape Cod Cub super star Luc Simard to the Beauce Jaros. Simard had been lured back to the Cape this season after he spent a year in the AHL.
Kish explained the moves bv a saving. “Boland gives us a natural right wing who will give us experience and goal producttion. Although Luc had already scored eight goals, he had not played well of late. The additions of Nick Fotiu and Boland give us a set lineup up front and Luc became expendable.”
ERIE: The Blades attracted their largest home crowd since their off season move to the Pennsylvania city when 3,728 showed up for a game with Cape Cod. The fans were treated to the Blades’ eighth consecutive home win when Erie whipped the Codders 6-3.
They also saw Codder captain Bob Charlebois earn the dubious honor of being the first player given a mis-conduct under the NHAL’s new penalty structure. Charlebois argued a bit too strenuously with referee Alan Glaspell.
He received an automatic one-game suspension for his labor.
MAINE: After ten straight losses the Nordiques won three in succession, over Johnstown, Binghamton, and Mohawk Valley. All three in succession, over Johnstown, Binghamton, and Mohawk Valley. All three were by identical scores of 4-3 and the Duster and Comet wins were in overtime. All of which prompted general manager Mo Ducharme to comment, “I relax whenever the score gets to 3-3.”
Not so soon, Mo. The Nordiques turned right around and dropped their next two games by scores of, you guessed it, 4-3.
MOHAWK VALLEY: Brian McKenzie is off to the best start in his pro career with nine goals and 11 assists. Mac was the eighteenth player chosen in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, buthe has never lived up to the promise indicated by his second round selection. He did score 18 times in the WHA two years ago, and he had 28 goals in 55 NAHL games with the Comets last year. But reports out of Utica say that Brian is putting forth the best effort of his five-year career. The results he is getting substantiate it.
PHILADELPHIA: Trainer David Settlemyre was activated as backup goaltender when Ron Marlow was injured. Gregg Pilling chanced that he might stir the Firebirds into playing a tight game on the road when he started Settlemyre in Mohawk Valley. Pilling’s gamble failed. Both teams played wide open hockey; the Comets took 47 shots at Settlemyre. So much for strategy.
By the way…Settlemyre stopped 46 of those shots to stone the Comets 4-1. Pretty heady stuff for a kid from Greensboro, N. C. who started in hockey as a stickboy for the then EHL Generals. Settlemyre, Pilling’s trainer at both Roanoke Valley and Philly, works out every day with the team and has in the past played a handful of games in both the EHL and NAHL while serving as an emergency backup. But this was the first time he had ever started, finished and won.
The Firebirds biggest disappointment continues to be the knee miseries of Tom Young. The right winger was being counted on as one of the Birds leading scorers. So far he hasn’t a point in nine games in between trips to the disabled list.
SYRACUSE: Rick Newell only played six games with the Blazers before deciding to retire in order to return to law school. Newell has already completed one year towards his graduate degree. Bim McFall was reactivated to fill Newell’s spot on the roster. McFall had been waived by the Blazers earlier in the season.
Danny Belisle has named Craig Reichmuth captain and has appointed Pat Russell, Terry West and Brian Bowles as his alternates.
Reichmuth and Blazer vice-president Don Swete received the Governors Cup from commissioner Jack Timmins in recent pre-game ceremonies at the Onondaga War Memorial.
The Blazers thought they would be happy returning home after eight games on the road but they dropped two of three, including 7-1 bombing by Erie.
Date
1975-12-05
Collection
Citation
“Gould Major Force Behind Buffalo Offense, NAHL pennant race, Lou Nistico, articles (The Hockey News, 1975-12-05).htm,” North Tonawanda History, accessed November 26, 2025, https://nthistory.com/items/show/4684.