Cechmanek Does it Again

Cechmanek gave his first solo interview after his second NHL win. That`s because his normal interpreter, Flyers defenseman Michal Sykora was a healthy scratch.

"I`m happy that we won," said Cechmanek, who prefaced his remarks by explaining that he does not speak English very well. "We played very well defensively tonight."

Cechmanek, who made 28 saves, shrugged when someone noted that it`s quite unusual for a goaltender to have shutouts in his first two victories.

"The whole team played very well during those two shutouts," Cechmanek added. "It was not me."

Cechmanek has held opponents scoreless the last 122:38 of action at home during his two starts and in a relief role.

"He (Cechmanek) was pretty busy in there tonight," Flyers coach Craig Ramsay said. "He made some big time saves for us tonight."

The Flyers` regular goalie Brian Boucher has struggled this season with a 3-5-3 record and 3.22 goals-against-average.

Cechmanek`s best save came when he stopped a hard slap shot by ex-Flyer Janne Niinimaa late in the first period. He also denied the Oilers on five power plays.

Ramsay said that it`s difficult to communicate with Cechmanek because of the language barrier.

"He is better, though," Ramsay said. "He understands some of the things we say. There is an adjustment for a European goaltender to come over here and face the kinds of traffic around the net and different angles of shots."

Cechmanek, 29, is not considered a rookie because of his age. To qualify, a player cannot be over 25 by Sept. 15 prior to the season.

"I played a couple of times against him in the world championships," said Edmonton goalie Tommy Salo, who made 24 saves. "He`s played pretty good every time I`ve seen him. He looked almost like (Buffalo`s Dominik) Hasek. He`s a big goaltender."

Simon Gagne and Paul Ranheim scored for the Flyers. Edmonton`s Chad Kilger failed on a prime scoring chance early in the second period when he missed an open net from the crease with a rebound shot.

Coach Craig MacTavish said that the Oilers are "really fragile" offensively.

"We had far too many shots blocked," MacTavish said. "We were back in our cycle game where we never get the puck out from behind the net and get it to the front where goals are scored."

Gagne put the Flyers ahead 1-0 with his fourth goal of the season at 12:21 of the second. Taking a pass from Rick Tocchet just over center ice, Gagne skated down the right side, cut to his left, and shoveled the puck past Tommy Salo. The Edmonton goalie lost his balance and skidded through the crease.

Ranheim scored from the slot at 9:05 of the third when he slid a backhander under Salo`s arm. Chris McAllister started the play when he jumped out of the penalty box and fed the puck to Ranheim streaking down the ice.

The Oilers. have dropped two straight games. They had their four-game winning streak snapped in a 4-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Game notes
Ranheim played in his 800th NHL game, his 14th as a member of the Flyers. ... The Flyers are 1-for-26 on the power play in their last seven games. ... Philadelphia is 2-4-1 against Western Conference teams. ... Salo faced 67 shots in his last two starts including a season-high 41 in Tuesday`s loss. ... Edmonton is 1-2-0 on a five game road trip, its longest of the season. The Oilers are 3-5-0 overall away from home.

(Courtesy Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2000.)

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Author: AP