Friday, April 12, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
For everyone else on the Thunder, the Turner Cup playoffs don't begin until Wednesday. As far as Pokey Reddick is concerned, the postseason already is under way.
The 31-year-old veteran goaltender will have his playoff game face on beneath his mask tonight when Las Vegas tunes up for the postseason against Milwaukee at the Thomas & Mack Center. Regardless of who the Thunder faces, Reddick will be in the nets for Game 1, so he wants to make sure he's mentally sharp.
That means it's time to eliminate distractions and focus on stopping pucks. Reddick won't be doing interviews and friends know better than to bother him for things like game tickets.
"You have to worry about the game," Reddick said of his annual rite of passage, which includes his media blackout. "It's nothing personal. It's just one less distraction to deal with."
Given his postseason record of 25-12 and 2.42 goals-against average, Reddick obviously knows what he's doing.
In 1993, Fort Wayne rode Reddick's hot goaltending to 12 straight wins and the Turner Cup championship. The following season, he was 6-2 in helping Cincinnati reach the semifinals.
Last year, he helped the Thunder advance to the second round of the playoffs before the Admirals ended Las Vegas' Turner Cup run in five games.
This year, he has posted a 26-12-4 record with a 2.96 average and a save percentage of .900, placing him fourth among IHL goaltenders. He will be appearing in his 47th game of the year tonight, so he is fresh and ready to go for the postseason.
"I'm feeling good. No problems," he said. "I'm pleased with the way I've played this year. But now it's time to turn it up a notch."
Reddick said the key to playing well in the playoffs is treating every session on the ice as if it were a game.
"The biggest thing is to play in practice like it's a game," he said. "You don't want any pucks getting behind you. You want to stop every shot."
Reddick added that while the forwards and defensemen may make adjustments, his job never changes.
"From Day One, you've got to stop the puck," he said. "That's the bottom line."
Coach Chris McSorley knows if Reddick is making saves, the Thunder's chances of going deep into the playoffs are greatly enhanced.
"In the playoffs, you go with your hot line, your hot defense and your hot goaltender," he said. "Pokey has proven in the past that he can carry a team a long way and this is his time of the year."
Thunderbolts ...
* REGULARS RETURN: D Greg Hawgood and RW Grigori Panteleyev were back at practice Thursday and both are expected in the lineup tonight. C Blaine Moore also practiced and he, too, should suit up. Coach Chris McSorley wasn't sure who would be scratched. ... The Thunder holds a 4-1 edge over Milwaukee in the season series and is 6-0 vs. Los Angeles, Saturday's opponent in the home regular-season finale. The Thunder concludes the regular season at San Francisco Sunday against the Spiders. The Thunder is 4-2 vs. San Francisco this year.
* WATCH THE BOARD: By the time the Thunder hits the ice at the Cow Palace at 6 p.m., it should know who it will meet in the first round of the playoffs. Here's where things stand heading into tonight's games: Phoenix has 79 points, LA has 78 and Peoria 77. The weekend schedule: Peoria plays at Minnesota tonight and Saturday and finishes up at Chicago Sunday. Phoenix hosts Utah tonight and San Francisco Saturday before ending the season Sunday in LA. The Ice Dogs are at home tonight against San Francisco and at the Thomas & Mack Saturday against the Thunder before returning to LA Sunday to host the Roadrunners. ... The top two teams from the three-team chase will advance, with the No. 2 team getting the eighth seed and matching up with the Thunder.
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