The Michigan Daily-Tu esday, May 8, 1979-Pae13. in Fate'sWay Moore flying with Philadelphia By BILLY NEFF Special to the Daily NEW HAVEN, Conn.-Fate works in strange and wonderful ways, for some people that is. For instan- ce, take former Michigan All-America goaltender Robbie Moore, sometime goalie for the defeated Stanley Cup contenders, the Philadelphia Flyers. Two years ago, he was laboring over books at the University of Western Ontario Dental School, distinguishing between molars and bicuspids. Hockey seemed the furtherest thing from this young dentist's mind, or did it? "No, I really wanted to play again. I called him (former Flyers coach Bob McCammon, who is presently coaching the Flyers top farm club, the Maine Mariners) in the summer," said Moore. That phone call was the first step in an attempt at rejuvenating a career that had once been wonderous in Ann Arbor. Next, Moore's hockey had to do the talking, and it did enough to earn him a spot on Maine's roster. Moore toiled in Maine last year and played on a championship team with the Mariners. After training camp this year, he was sent down to Maine again as the Flyers' goaltending was pretty well set with the once spectacular Bernie Parent and steady Wayne Stephenson sharing the duties. But fate was to work in a strange way for Moore late in the season. Parent was struck down with a severe eye injury that may end his playing days. Several other goalies were given a chance to share the netminding chores with Stephenson and they all failed. Finally, the Flyers called on Moore and he didn't fail. Moore parlayed his first real opportunity into a stunning success-entering a game with the Flyers trailing the New York Rangers 4-0, when the game ended the score was tied at four, and Moore was on his way. The Flyers called on Moore three more times during the drive for second place in their division, behind the pace-setting New York Islanders, and three times Moore responded with wins. Two were shutouts. "It was a good feeling; you have to put it all in proportion, though," said the affable netminder. Those feelings were not the last good ones Moore had in Philadelphia this year. With the Flyers trailing 1-0 in a best of three playoff series against the Van- couver Canucks, Philly coach Pat Quinn called on Moore. Moore responded once again. With the 5-5 Moore in the nets, the Flyers came back to take the next two games from the surprising Canucks, 6-4 and 7-2. In the clinching 7-2 victory, Flyer fans returned Moore's good feelings with chan- ts of "Rob-bie, Rob-bie" which ehoed from the rafters of the Spectrum in Philadelphia. "It (his biggest win ever) was probably when we finished off Van- couver," added Moore. In the quarter finals Moore came up with yet another win, a 3-2 overtime win against the Rangers. But the Rangers came out rampaging the rest of the series and destroyed the Flyers in four straight lop- sided games. Moore was shelled throughout the series and could not be faulted for the one sided defeats. In the final game of the Ranger series, Quinn opted for experience in Stephenson instead of the youthful and enthusiastic Moore. "We didn't know until the morning of the game (who was going to play)," said Moore. "You always like to play, but . .." A shrug of indif- ference told the story-fate dictated that he would not play this game and Moore took it all in stride, hap- pily. He had received his share of good fortune and was not about to complain. As most of his Flyer teammates were hanging up their iceskates for the season, Moore was still plying his trade for his old team as the Mariners were driving for the second consecutive American Hockey League championship. Maine leads two games to zero over the New Haven Nighthawks. "I'm just glad I got a second shot at winning the championship," Moore added, with little respect for the difference between the two titles. However, Moore has not been starting for the Mariners. "Pete's (Pete Peeters) been playing well," noted Moore with an air of fate about him once more. Last year the Flyers' goaltending situation was very settled, but fate worked in strange ways to change that. What doss fate have in store for Moore's future? "I've got a good opportunity ( at making the Flyers). They (the management) let me know that." Mariner's and former Flyer coach concurred. "Next year at training camp will tell the story for him. He's got his foot in the door though." Many people feel Moore's only drawback is his diminutive size. In characteristic form the netminder responded, "It hasn't seemed to hurt so far." Neither has fate. Robbie Moore SPORTS OF THE DAILY Lattany's leap sparks thinclad win As Mike Lattany leaps higher and higher, Michigan meet and varsity records seem to fall harder. Lattany cleared 7-3 in the high jump Saturday, and his fellow Wolverine tracksters pitched in with stellar efforts to beat Indiana, 80-57. "iAT 7-3, I felt really good, but on the first jump, I didn't attack the bar aggressively," said Lattany, "I knew I could do it on the second jump and I just popped it. I thought I hit the bar, but it was still up there. I made the jump." Other key performers were Andrew Bruce and Steve Elliot. Bruce, from Trinidad, swept first places in both the 100- and 200-meter sprints. But Elliot stole the spotlight with a come-from- behind stretch run to beat Hoosier Jim Spivel in the 1500-meter event, with a time of 3:46.69. "Elliot ran one helluva race," ex- claimed coach Jack Harvey. "We had good performances right down the line. It's a momentum thing. Once a couple of guys start performing, everyone cat- ches fire. There's no one more sur- prised than I am right now. We picked up some unexpected points in field events and sprints." INDIANA COACH Sam Bell summed up his team's performance simply saying, "We weren't flat, we were horrible." By the end of the meet, Michigan had claimed 12 of the 17 first places, and Harvey was looking positively toward future meets. "You can never tell about the Big Tens. Everything is riding onhow a team does ona particular weekend. But we are now running on our hom~e track and if we keep it going for a couple of climaxed last year when he rallied to weeks, we'll be in pretty good shape." win his third British Open at St. An- -KEN CHOTINER drews where he had won eight years before. Golden Bear(ings) NEW YORK-Jack Nicklaus, named yesterday "Athlete of the Decade," said there are no more mountains he aspires to climb-he just wants to build a bigger mountain. - "I always have put great emphasis on major championships," said golf's all- time winner. "Some day someone will come along to beat my records. My aim is to make that job tougher by building a bigger mountain. "At 38, I still enjoy the game. I want to continue playing as long as I feel I can be competitive. I hope to enlarge on my list of major championships." Realistic observers believe Nicklaus has builtea mountain that no man ever will scale-17 major pro and amateur titles and more than $3.4 million in prize money. No other modern player is close in either category. The man they call "The Golden Bear" became the second winner of the "Athlete of the Decade" award which last year went to heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. The decade covered the decade of the 1970s. Same of Nicklaur'dreatet "I have to count that among my biggest thrills," Nichlaus told a New York luncheon gathering by telephone from Spokane, Wash. The award is sponsored by the American Cancer Society, which con- ducted a nationwide poll of 432 sports writers, editors and broadcasters. Formal presentation will be made to Nicklaus and the finalists at a dinner in New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel June 7. -AP TAKING THE LSAT? Join thousands of law school applicants nationwide in Amity's LSAT Review Seminars CALL TOLL-FREE FOR DETAILS AND LOCAL SCHED lNORMATWN: - ~ r7 Etffl__ Mike Lattany ... body up, records down