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Modin improves on his big shot reputation

His 102.1 mph slap shot in the Lightning skills competition is a bit faster than last season's skills blast.

By PETE YOUNG

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 5, 2000

TAMPA -- Despite a furious late rally Monday night before a raucous crowd of 7,241, the Lightning held on to win 10-9 at the Ice Palace.

Or did the Lightning rally come up short 10-9? Well, both were true. Tampa Bay's Black team prevailed over its White in the SuperSkills competition.

The Lightning was divided in half and competed in six events, and for the second straight year, the heavy slap shot of left wing Fredrik Modin was the most impressive display of talent.

Modin unleashed a 102.1 mph blast on the second of his two attempts in the hardest shot competition. It exceeded his 102.0 mph missile of last season and is the second-fastest in SuperSkills competitions this season, behind Mike Modano of Dallas (103.4).

The Lightning is the league's 16th team to hold the competition.

Modin said his shot has been over 100 mph every time he has been in a contest. "I was hoping for something around (102.1)" Modin said. "It's a fun thing, and the fans seem to enjoy it, too. They're having a good time, and we can show our skills a little bit."

The competition, which every team will have before the all-star break, was far more popular with Lightning fans this season than it was in its inaugural season. The Lightning promoted it in Hillsborough and Pinellas county schools with free passes, and it drew far more than last year's estimated 1,000.

The Black jumped ahead in the first three events. A strong leg in the team puck-control relay by Cory Sarich netted Black the first point, and Sheldon Keefe's individual puck-control victory over Alexander Kharitonov made it 2-0 after the first event.

Black pushed the lead to 4-0 in the fastest skater event. Steve Martins' 14.108-second lap around the rink was the quickest of six skaters. Modin's rocket helped give Black a 6-0 lead after three events.

The White team began its comeback in the fourth event, shooting accuracy, cutting its deficit to 6-2. Brian Holzinger and Pavel Kubina needed five shots to hit the four targets, and Holzinger nearly was 4-for-4, but one of his shots was ruled to have hit the post before the target.

Goaltenders Kevin Weekes and Dan Cloutier were involved in the final two events. Weekes stifled the Black on all six of its three-on-none attempts, and two White shots got past Cloutier to make it 6-4.

In the final event, the breakaway relay, players alternated breakaways on the goaltenders. Two goals by the White's Kaspars Astashenko helped get things closer, and it was 10-9 Black when the final shooter, the White's Martin St. Louis, made his two attempts. Cloutier stuffed both, including a rebound attempt on the second, to save the win.

"The better team actually won at the end," Cloutier said, smiling. "It was fun. It's a little different when you're playing without the adrenaline, but it's a lot of fun. It's an off day to just enjoy ourselves."

ON THE SHELF: Defenseman Petr Svoboda (pinched neck nerve) will not make the trip to Philadelphia for Wednesday's game with the Flyers.

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