Hottest Shot

There are a couple of traditions at the annual Winter Carnival morning hockey game at Davis Rink.

One is a top hat and tails for the guy who drives the Zamboni that remakes ice between periods. The other is the all-of-a-sudden appearance of a dead mackerel on the ice.

The mackerel arrived not once but twice during Yale's Carnival visit on February 12. The first appearance followed Bill Dunbar's goal early in the second period. The second came late in the same period when Fred Riggall unleashed Dartmouth's best wrist shot past Yale goalie Mark Fitzsimmons. The goal brought the house down as the studious junior from Winnipeg, Manitoba, continued his goal-a-game pace for the surging Indians.

Riggall doesn't fit the mold of most Canadian-born hockey players attending American colleges. Unlike the majority who show but passing interest in the academic aspects of college life, Riggall is an economics major who came to Dartmouth to study—and play hockey. He does both well. He gets his B's in the classroom and A's for stickwork on the ice.

For Riggall, hockey is fun. "I'm not a hockey nut," he said. "If I had to get up at 5 a.m. like kids do in the United States, I never would have taken up the game."

The flashy right wing on Dartmouth's second line made his reputation as a juvenile skater in Winnipeg where he played afternoons and evenings (not the early morning hours that is the fate of so many young skaters in the United States).

Dartmouth was the only college to contact him when he was in his final year at Churchill High School, the same school that sent Dave Hill (winner of an NCAA post-graduate scholarship last June) to Dartmouth. "Dave talked more about education than hockey at Dartmouth," said Riggall. "That's what impressed me."

His ability on the ice has also impressed Grant Standbrook, Dartmouth's coach who has known Riggall since he was in grammar school.

"Fred is shooting the puck a lot faster and with greater accuracy," said Standbrook. "He's substituted a hard wrist shot for the slap shot he used to rely on and it's really helped his scoring. He's been one of our most consistent players. He uses his skates well, especially in the corners, and is very difficult to knock down."

Riggall's performance in the Great Lakes Tournament in December is the key to the wing's success this season. He scored twice against Michigan State and then had three goals and two assists in a 9-6 upset win over Notre Dame. His five points in a game and seven for the tournament are both records for the Detroit event. The effort earned him all-tourney honors.

Riggall isn't a flamboyant skater who will bring the crowd to its feet but that's what he did against Cornell as his second goal of the night capped Dartmouth's 3-2 overtime victory.

Off the ice, Riggall prefers to talk about things other than hockey. On the ice, he's letting his stick do all the talking.

Right wing Fred Riggall, from Winnipeg, talking with hockey manager DickDonohue before the Cornell game.