Mighty Ducks Take Turn For Best

In the first half of the season they were the sitting ducks of the Western Conference. But since breaking from a minicamp in Banff, Alberta, in mid-March, the Mighty Ducks have done an about-face.

Ducks coach Ron Wilson attributes the turnaround to the acquisitions in early March of defensemen Milos Holan from Philadelphia (for center Anatoli Semenov) and David Karpa from Quebec (for a future draft pick).

With the addition of the two 23-year-olds, “we became more mobile on defense,” Wilson said. “We can get the puck out of our own end, which is what we weren’t doing a very good job of before.”

Brothers on same line

Russ Courtnall, obtained from Dallas on Friday, played on the same line with his brother Geoff for the second consecutive game, the first one at home.

It was the first time the brothers, who were born and raised in nearby Duncan, had shared the ice in their native province since 1984 when they were with the Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League.

Oates, Bruins agree

Center Adam Oates and the Boston Bruins have agreed in principle on a five-year contract that would pay him about $10 million through the 1998-99 season.