This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 29

Today's edition sees Red Laurence score with one second left in overtime to give the Checkers a pivotal win in the 1983 Adams Cup Final, the 1996 Ice season coming to a close, and the 1976 Racers leaving the ice to a standing ovation despite a 6-0 loss. Also, birthdays to former Racer Dean Magee, former Checker 40-goal scorer George Servinis, and former Ice goaltender Marc D'Amour.



April 29 in Indianapolis hockey history
1996: Detroit's Vipers rally from a two-game deficit to beat the Ice 4-2 in the game and 3-2 in the series. The Ice lead 2-1 after second-period goals by Danton Cole and Ryan Huska in a span of 88 seconds, but the Vipers take the lead by the midpoint of the period. Jim Waite stops 33 sshots in a losing effort. 
1983: The Checkers have a wild 5-4 win over Birmingham to tie their best-of-9 championship series up at 2-2. Garth MacGuigan feeds Red Laurence off an end-zone faceoff at the end of OT, and Laurence scores at 19:59 of the extra session to give the Checkers the victory.  Trailing 2-0 going into the third, Scott Howson and Dave Simpson scored at :17 and :44 of the period to tie the game. Kevin Devine and Gord Dineen assisted on each others' goals later in the period to give the Checkers a short-lived lead, but Dave DeBol tied the game with 25 seconds left for the Stars. Rob Holland stops 27 shots in the win.
1976: The Racers' first playoff year ends not quite as well as the 16,040 who jammed Market Square Arena had hoped, as they drop a 6-0 decision to the New England Whalers in Game 7 of their WHA playoff series. Three goals in a span of 5:29 in the second put the Racers in a 4-0 hole, and Cap Raeder stops 26 shots to make it stand up. Despite the score, nearly the entire crowd stayed to the end and gave the Racers a memorable ovation as they left the ice, thanking them for a great season.

Happy birthday to ... 
Dean Magee: Center who played five games for the Racers in their abbreviated final 1978 season, assisting on one goal. He also played seven NHL games for the Minnesota North Stars the previous year, shortly after finishing his college career at Colorado College. Magee played just one more professional season, with the CHL's Houston Apollos in 1979-80. A native of Banff, Alberta, he is 59.
George Servinis: Left wing who played 70 games for the Checkers in 1986-87, scoring 41 goals and assisting on 54 others. His 95 points put him second on the team to Ron Handy, who had a 135-point season that year. He was a member of the RPI national title team in 1985, and began playing professionally in the AHL the next year. His year with the Checkers -- and a 34-goal season in 49 games with Kalamazoo the following year -- were his minor-league highlights. He had a five-game stint with the Minnesota North Stars in 1987-88, and then headed to play in Europe. A native of Toronto, he is 52.  
Marc D'Amour: One of several goaltenders who suited up for the 1988-89 Ice, he played six games for the silver and black, going 2-3-1 with a 3.70 GAA. It was close to the end of a 10-year pro career that saw him play in the CHL, IHL and AHL from 1982-92. He played 15 games in the NHL with the Calgary Flames in 1985-86, going 2-4-2 for the eventual Campbell Conference champions. He also played one game for the Flyers in 1988-89, stopping all 13 shots he faced in relief. A native of Sudbury, Ont., he is 53.