Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 13, 1990 TAG: 9003133435
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
McSorley, who was fired by the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds on Feb. 7, was introduced Monday as coach of the new Richmond franchise that will begin play next season.
Owner Allan Harvie also announced that the team will be called the Richmond Renegades.
McSorley, whose brother Marty plays for the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, was dismissed by Winston-Salem for what T-Birds officials called "philosophical differences."
Winston-Salem was in second place in the eight-team league when McSorley was replaced behind the bench by general manager Jay Fraser.
Richmond becomes the ECHL's ninth team. The Renegades will play their home games in the Richmond Coliseum.
The Virginia Lancers went into the weekend's games hoping to clinch the ECHL's regular-season title.
With consecutive losses to Hampton Roads, Erie and Winston-Salem, the Lancers did clinch something - third place.
Virginia, which has lost seven of its past eight games, concludes the 60-game regular season Wednesday night at home against Greensboro.
That contest will be a preview of a first-round matchup in the ECHL playoffs. When postseason play begins Friday, the Monarchs will be at the LancerLot for the opener of a five-game series. The teams play in Vinton again on Saturday.
Game 3 will be played next Tuesday at the Greensboro Coliseum. Games 4 is scheduled Wednesday, March 21 at the Greensboro Coliseum. If a Game 5 is needed, it will be played at the LancerLot on Thursday, March 22.
The rest of the ECHL playoff schedule may not be decided until the regular season ends Wednesday night. The final pairings can't be determined until first place is decided between Winston-Salem and Erie, which are tied for the top spot with one game each to play.
If Winston-Salem wins at home against Greensboro tonight, the T-Birds will sew up the regular-season title. Erie, which finishes Wednesday at home against seventh-place Johnstown, needs a Winston-Salem loss tonight to have a shot at first.
If the two teams tie in points, Winston-Salem wins the title because of its 5-3 record vs. Erie this season.
If the T-Birds win tonight, they will face sixth-place Nashville in a best-of-seven first-round series, and second-place Erie will meet fifth-place Hampton Roads in a best-of-five series.
The Virginia-Greensboro winner and the other best-of-five survivor will meet in a best-of-three series. That winner then faces the winner of No. 1 vs. No. 6 in a best-of-seven series for the ECHL championship.
The six playoffs participants submitted final 17-man postseason rosters to the league office Wednesday.
The Virginia roster included forwards Jeff Waver, Greg Neish, Luke Vitale, Marco Fuster, Terry Menard, Dan Richards and newcomers Wayne Muir and Ron Jones. Also listed were NHL-contract players Chris Lindberg, who has been called up to Springfield (AHL), and Graham Stanley, whom Virginia coach Dave Allison has said is out for the season with a broken jaw.
Defensemen listed were Scott Drevitch, Bill Whitfield, Doug Hobson, Steve Herniman and Shannon Travis. The goaltenders are regulars Steve McKichan and Dean Cook.
\ ICE CHIPS: Virginia is 6-1 vs. Greensboro this season, 3-0 in Vinton and 3-1 on the road. . . . Barring an upset loss in its season finale against lowly Johnstown, Erie will close the regular season with a league-high 12 consecutive victories. Virginia won 11 straight earlier this season. . . . Winston-Salem also is streaking. The T-Birds have won five straight and seven of eight.
by CNB