Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 17, 1992 TAG: 9202170171
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ADMIRALS' FAST START DROPS REBELS 5-3
Speed kills. Not only on the highway, but on the ice, too.The Hampton Roads Admirals taught the Roanoke Valley Rebels that lesson Sunday night, skating past the step-slow Rebs 5-3 at the Vinton LancerLot.
Although the Rebels tried, fact was, they simply couldn't keep pace with coach John Brophy's fleet-skating club, which appears to be priming itself for a run at a second straight East Coast Hockey League championship.
It didn't take long for the Rebels to discover how Wile E. Coyote of cartoon fame feels.
"Those guys [the Admirals] were running around like a bunch of roadrunners out there. Man, they're quick," Rebels forward Mark Woolf noted.
Like Mr. Coyote, the Rebs never could catch their prey.
After scoring a pair of goals in a span of 13 seconds to the tie the game at 3-3 with 14:31 left, Roanoke Valley saw a stick of dynamite go off in its face.
Hampton Roads' Dennis McEwen detonated the charge with 12:54 left, when he popped clear off a draw in the Rebels' end and whipped a wide-open 12-footer past Rebs goaltender Mike James to make it 4-3.
The Admirals sewed up their ninth win in their past 10 games against the Rebels when Victor Gervais scored an empty-net goal with 1:08 left.
"I thought Roanoke played a hell of a game, but we've got a lot speed now with these guys who have come down [from Baltimore of the American Hockey League]," Brophy said. "[Steve] Martell, Gervais and [Chris] Clarke have been quite a present for us.
"We've got a pretty good skating team, we're in good shape and we're working hard. I think they're focusing in now on getting first place in the division."
Hampton Roads (32-16-1) trails first-place Greensboro (35-16-4) in the ECHL's Eastern Division by nine points, but has played six less games.
The Rebels (18-27-5), who are battling Knoxville for the final playoff berth in the East, have to be hoping Greensboro can hold onto first. The playoff format sends No. 1 against No. 6 in the first round.
"Personally," said Woolf, "I'd much rather see Greensboro than Hampton. It could be pretty scary playing Hampton in their barn with 10,000 people with the team they have now."
Rebels coach Roy Sommer agreed.
"Hampton has a lot of talent, that's for sure," he said. "No doubt, the quickest team in the league."
Sommer's playing hand was without one ace Sunday, as No. 1 center Peter Kasowski was sidelined with a cracked bone in his right hand. Kasowski, who played two games after sustaining the injury last Sunday against Johnstown, will be fitted for a cast today and figures to be out of action for at least two weeks.
"It makes a big difference with him out," Sommer said. "It takes some of our speed out of the lineup and you saw what happens."
McEwen's game-winning goal was what had Sommer upset.
"We come back to tie it 3-3 and we make a stupid mistake on the draw by not checking our man," he said. "No way a guy should be able to walk in right off the draw like that. They set a pick on our guy, he ends up getting the puck and walks right in.
"We played hard. The effort's there, but it's our minds. We just blank out sometimes and do some of the stupidest plays.
"We let them have a couple tonight. With a team like that, you've got to make them earn it. They got so much experience and talent that when they get an opportunity like that they're going to put it away."
\ ICE CHIPS: Woolf scored two of the three Roanoke goals. He has 41 for the season, only four short of Mike Chighisola's ECHL franchise record. ... Scott Eichstadt had the other Rebel goal. ... Frank "The Animal" Bialowas, normally a defenseman, replaced Kasowski up front. He ignited the crowd with several bone-jarring body checks, including a teeth-rattling number that planted Hampton's Randy Pearce into the home penalty box 3:25 into the game. ... Defenseman Steve Chelios (torn left-thumb ligaments) missed the game and is out indefinitely. ... The Rebels travel to Toledo (Tuesday) and Dayton (Wednesday) before returning home to face Greensboro (Friday) and Nashville (Saturday). \
see microfilm for box score