by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB
Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: SUNDAY, January 3, 1993 TAG: 9301030178 SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
RAMPAGE CONTINUES SLIDE IN 4-2 DEFEAT
Simmering for weeks, Roanoke Valley Rampage coach Steve Gatzos reached the boiling point Saturday night.After the Rampage lost its eighth consecutive East Coast Hockey League game, 4-2 to the Richmond Renegades, Gatzos unloaded another bomb on his shellshocked troops.
"You had better check out a lot of these guys' faces tonight because by next Friday there might be 16 new ones in here," said Gatzos, raising his voice with every word. "I don't care if I have to go out and get some people who have never played the game of hockey in their life. One way or another, I'm going to find somebody who wants to work and give a 100 percent effort.
"This is not a threat; it's a promise. Hey, we're 15th in a 15-team league. We can't go any lower. We're doing so bad with the guys we've got. We've got maybe a handful of guys giving a full effort, and that may be all that stay.
"I've never seen a team of guys who can't band together and then give up like this. We've got no commitment, no effort, no leadership. Six weeks ago, I never thought this would happen with this team. I've had it. If I have to pull 10 guys out of the stands who will work, then so be it."
The Rampage's 18th loss in 22 games came against a Richmond team that had won once in 14 previous road starts.
In a scene that has become all too familiar to Gatzos, the Renegades scored three goals on their first six shots at beleaguered Roanoke Valley goalie Todd Chin.
"Terrible goaltending, terrible defense and non-scoring forwards," Gatzos moaned. "How can they take eight shots and get three goals in the first period? Two of the goals came from the blue line. Are you kidding me?"
Richmond's Phil Huber ripped a 50-foot slap shot past Chin at the 2:08 mark. Four minutes later, Huber stole the puck at the Rampage blue line and blew a 40-footer past Chin. Five minutes later, Richmond made it 3-0 on Martin Smith's goal off a well-executed 5-on-3 power play.
The Rampage tried to sneak back into the game in the second period. Roanoke Valley dominated play and quickly closed to 3-2 on Jack Williams' short-handed breakaway goal and Scott Burfoot's power-play rebound goal. The Rampage could have gotten more, but Renegades goalie Jon Gustafson stopped Burfoot (twice), Dean Dorchak and Craig Endean on break-away opportunities.
"We finally started to shut them down and then we couldn't score," Gatzos said. "In the second period, we finally starting doing what we were supposed to do, then we stopped."
The Renegades (14-17) put away the game in the third period on Brendan Flynn's short-handed goal at the 7:06 mark. Flynn stole the puck from Rampage defenseman Kent Anderson at the Roanoke Valley blue line, skated in with Anderson draped all over him and slipped the puck between Chin's stick and the left post.
The Rampage (10-23-1) outshot the Renegades 47-30 - one of the few times Roanoke Valley has outshot an opponent this season - but the net might as well have been the size of a thimble.
"I've never seen anything like this in all my years of hockey," Gatzos said. "I just can't put up with it any longer."
While Gatzos was steaming, it was a different story on the other side of the rink. Renegades coach Roy Sommer, who coached Roanoke Valley last season, thoroughly enjoyed his club's first road win since Dec. 4.
"Fortunately," Sommer said, "we got three quick goals. It's hard to come back from that. This sure is a hell of a lot better than my last trip in here [an 8-2 loss on Thanksgiving night]."
\ ICE CHIPS: Gustafson came on in relief of Renegades starter Mike James, who suffered a mild concussion in a collision 3:16 into the game. James was hit in the head by a skate when he strayed out of the net and was run over by two players. \
see microfilm for box score