THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 20, 1996 TAG: 9601200435
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Like a Picasso, what first looked like a mess turned into something worthy of display Friday night for the Hampton Roads Admirals.
Playing in front of their second sellout crowd of the season, the Admirals fought from behind three times to beat the South Carolina Stingrays 5-4 in a shootout at Scope.
The Admirals' victory ended a string of eight consecutive road wins by the Stingrays that had tied an ECHL record shared by Wheeling (1994-95) and Toledo (1991-92).
Sean Selmser buried a wrist shot into the upper right corner on the Admirals' fifth and final shootout attempt for the victory. The Admirals were 3 for 5 on the shootout and Selmser's, Bob Woods' and Serge Aubin's successful attempts could have fit neatly in a milk pail.
Did the Admirals sniff out a weak spot in Stingrays goaltender Sean Gauthier's defenses?
``I was going there no matter what,'' Selmser said afterward. ``That's where I went when we won a shootout down there (by an identical score on Jan. 5).''
Selmser had the game-winner in South Carolina, too.
It was the Admirals' fourth consecutive victory when going to a shootout; they had lost their first seven shootout chances of the season. All told, the Admirals (24-9-10) are now 7-10 in shootouts this season.
``We're doing a little better,'' said goaltender Mark Bernard, whose kick-save of a Justin Duberman wrist shot gave Selmser the opportunity to win it. ``We've got a little confidence going. Now we don't mind them as much.''
For a while, it appeared the Admirals would be fortunate just to get to a shootout.
They appeared headed for a special-teams nightmare as South Carolina (21-13-6) scored on its first two power-play opportunities, the goals coming off long slap shots by Scott Boston and Duberman.
But on the Stingrays' third power play of the opening period, Bernard made three outstanding saves to curb the bloodletting.
``That turned it around for me,'' Bernard said. ``I fought the puck a little tonight. But my teammates saved me.''
Sandwiched in between was a Steve Richards goal on a break down ice that started when Jeff Kostuch separated Leblanc from the puck at mid-ice with a punishing check.
The Admirals evened matters in the second period when Rick Kowalsky walked around Jared Bednar on a rush down ice and beat Gauthier to the stick side.
The Admirals' penalty-killing woes returned, however, when the Stingrays scored their third power-play goal - they finished 3 for 5 with the man advantage - as Mike Ross lifted a shot over a sprawled Bernard for a 3-2 South Carolina lead.
In the third period, though, Dominic Maltais and Rod Taylor scored a pair of rebound goals when slap shots from the point by Sergei Voronov twice got away from Gauthier, giving Hampton Roads a 4-3 lead.
The Stingrays, however, forced the shootout when Mike Barrie scored on a rebound goal with 3:15 left in regulation. Bednar's shot had hit Bernard just under the neck and he couldn't control the bounce.
``We didn't start off very fast,'' said a relieved Admirals coach John Brophy. ``And then it was unfortunate that we let them back in it near the end of regulation. But that's a really good hockey team we beat tonight.''
``We're 15-1-3 in our last 18 games,'' said Stingrays coach Rick Vaive. ``I can't complain about coming out of here with a (shootout loss) point tonight. I just feel for the guys a little. They wanted to own a record.'' MEMO: Standings, summary/C6
ILLUSTRATION: MOTOYA NAKAMURA
The Virginian-Pilot
South Carolina goalie Sean Gauthier keeps an eye on the puck as it
slides just out of the reach of the Admirals' Bob Woods. Hampton
Roads defeated the Stingrays 5-4 before a full house at Scope.
by CNB