THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 25, 1996 TAG: 9601250558
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
The Hampton Roads Admirals were their own worst critics after blowing a three-goal lead to lose an important North Division game to the first-place Richmond Renegades 8-6 on Wednesday night.
Richmond was never better than when they were a man e this season they've done that in one game. They also added a power-play goal and an empty-net score in opening a 13-point lead over the second-place Admirals.
``Bottom line, we blew that game,'' said Admirals captain Rick Kowalsky, whose first hat trick of the season was wasted. ``It was ugly. It was embarrassing.
``We have some problems on defense, no doubt. I don't know what can be done, but we can't win down the stretch and we can't win in the playoffs playing like that.''
Kowalsky's third goal of the game, a power-play score 12:47 into the second period, gave the Admirals a 5-2 lead. It also was the fifth straight goal scored by Hampton Roads, which wiped out a 2-0 deficit.
But Richmond got a momentum-shifting goal 25 seconds before the close of the period when defenseman Lou Body scored on the power play. And the third period belonged to Richmond, which scored five times and outhustled the Admirals from one end of the rink to the other.
``I don't know what happened in the third period,'' Admirals coach John Brophy said. ``But you give up five goals, you have to do a lot of things wrong. They also had to do a lot of things right. Give them credit; they beat us in our own building.
``It was a horrible game for us after two good periods.''
Down 6-5 after Mike Taylor's shorthanded goal with 9:25 remaining, Hampton Roads fought back. Serge Aubin, assisted by Sean Selmser and Kowalsky, beat Sandy Allan to tie the score with little more than four minutes to play.
But the Renegades kept coming. Scott Gruhl caught the puck in the air, knocked it down and fed Martin Roy. He slapped the puck past Mark Bernard to give the Renegades yet another lead.
The Admirals pulled Bernard for an extra attacker, but Taylor tallied an empty-net goal with 41 seconds remaining to clinch the victory. The loss ended the Admirals' six-game home winning streak.
``Against a team like that, you've got to play 60 minutes,'' said Bernard, who faced 46 shots. ``I don't think we did that tonight and it's too bad, because it's a tough way to learn the lesson.''
After spotting Richmond a 2-0 lead, the Admirals caught fire and threatened to make a rout of it.
Kowalsky began the scoring with a first-period power-play goal.
Dominic Maltais intercepted a pass and scored on a breakaway to knot the score just one minute into the second period.
Kowalsky came back with another goal, on an assist from Selmser, prompting Richmond coach Roy Sommer to pull starting goalie Aaron Israel for Allan.
Maltais greeted Allan with a shot he couldn't handle, giving Hampton Roads a 4-2 lead. Kowalsky then netted his third of the game.
``Totally irrelevant,'' Kowalsky said of his trifecta. ``There's only one reason to play, and hat tricks aren't it.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
HUY NGUYEN
The Virginian-Pilot
The Admirals' Rick Kowalsky is sent sprawling by Richmond's Martin
Roy during first-period action. Roy was penalized for tripping;
Kowalsky scored on the subsequent power play.
HUY NGUYEN
The Virginian-Pilot
Richmond's Jason Mallon, left, snags the puck from a knot of
Admirals in the Renegades' zone.
by CNB