THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 7, 1996 TAG: 9602070541
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
The Louisiana IceGators will face the Hampton Roads Admirals at Scope tonight after receiving a large dose of national publicity.
The IceGators will be featured on ``CBS This Morning'' between 7 and 9 today (WTKR in Hampton Roads). They will close the show by singing ``Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,'' the show's theme song.
Why is there so much fuss over the IceGators? Because the Louisiana franchise is one of minor league hockey's biggest success stories. Though the IceGators operate in one of the league's smallest markets, Lafayette, La. (metropolitan area population of 350,000), they lead the league with an average of 9,568 spectators per game.
The IceGators sold out their first game in the 11,026-seat Cajundome, and sellouts are now commonplace on weekends.
``What they have accomplished has exceeded any of our expectations,'' ECHL president Rick Adams said.
Indeed, they have exceeded the expectations of a large number of league owners who voted against the Louisiana expansion application. Many thought the market was too small.
Admirals president Blake Cullen led the debate for the IceGators and carried the day by a handful of votes.
PASCUCCI GONE: The talent drain continued for the Admirals on Tuesday when defenseman Ron Pascucci was called up by the AHL's Portland Pirates.
It was the second key defensive loss in eight days for the Admirals. Chris Phelps was felled for four to six weeks last Tuesday after breaking his jaw in two places. Pascucci was an ECHL All-Star last season. Phelps has been an All-Star the last two seasons.
Pascucci's call-up continued what has been a long series of personnel losses. Trevor Halverson, the team's best player, was lost last month to Las Vegas of the IHL. Serge Aubin, the team's leading scorer in Halverson's absence, is out with an elbow injury and won't play this week at least.
``We don't seem to catch a break,'' forward Rick Kowalsky said. ``As soon as adjust to having lost some guys, we lose some more.''
Bob Woods has been moved from forward to defense to replace Pascucci, and defenseman Rich Bronilla, who has played sparingly, will see more ice time.
The Admirals are fortunate in that defenseman Claude Fillion recently returned after missing two months with a knee injury. Sergei Voronov and Steve Richards are the other defensemen.
Richards was expected to play center, but he played so well when moved to defense in January he was named the team's player of the month, an award he'll receive tonight.
BULLDOGS COMING: The Philadelphia Bulldogs Roller Hockey International team likely will play an exhibition game at Scope sponsored by the Admirals.
The Bulldogs are coached by Admirals assistant Al MacIsaac and have several players with Hampton Roads ties - goalie Mark Bernard and former Admirals Kent Hawley and Jim Brown.
Cullen has offered the Bulldogs June 6, when Philadelphia is scheduled to play New Jersey in a exhibition, as a prospective date.
MacIsaac leaves Thursday for Boca Raton, Fla., for the roller hockey draft. He will miss Friday's game with Roanoke and will meet the team in Nashville on Saturday.
AROUND THE ECHL: League officials will hold a conference call next week and likely will award expansion franchises or approve franchise moves to Pensacola, Fla., Biloxi, Miss., and Baton Rouge, La. Officials are mum on rumors that the Erie Panthers will move to Baton Rouge. Biloxi and Pensacola will receive expansion franchises. The 21-team league previously approved expansion franchises in Greenville, S.C., and Trenton, N.J. Those cities aren't expected to come into the ECHL until 1997-98. . . . The rights to Phil Berger, the former Greensboro Monarch who was perhaps the most unpopular visiting player ever to come to Scope, have been purchased from Louisville by Louisiana. However, the IceGators say they will deal Berger to another team, probably Charlotte. Berger became available after being fired as head coach at West Palm Beach of the Southern Hockey League. Said Admirals coach John Brophy: ``I guess Berger's a better right winger than he was a coach.'' . . . Phil Roberto was fired Tuesday as coach of the Birmingham Bulls. Player/assistant coach Jerome Bachard has been named interim coach. by CNB