THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 30, 1996 TAG: 9603300456
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Outhustled, outskated and outclassed Friday at the Richmond Coliseum, the Hampton Roads Admirals return to Scope tonight one loss short of elimination from the Riley Cup playoffs.
The Richmond Renegades demolished the Admirals 10-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. The Admirals must win tonight and Tuesday at Scope, then again Thursday in Richmond, to avoid being knocked out of the first round of the playoffs for the third year in a row.
But given the licking put on the Admirals on Friday, a three-game sweep looks chancy at best. It was the Admirals' worst playoff loss ever. Only twice in the franchise's seven years have the Admirals suffered more lopsided losses.
``We're going to need a big lift to come back from this one,'' forward Rod Taylor said.
Richmond, which eked out a 6-5 victory over Hampton Roads on Wednesday, looked every bit the team that won the ECHL title last season and was the ECHL's best team again during this regular season. The quicker, smaller Renegades appeared a half-step faster than the Admirals at every turn.
``They were flying at us,'' Hampton Roads defenseman Bob Woods said. ``It was a nightmare. It was like a stampede when they skated in there. Then they shot it at the net and swarmed all over us.''
Assistant coach Al MacIsaac, subbing for suspended head coach John Brophy, said the Renegades played well, but noted that the Admirals were their own worst enemies.
``Richmond looked like the Edmonton Oilers of the '80s,'' he said. ``We looked like an expansion team.
``We were terrible. I'd better start looking for a day job if I can't get my team motivated for a playoff game.''
The Admirals took a short-lived 1-0 lead thanks to a lucky bounce. Skating at center ice, Sean Selmser dumped the puck into the Richmond end and headed to the Admirals' bench for a line change. He didn't see the puck hit 5 feet in front of the net and bounce over the shoulder of Richmond goalie Grant Sjerven at 17:36.
``My heart sank when the puck went in,'' Richmond coach Roy Sommer said. ``We've just missed one (off the crossbar). I was starting to wonder whether this just wasn't our night.''
Richmond dominated the rest of the game.
Andrew Shier scored his fourth goal of the series when he picked up a rebound 3 feet in front of the net and wristed it in at 6:17.
Fifty seconds later, Admirals goalie Darryl Paquette blocked a Scott Gruhl shot, then watched it dribble past his outstretched arms and into the net.
Jay Taylor skated past Rod Taylor and Claude Fillion, then wristed one into the net at 12:46 to make it 3-1. Paquette then blocked another shot two minutes later, only to kick it into the net accidentally.
Admirals forward Dany Bousquet made it 4-2 on a breakaway at 15:20. But Richmond again extended the lead to three at 19:36 on a goal by Dmitri Pankov.
The Renegades poured it on in the first seven minutes of the second period, with Jay Murphy, Todd Sparks and Shier all scoring from close in to make it 8-2 and put the game out of reach.
The Admirals were outshot 32-17 in the first two periods, not managing a shot on goal in the first eight minutes of the second.
``Basically, no one showed up,'' Paquette said. ``There's no excuse for what happened tonight. It was just dreadful.''
Can the Admirals regroup and win tonight?
``A lot of teams have come back after being down 0-2,'' Woods said. ``We just have to put this one behind us and win tomorrow.''
Added MacIsaac: ``John Brophy takes over tomorrow. He'll find a way to win.'' ILLUSTRATION: RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Hampton Roads' Sean Selmser, left, and Richmond's Scott Gruhl joust
near the boards. On the scoreboard, it was no contest.
by CNB