Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 21, 1990 TAG: 9003212355
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C. LENGTH: Long
John Blessman's 40-foot slap shot broke a tie and goaltender Wade Flaherty made the lead stand as the Greensboro Monarchs beat the Lancers 3-1 Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five, first-round East Coast Hockey League playoff series.
Greensboro, 1-7 against Virginia in the regular season, can send the Lancers packing with a victory in Game 4 tonight at the Greensboro Coliseum.
"It's do-or-die time now," disheartened Virginia coach Dave Allison said.
"I'm sure those guys in the locker room know the situation. I just can't believe we're in this position. We're supposed to beat this team."
Blessman, the Monarchs' hit-man defenseman, does not score many game-winning goals. And Flaherty, subbing for No. 1 Monarchs goalie Nick Vitucci, is not supposed to be another Ken Dryden.
"It's incredible," Allison said. "Greensboro absolutely can do no wrong."
The same can't be said for Virginia. Despite forcing the issue for much of night, the Lancers kept running into a wall named Flaherty.
"[Flaherty] just stoned us," Allison said. "The guy just stood there all night long and stopped everything we threw at him. Unbelievable!
"They didn't outplay us, they didn't deserve to beat us, but they did. I don't know what it is. They're not as good as we are.
"We're putting up a fight, but right now I don't know if our guys want it as much as they do.
"We had a bunch of quality shots, but we're not burying them."
The only thing the Lancers are burying are themselves, and the chance to play a deciding Game 5 Friday in Vinton is getting slimmer.
"[Virginia] is the last place we want to go," said a grinning Flaherty, who swatted aside 36 of 37 Lancers shots.
Greensboro coach Jeff Brubaker will second that motion. Still incensed by the Game 2 melee in Vinton that resulted in four players being suspended and both coaches being fined, Brubaker said he wants no part of the LancerLot or the Lancers' fans.
"We plan to win this thing here in two games," he said. "There will not be a fifth game. We won't go up there again.
"Those fans are worse than English soccer fans. I won't put my players' lives in jeopardy. We'll seek a neutral site, somewhere far enough away so that their fans can drive to it in their tractors."
Brubaker smiled when asked if it was time for the Virginia faithful to crank up their John Deeres.
"We're confident, but not cocky that this thing will be over tomorrow [tonight]," he said. "Nope, we're not too fired up about going back up there again."
After a couple of bruising contests, the teams came out early as if they'd never seen each other. There was none of the vicious contact that rattled the LancerLot boards.
Both clubs wasted a couple of early scoring chances in a slow-moving first period, but the Lancers broke on top 1-0 with their second short-handed goal of the series.
Defenseman Al Leggett, on the roster because of Steve Herniman's one-game suspension, collected the goal when he stuffed in a rebound on a breakaway orchestrated by forward Chris Lindberg.
But despite controlling play for most of the period, the Lancers gained no edge. After Virginia failed to clear the puck out of its end, Greensboro got even at 17:10 when Chris Laganas rifled a waist-high, 25-foot wrist shot past Lancers goalie Dean Cook.
In the second period, Virginia had a couple of great chances early, but each time Flaherty stopped them.
Failing to score on a 5-on-3 power play appeared to frustrate the Lancers. Flaherty, who shut out the Lancers 5-0 on Dec. 17 in Greensboro's only regular-season triumph against Virginia, turned aside golden scoring chances by Dan Richards and Luke Vitale on the Lancers' advantage.
Spurred by the stop, the Monarchs started camping out in the Lancers' end. Cook, making his first start in the series, held the fort until Blessman buried his head and ripped a 35-foot howitzer past Cook on a power play with 2:44 left in the period.
It was Blessman's first goal of the season.
"I'm not paid to score," the hulking defenseman conceded.
In a frantic effort to get back, the Lancers spent most of the third period in the Greensboro end. Virginia outshot Greensboro 12-5 in the period, but still gained nothing.
"I don't think their goaltenders can keep this up," Allison said. "At least I hope not."
Chris Laganas' second goal of the night, an empty-netter with 12 seconds to play, provided the final margin.\ Virginia 100-1 Greensboro 111-3
First period-1, Virginia, Leggett 1 (Lindberg), 8:21 (sh). 2, Greensboro, Laganas 2 (Major, Thompson), 17:10. Penalties-Fuster, Va (high-sticking), 7:00; Drevitch, Va double minor (roughing), 7:00; McCormick, Gr double minor (roughing), 7:00; Lawrence, Gr major (misconduct), 7:00; Major, Gr (hooking), 13:00; Neish, Va (roughing), 19:32; Brown, Gr (roughing), 19:32.
Second period-3, Greensboro, Blessman 1 (McCormick, Thompson), 17:16 (pp). Penalties-Sullivan, Gr (high-sticking), 2:25; Lawrence, Gr (holding), 2:37; Hobson, Va (tripping), 8:14; Berger, Gr (slashing), 13:41; Drevitch, Va (roughing), 16:03; Hobson, Va (roughing), 18:46; Laganas, Gr (roughing), 18:46.
Third period-4, Greensboro, Laganas 3, 19:48. Penalties-Vitale, Va (roughing), 3:30; Jones, Va (roughing), 3:30; Sullivan, Gr (roughing), 3:30; McKinley, Gr (roughing), 3:30; Leggett, Va (cross-checking), 7:05; Laganas, Gr (slashing), 7:05; Berger, Gr (roughing), 9:27; Jones, Va (interference), 18:47; Blessman, Gr (cross-checking), 18:47.
Shots on goal-Virginia 13-12-12-37. Greensboro 10-16-5-31.
Goalies-Virginia, Cook (31 shots-29 saves). Greensboro, Flaherty (37-36).
Power-play opportunities-Virginia 0-of-5. Greensboro 1-of-3.
A-2,807.
by CNB