Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 19, 1992 TAG: 9201190173
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
REBELS BOUNCE BACK 4-2
If the Roanoke Valley Rebels were a band of fugitives, the authorities might not ever track them down. Simply put, nobody can change disguises as quickly as this bunch.Twenty-four hours removed from a lopsided loss in Hampton Roads that had coach Roy Sommer seething, the Rebels rebounded with a vengeance Saturday night, whipping the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds 4-2 at the Vinton LancerLot.
The crowd of 2,955 - the largest to show for a hockey game in Vinton since April 1987 - had to leave wondering how this East Coast Hockey League team had lost 10 of its previous 11 games before Saturday night.
"We were a completely different team tonight from the one that played [Friday] in Hampton," Sommer said. "The difference is incredible.
"We gave up last night in Hampton. So we had a big meeting Saturday afternoon and got some things taken care of. I asked each player what they thought the difference was when we are winning and when we are losing.
"[Defenseman] Terry Virtue stood up and said he thought everybody was intimidated. That rung a bell with everyone. So we decided if we're going to play hockey, we're going to have play grind-it-out because we don't have as much talent as some of the other teams do."
The Rebels ground the Thunderbirds right into the LancerLot's ice surface. Defenseman Frank "The Animal" Bialowas started by pummeling Thunderbirds forward Darren Schwartz at center ice four seconds after the opening faceoff.
That set the tone for a night in which the clubs collaborated for five fights and 134 total penalty minutes.
The physical game and a new system designed to slow the other teams to their pace worked wonders for the Rebels.
"Winston has a lot of skill, but we slowed them down and never let 'em get rolling," Sommer said. "Hey, that's the way we've got to play from here on in."
Defensively, it was unarguably one of the Rebels' best games of the season. Getting plenty of help in front of the net for a change, goaltender Mike James swatted away 35 of 37 shots.
"Jamesey is playing really well," Sommer said. "He was really big in the first 10 minutes when the game was sort of helter-skelter. It's good to see the guys give him some help."
The offensive help was provided by a large cast. Graham Garden, Ken Moran, Mark Woolf and Brian Bellefeuille scored. Brett Stewart had three assists and Wayne Muir two.
"We've had some tough times, with the losing streak and all," said Garden, whose first-period goal got the Rebels started. "We sat in this room today and talked about things. We told ourselves we've got to stop fighting each other and pull together. Then, we go out and play great."
Now, if only the Rebels can keep Saturday's disguise intact for the rest of the season.
"Remember," Sommer cautioned, "tonight was just one game. But I liked what I saw. This was nice. Real nice."
\ ICE CHIPS: Rebels center Peter Kasowski was released from Lewis-Gale hospital Saturday. Kasowski, who was hospitalized after taking a puck in the throat in Tuesday's game in Raleigh, N.C., has a fractured larynx, Dr. George Whortley, the team physician, said. Kasowski, who can only whisper, could be out for three weeks if he doesn't require surgery, Whortley said. Kasowski will have his throat examined this week at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. . . . The crowd figure eclipsed the season's previous high of 2,902 on Nov. 2, 1991, against Greensboro. . . . Penalty-killing played a major part in the victory. The Rebels killed off all six Thunderbirds power-play opportunities. . . . The Rebels conclude the busy week today at 6 p.m. in Greensboro, N.C., where they face the Eastern Division-leading Monarchs. \
see microfilm for box score