Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 22, 1992 TAG: 9203220239
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ Anybody got a tractor? Coach Jeff Brubaker and the Greensboro Monarchs may need one now.
Brubaker, who two years ago said the raucous valley hockey fans "must all drive tractors," may be searching for some heavy equipment to help pull his heavily favored Monarchs out of a deep hole being dug by the underdog Roanoke Valley Rebels.
In front of a boisterous crowd of 2,428 fans Saturday night at the Vinton LancerLot, the upstart Rebels chucked some more dirt on the startled Monarchs, winning Game 2 of the teams' first-round ECHL playoff series, 3-1.
The victory gave the Rebels a shocking 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The series now shifts to the Greensboro Coliseum for the next three games. Game 3 will be played Tuesday.
The series is hardly over, but a Rebel club that won only 21 of 64 regular-season games suddenly thinks it has a chance to whip a Greensboro team that posted the second-best record in the 15-team league.
Friday's 4-1 win in Game 1 gave the Rebels a small dose of confidence. Saturday's triumph gave them a big shot of belief. The victory ensured the series will return to Vinton for a Game 6 next Saturday.
"The breaks seem to be going our way," Rebel forward Wayne Muir said. "After tonight, I started thinking this was some kind of big dream. If [Rebels goalie] Mike James can keep stopping the puck like he did tonight as we keep playing our position well defensively, who knows? But I think we can pull this off."
James' well-used glove took care of most of the dirty work Saturday. He stopped 43 of 44 Greensboro shots.
"James was the only story tonight," Brubaker said.
"The guy got everything we threw at him. Yes, I'm concerned. We come on the road and give up six goals in two games. And we had enough chances to get six or eight goals [Friday] and eight or 10 tonight.
"But the tide will turn. They've still got to win a game in Greensboro sometime. When the tide turns, and it will turn, we'll be all right."
The Rebels, in their current mode, are better than all right. For the second straight game, they played smart, patient hockey, waiting for the breaks to come their way. And when they did, the Rebels capitalized.
"Being up 2-0 at this point is all I could have hoped for," Rebel coach Roy Sommer said. "It's still a long way home from here. But let me tell you, these guys have some heart. We're operating on heart and emotion."
So far, heart and emotion have worked. And while the Rebels are gaining confidence, the Monarchs are beginning to show signs of frustration.
Greensboro's Phil Berger, who has failed to score a point in the first two games after racking up a league-high 130 points in the regular season, wouldn't comment after the game.
The Monarchs were shut up in Vinton, scoring two goals in 48 hours.
"I'm sure Berger is a little frustrated," Muir said. "With all that offensive firepower, they have two goals in two games. My job is to go with him everywhere he goes. So far, it has worked.
"But, truthfully, Greensboro doesn't appear to be the same team that beat us seven of eight games in the regular season."
The underdog Rebels jumped on top 1-0 at the 9:03 mark of the first period when right wing Mark Woolf whizzed a 20-foot slap shot over the shoulder of Monarchs goalie Nick Vitucci.
After Greensboro tied the score on defenseman Eric DuBois' long power-play shot 3:48 into the second period, the Rebs regained the lead 1:41 later on Corey Lyons' power-play score.
Roanoke Valley had numerous chances to stretch the lead late in the second period - Brett Stewart rung the right pipe with two power-play slappers - but couldn't do it.
Greensboro dominated the flow in the third period, outshooting the hosts 19-8, but James had a stopper every time. The Rebs killed off Greensboro's final five power-play opportunities and iced it when Woolf fired in a 180-foot empty-net goal with 21 seconds to play.
"To realistically have a chance, though, we had to win tonight," said Woolf, who has three of the Rebs' six playoff goals. "I'm sure Brubaker will have the team going in Greensboro."
\ ICE CHIPS: The Monarchs owned the league's best power play during the regular season (28.11 percent) but are 1-for-14 in the first two games. . . . Four of the Rebs' six goals have come via the power play. They have had 14 opportunities. . . . Greensboro outshot Roanoke Valley 44-31. . . . Roanoke Valley was 0-4 this season in Greensboro. . . . Rebels officials were puzzled by Friday's sparse turnout of 1,693. But that wasn't as bad as in Winston-Salem, where the Thunderbirds' Friday crowd didn't even require a comma. The T-Birds drew 994 fans for their series opener with Richmond. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB