THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 13, 1994 TAG: 9410130620
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
NHL rinks from New York to Los Angeles may be dark and empty, but hockey returns tonight to Scope.
The Hampton Roads Admirals host the Johnstown Chiefs at 7:35 in the first of two home exhibition games in two nights. Wheeling, which eliminated Hampton Roads from the playoffs last season, comes to Scope on Friday night.
Scope's new, $500,000 scoreboard system, including two end-zone scoreboards, will debut tonight. So will 17 Admirals rookies.
Coach John Brophy can dress 20 of the 31 players in training camp and will use just three returnees - left wings Brendan Curley and Dennis McEwen and goaltender Shamus Gregga - so he can get a good look at the newcomers.
He plans to cut about 10 players Friday morning.
``There are some kids who are on the fence,'' Brophy said. ``We've got to find out about two defensemen, and we've certainly got to find out about one center. The games usually tell you that.''
Rookies who have stood out so far include defensemen Joe Eagan, Chris Phelps, Tom Menicci and Anthony MacAulay, left wing Martin Laitre, right wing Bill Lang and center Sean Perry. All will play tonight.
Other rookies who will play include left wing Michael Horner, centers Blake Martin and Dan Menard, right wings Greg Pineo, Tony Delcarmine, Steve Anderson and Mark MacLean, and defensemen Kyle Haviland and Rod Foley.
Goaltender Patrick Lalime, who has impressed Brophy, will dress but might not play until Friday.
On Saturday, the Admirals travel to Johnstown, Pa., and Sunday to Wheeling, W.Va., for exhibitions before busing to Roanoke for the regular-season opener on Tuesday.
NOTES: More than 4,000 tickets have been sold for tonight's game, but officials have no idea how many will be no-shows. Nearly 3,900 of those tickets were included in the season-ticket package. Friday's game with Wheeling is expected to draw a larger crowd. Tickets are $5. . . . The Admirals will wear blue jerseys at home tonight for the only time this season. Johnstown requested that the Admirals wear blue because the Chiefs' travel uniforms have not arrived from their supplier. . . . WTAR radio, AM-790, will broadcast all four exhibitions and the 68 regular-season games. The broadcast crew returns intact: Pete Michaud on play-by-play and Pat Shetler with color commentary. ILLUSTRATION: GAMEWATCH
HAMPTON ROADS vs. JOHNSTOWN
Site: Scope, 7:35 p.m.
Radio: WTAR AM-790 (7:04 p.m.).
Tickets: About 4,700 remained as of Wednesday (capacity 8,990).
Price: $5 (Phone: 640-1212).
About the Admirals: Hampton Roads will play 16 or 17 newcomers in
its first exhibition. Only three returnees - Dennis McEwen, Brendan
Curley and Shamus Gregga - will play. The rookies have shown plenty
of speed on the front line, so much that coach John Brophy says
he'll wind up cutting some talented players. The defense doesn't
appear quite as strong, and Brophy is looking for several defensemen
to step forward tonight.
About the Chiefs: Expect Johnstown to play most of its rookies,
too. If he plays, Bruce Coles, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound right wing,
will be the key player for the Admirals to stop. The fourth-year
veteran scored 43 points in 24 games last season. Johnstown returns
nine players from the team that finished fourth in the North
Division last season.
by CNB