THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 14, 1994 TAG: 9410140707
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 102 lines
Like the 15 other rookies who played their first game for the Hampton Roads Admirals on Thursday, Tony Delcarmine wondered if it would be his last.
It'll be one exhibition game and you're gone for most of the newcomers, as the Admirals will cut their 29-man roster to 20 today.
But probably not for Delcarmine. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound center from Dartmouth College scored two goals to help lead Hampton Roads past Johnstown, 4-3, in the Admirals' exhibition opener.
Coach John Brophy used only a sprinkling of returning players, and they played well. Brendan Curley had a pair of assists and probably should have been credited with a third. Dennis McEwen tallied the game-winner in the second period.
Goaltender Shamus Gregga shook off a shaky first period, in which he surrendered three goals, to shut out the Chiefs in the final two periods.
But this was a night for rookies to make their mark, and to sweat.
``I think it was tough on all of the new guys,'' Delcarmine said. ``There's so much talent on this team, so many good players, and there was a lot of pressure on all of us to play well tonight. I was just lucky that two goals went my way.''
Brophy said he was pleased with the team's effort and acknowledged that making cuts won't be easy.
``I thought the guys who should play well did play well,'' he said.
Especially Delcarmine and right wing Bill Lang, a rookie who played junior hockey last season for North Bay, Ontario. Lang had a goal and an assist.
``He's smart, and a good hockey player,'' Brophy said.
Brophy also liked the effort of defenseman Chris Phelps, another junior player from Ontario.
But he appeared most pleased with Gregga, a returning player who is in competition with rookie Patrick LaLime, who will play tonight when the Admirals host Wheeling in their second and final home exhibition.
``It was good to see (Gregga play well) because he hasn't played well in practice,'' Brophy said. ``A lot of goaltenders don't play well in practice but do play well in games.''
Gregga said Brophy, not one to show patience when his team is trailing, gave the Admirals a quiet pep talk at the end of the first period.
``He just told us to go out and have a good second and third period,'' Gregga said. ``If this was a regular-season game, he would have been snapping. But he knew this was a learning experience for a lot of the guys.''
Especially the newcomers.
``The game is here so much faster than the college game,'' Delcarmine said. ``Once we got the jitters out and got used to it, we were fine.
``There will be some good players released tomorrow. But I don't think it was do or die for any of us. Everyone in the locker room will be playing somewhere. They've got too much talent not to be playing somewhere.''
NOTES: The Admirals were spared having to make one cut by the departure of Greg Pineo. The right wing, who played junior hockey in Halifax, Nova Scotia, last season, left the team for personal reasons. . . . The first 1,500 schoolchildren at Scope tonight will receive an Admirals book cover. A crowd of about 5,000 is expected. . . . The Admirals travel to Johnstown, Pa., on Saturday and Wheeling, W.Va., on Sunday for their final two exhibitions. They open the regular season Tuesday at Roanoke.
Johnstown 3 0 0 - 3
Hampton Roads 2 2 0 - 4
First period-1, Johnstown, Florio 1 (Sawyer, Jennings) pp, 5:53; 2, Johnstown, G. Christian 1 (Froese, Yingst), 9:36; 3, Johnstown, Yingst 1 (Coles, Christian) pp, 15:54; 4, Hampton Roads, Delcarmine 1 (Martin, Anderson), 17:36; 5, Hampton Roads, Delcarmine 1 (Haviland, Curley), 19:51. Penalties-Eagan, HR (holding), 5:15; Sorensen, HR (cross-checking), 13:51; Phelps, HR major (fighting), 14:36; B. Christian, J major (fighting), 14:36; Sorensen, HR major (fighting), 17:39; G. Christian, J major (fighting), 17:39; Quinn, J major (fighting), 17:42; Laitre, HR major (fighting), 17:42.
Second period-6, Hampton Roads, Lang 1 (Curley, Menicci), :26; 7, Hampton Roads, McEwen 1 (Curley, Lang), 3:27. Penalties-Laitre, HR major-10-minute misconduct (fighting), 5:48; Purdie, J major (fighting), 5:48; Coles, J double-minor (roughing), 8:28; Perry, HR (roughing), 8:28; Lamison, J (roughing), 11:52; Sawyer, J (slashing), 16:39; Quinn, J double-minor (roughing), 17:01; Anderson, HR (roughing), 17:01.
Third period-No scoring. Penalties-Laitre, HR major-game misconduct (fighting), 11:17; B. Christian, J major (fighting), 11:17; Foley, HR (holding), 13:48.
Shots on goal-Johnstown 17-5-9-31; Hampton Roads 8-14-12-34. Power-play opportunities-Johnstown 2-of-3; Hampton Roads 0-of-4. Goaltending-Johnstown, Michaels 34 shots-30 saves; Hampton Roads, Gregga 31-28. Officials-Sheiry (referee), Kierst, Brass. T-2:33. A-4,139. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
BILL TIERNAN/Staff
Above, Johnstown's Gord Christian and the Admirals' Kelly Sorenson
were excused from first-period action after this confrontation in
Hampton Roads' preseason opener.
At right, Mark MacLean of the Admirals vies with Johnstown's Perry
Florio and Matt Yingst for control near the Chiefs' net.
Color photo
BILL TIERNAN/Staff
The Admirals' Steve Anderson, right, helps sandwich Johnstown's Gord
Christian in first-period play.
by CNB