THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 27, 1994 TAG: 9410270630
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The ECHL's new scheduling policy, wherein teams rarely venture outside their division, has drawn uniformly negative fan reaction at Scope, according to the Hampton Roads Admirals front office.
``The fans don't like it,'' Admirals president Blake Cullen said.
Neither does Cullen.
``I voted against it,'' Cullen said. ``I tried to tell the owners in favor of it that as good as it sounded on paper, they'd hate it in reality.
``I've talked to a number of (owners) who voted for the change who are against it now. But it's too late for this season.''
The schedule has Hampton Roads playing its five East Division opponents - Greensboro, Raleigh, Charlotte, Richmond and Roanoke - in 56 of its 68 games.
In one two-week stretch in November the Admirals play Greensboro four times. By Jan. 1, the Monarchs and Admirals will have squared off eight times.
The players despise the new scheduling in part because it requires them to play their archrivals so many times.
``We hate it,'' Admirals forward Brendan Curley said.
``The games within the division are so intense. You get up so high for those games. It's going to be hard to get up that many times during the year.
``We developed a great rivalry with South Carolina last year. And because they're no longer in our division, we don't even go to their place this year. That's ridiculous.''
Hampton Roads doesn't play four teams - Tallahassee, Birmingham, Nashville and Toledo - and plays Knoxville only once at home.
Admirals coach John Brophy says he wants to play everyone in the league at least twice.
``You want to see all of the other teams,'' he said. ``The way it is, it's as if we're three separate leagues.''
KELLY RETURNS: Forward Kelly Sorensen, on injured reserve since the preseason, returns Friday when the Admirals host Richmond. He has been out with an injured hand.
Brophy will have to cut a player before adding Sorensen to the roster. He was undecided Wednesday who he would cut.
SELLOUT: The Admirals' home-opening victory over Raleigh last Friday drew the only sellout of the season so far in the ECHL. The Admirals drew 8,980. That's 10 less than Scope's rated capacity. The 10 seats were temporarily removed so that spotlights could be installed for the opening ceremonies. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/STAFF
The Admirals' Jason MacIntyre, left, and Greensboro's Eric Bellerose
chase a loose puck.
by CNB