THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9410300171
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
This time, there was no shootout. Only a blowout.
Scott Gruhl, the player/coach who tallied the winning goal in Richmond's shootout victory over Hampton Roads in Norfolk on Friday, made the Admirals pay again Saturday. The 35-year-old former International Hockey League star had two goals and an assist in Richmond's 5-2 win at the Richmond Coliseum.
The victory moved Richmond, first in the East Division, to 5-0, the best start in franchise history. Hampton Roads, the defending division champion, fell to 2-3-1.
Admirals coach John Brophy had chastised the Admirals for a ``lack of effort'' following Friday's loss.
Saturday, it wasn't a lack of effort so much as a lack of manpower that hurt Hampton Roads.
The Admirals were without team captain Dennis McEwen and forward John Porco, both out with injuries suffered Friday. Colin Gregor, a forward who reported to Norfolk on Friday, had been expected to play but was ruled ineligible until Nov. 10 by the league.
Two more players, Rick Kowalsky and Bill Lang, were assessed game misconducts and thus were automatically ejected.
With Brian Goudie benched most of the second period and all of the third by Brophy for disciplinary reasons, the Admirals were down to 13 players by game's end.
Brophy said the Admirals played hard, if not well.
``I thought we played a lot better,'' he said. ``We had a lot of shots that just didn't go in. The effort was better. Richmond played well and they're on a run now. But the fact that we lost this game will not be remembered in March.''
As in Friday's loss to Richmond, the Renegades took a 3-1 first-period lead.
Right wing Jay Murphy brought the puck across two lines and passed to Steve Bogoyevac in front of the net. Bogoyevac simply flipped the puck past goaltender Patrick LaLime on the run at 3:35.
Gruhl scored a power-play goal with Richmond carrying a two-man advantage at 9:02 to make it 2-0.
The Admirals scored at 6:55 when Ron Pascucci slapped the puck toward the goal on the power play. Matt Mallgrave tipped the puck past goaltender Grant Sjerven to make it 2-1.
The Admirals would have two more power-play chances that period, but it was Richmond that scored on the second power play. Again, the Renegades beat the Admirals down the ice, with Shane Henry passing to Andrew Shier for the shorthanded goal at 1:15.
Gruhl made it 4-1 at 15:13 of the second period with a lefthanded shot on a breakaway over LaLime's right shoulder.
Defenseman Chad Seibel put the game out of reach with a goal at 9:28 of the third period, after which the game degenerated into fisticuffs. There were four fights in the final five minutes. Shawn Snesar, a former Admiral, Seibel, Garrett MacDonald and Blaine Moore all got tossed for Richmond.
The teams combined for 214 penalty minutes.
The Admirals scored their final goal at 19:44, on Mallgrave's second goal of the game, his fifth of the season. By then, the Admirals were down to four defensemen.
Goudie said he was benched for admitting the truth - that he wasn't playing hard.
``He asked me if I was playing as hard as I could and I told him no,'' Goudie said. ``You're ------ if you tell the truth and ------ if you lie in that situation. You can't be playing as hard as you can when you're down 3-1. That's just his (Brophy's) way. It's the way he coaches.''
Brophy's way of coaching will include lots of practice until the Admirals begin winning. They'll practice today and twice Monday.
``That's what you do when you're losing,'' he said. ``You practice.'' by CNB