THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 9, 1994 TAG: 9411090512
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Trevor Halverson is back with the Hampton Roads Admirals.
Halverson, the Admirals' leading scorer when called up last week by Portland of the AHL, returned to Norfolk on Monday night after playing three games for the Pirates.
He skated full shifts in two games, failed to score and had four penalty minutes for Portland, the AHL's only unbeaten team.
``They've got a great team,'' Halverson said. ``They're playing great, and they're selling out.
``I played really well. I went up and did my job . . . but they had some players come back who had been injured.
``When you get to this level, you're a professional. I didn't have a clue how long I would be there. I got a phone call (Monday), and they told me I was coming back here. I'll go back up there, and soon.''
Meanwhile, the Admirals are glad to have him. The Admirals were 1-2 while he was gone, losing at Charlotte and Richmond after beating Charlotte at Scope.
``Halverson being back isn't good for him, but it's good for us,'' Admirals coach John Brophy said. ``He did a good job in Portland, and he's going to help our team a lot.''
Halverson said the Admirals will get his best effort.
``Obviously, I want to go back up,'' he said.
``I'm just going to do everything it takes to make myself a better hockey player, whatever it takes to go right to the top.''
OTHER PLAYER MOVES: Dennis McEwen, the team captain who has been on 14-day injured reserve, and Colin Gregor, who has been ineligible, will play Friday, when the Admirals host Greensboro, and Saturday, when Hampton Roads travels to Greensboro.
That gives the Admirals 20 players, three over their usual complement.
But Brian Goudie's back injury has been slow to heal, and he may not play this weekend. The defenseman skated some Tuesday and appeared to be in pain.
Defenseman Jason MacIntyre also is hobbling and might not play this weekend. Either MacIntyre or Goudie could replace McEwen on the injured-reserve list.
Brophy says he's toying with the idea of carrying 18 players. The Admirals have rarely done so and would have problems staying under the league salary cap if they did it this week.
But, said Brophy: ``We can't afford to give away players this time of year. Everyone else keeps 18 players. We have to look at it (keeping 18) pretty solidly.''
Saturday's game in Greensboro will be televised regionally by Home Team Sports.
MORE PRACTICE: The Admirals hit the ice at 7:30 Monday morning for two hours, then worked out in a local gymnasium in the afternoon. The Admirals skated again Tuesday morning and will pratice at 9 a.m. today.
Though that sounds like a grueling schedule after a grueling five games in six days last week, Brophy says physical conditioning is not the reason Hampton Roads is 5-5-1, its worst record ever after 11 games.
``Conditioning isn't our problem at all, I don't think. But you can never be too conditioned,'' he said. ``Our problem is not playing well behind the blue line in our own end and defensively through the center ice.
``We had lots of hustle in Richmond (on Sunday) until we broke down all over the place. We had bad penalties again. To start off the third period with a power play when the score is 3-3 in their building is not the way to play hockey.''
Richmond scored on consecutive power plays in the third period to break the game open.
As for the loss in Charlotte, which followed a victory over the Checkers in Norfolk, he said: ``The Charlotte game, I guess you can forget that. I guess we won the Stanley Cup the night before.''
Losing Halverson and Goudie last week hurt, he said.
``It only takes one key player or two key players to hurt your team,'' he said. ``You've got Halverson out and Goudie out . . . and other teams become a lot braver.
``But we've got to start winning a few games. If we can't beat the teams in our own division, how are we going to finish on top.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Trevor Halverson says he hopes to play his way back to Portland of
the AHL.
by CNB