THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 13, 1994 TAG: 9412130403
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
The resurgent Hampton Roads Admirals received an unexpected boost Monday when defenseman Brian Goudie and left wing Matt Mallgrave returned to Norfolk from the Portland Pirates of the AHL.
With 10 goals and seven assists in 18 games, Mallgrave was one of the Admirals' top scorers when he was called up last month. He was named the team's player of the month for October.
Goudie is considered one of the ECHL's top defensemen.
Both players are expected to be on the ice today for practice and will play Friday when Hampton Roads hosts Raleigh, Admirals spokeswoman Debbie DeVoe said.
Mallgrave had one assist in three games for the Pirates. Goudie had an assist and 35 penalty minutes in nine games. Both were returned because injured front-line players have rejoined the Pirates.
The Admirals must cut two players to make room for Goudie and Mallgrave, and the most likely option will be to cut a forward and a defenseman.
However, coach John Brophy may elect to cut two forwards. He has experimented with using defensemen Jason MacIntyre and Tom Menicci at forward, and one or both could switch positions this week. Both played forward briefly in Sunday's 7-3 victory at Richmond.
Mallgrave and Goudie will find circumstances much changed since they departed, when the Admirals were mired in their worst slump ever. The Admirals are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games and 3-0-1 in the last four.
RENEGADE SUSPENDED: Richmond Renegades defenseman Garrett MacDonald didn't play Saturday against Greensboro after being suspended for his part in a fight Friday in Norfolk.
MacDonald received an automatic suspension for coming off the bench during a fight between Admirals defenseman Ron MacInnis and Richmond defenseman Shawn Snesar, a former Admiral.
ECHL commissioner Pat Kelly elected not to punish Richmond coach Roy Sommer even though Sommer could have been suspended for two games for not controlling his bench. However, he fined the Renegades $250.
BAD BOYS: Brophy swore that his team wouldn't lead the ECHL in penalty minutes this season, and so far his players have kept his promise - but just barely.
The Admirals are second in the 18-team league with 1,033 minutes in 24 games, an average of 43 per game. Birmingham is first with an average of 44.3. Richmond is third at 42 and Greensboro fourth at 41.8.
Goudie set a team record with 306 minutes last season. With just a third of the season gone, that mark appears in jeopardy. Trevor Halverson has 120 minutes in 21 games and has received game misconducts in two of his last three outings. Kelly Sorensen has 111 minutes and MacIntyre, with a two-game suspension and a game misconduct under his belt in the last four games, has 110.
None are within striking distance of league-leader Trevor Senn, who has racked up 209 minutes for Greensboro and South Carolina.
QUICK STICKS: Greensboro's Bill Horn, one of the league's top goaltenders, has been called up by the San Diego Gulls of the IHL. Horn is third in the league with a 3.02 goals-against average. . . . Admirals forward Rod Taylor and Roanoke's Ilya Dubkov are tied for the lead league in game-winning goals with five apiece. . . . Though he has yet to score a goal, MacInnis has proven to be an adept passer. He has 10 assists in 10 games. . . . Admirals center John Porco is fifth in the league in scoring with 38 points. . . . Defenseman Ron Pascucci leads the Admirals in assists with 20. ILLUSTRATION: Brian Goudie, left, and Matt Mallgrave are back in the Admirals'
fold. Goudie is considered one of the ECHL's top defensemen;
Mallgrave, a left wing, had 17 points in 18 games before his
call-up.
by CNB