THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 17, 1994 TAG: 9412170409
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
The red-hot Hampton Roads Admirals began a big weekend with a big victory Friday, besting the Raleigh IceCaps, 4-2, before a Scope crowd of 6,784, one of the smallest ever to see the Admirals at home on a Friday night.
Hampton Roads (12-10-3) is 4-0-1 in its last five games and has climbed out of last place in the East Division. However, the competition gets decidedly tougher the rest of the weekend.
Raleigh (10-14-3), winless in its last six games, is last in the East. The Admirals travel tonight to Charlotte (15-7-3), where they are 0-3 and were blown out in their last two starts. On Sunday they travel to Greensboro (12-10-2), where they are 1-1.
Admirals coach John Brophy says the team has turned things around with a simple formula.
``There's no secret to why this team is winning,'' he said. ``When they play hard, they win. They're playing hard and they're playing well.''
Especially goaltender Corwin Saurdiff and left wing Rod Taylor. Saurdiff turned in another sparkling game in goal - he had 26 saves and has a goals-against average of 2.50 in his last three starts. But he's also turning into an offensive force. He had two assists, a rarity for a goalie, and has three for the season.
Taylor, his early-season scoring drought now but a distant memory, scored two goals and had an assist. He has six goals and six assists in his last five games.
The Admirals dominated most of the game, outshooting the IceCaps, 38-20, through 50 minutes. Yet Raleigh trailed by just one goal with 1:40 left, when coach Rick Barkovich pulled goaltender Todd Hunter.
It was Hunter who kept the IceCaps in the game with a number of diving saves.
``The goaltender had a great game for them,'' Brophy said. ``We had some terrific shots, especially on the power play, that should have gone in. He just stopped them.''
He wasn't there to stop the final Admirals' goal. With Hunter gone, the IceCaps fired five shots at Saurdiff, who batted them all away.
After the fifth save, Saurdiff slapped the puck long to Taylor, who fired to Rick Kowalsky on the left wing. Kowalsky then netted the Admirals' fourth goal at 19:50 to clinch the victory.
Saurdiff picked up an assist just three minutes into the game in part by chance. Taylor was coming out of the penalty box at the end of a Raleigh power play and appeared headed toward the Admirals bench.
However, he quickly shifted gears when Saurdiff slapped the puck to him at center ice. Taylor then skated alone toward Hunter, made him commit by faking a slap shot and put in a short wrist shot.
Saurdiff broke an 0-12 streak, that began in Kansas City and carried over to Hampton Roads, with a 4-3 victory at Raleigh 11 days ago. He's gone 3-0 since.
Defenseman Brian Goudie, who played for the first time since being called up a month ago by Portland of the AHL, says Saurdiff is one of the biggest differences between the Admirals then and the Admirals now.
``The goaltender is good and that has helped this team a lot,'' he said. ``Goaltending is the biggest thing is this league and it's better now than it was.
``We're also playing better defense and that comes from hard work.
``I think a lot of the guys thought we'd win just because we had some talent. They didn't realize right away how hard they were going to have to work to win.
``Now they're working hard. They're starting to play together now.''
And winning again. ILLUSTRATION: Admirals heat up the ice
PAUL AIKEN/Staff
The Admirals' Brendan Curley, right, tries to block a shot by
Raleigh's Wade Bartley Friday night at Norfolk's Scope.
by CNB