THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 19, 1994 TAG: 9412190170
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: GREENSBORO LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
The juice in the Hampton Roads power play operated in reverse Sunday and jolted the Admirals' hopes of a weekend sweep of their ECHL brethren from North Carolina.
The Admirals failed to score in five attempts with a man advantage, gave up two short-handed goals and fell to the Greensboro Monarchs, 3-1, in their most lackluster performance in weeks.
Hampton Roads (13-11-3) entered the game with a 5-0-1 mark in its previous six games, including triumphs over Raleigh on Friday and Charlotte on Saturday. Its four-game winning streak was its longest of the season.
Greensboro (13-12-2) came in with a three-game losing streak - its worst of the season.
The contest was marred by a spinal injury suffered by Greensboro's Dwayne Gylywoychuk, who went down in the second period after being checked by Admirals forward Jason MacIntyre.
Gylywoychuk had no feeling below his neck, according to the Monarchs' team doctor, and the game was delayed for 12 minutes as a rescue crew immobilized his head and placed him on a stretcher.
Greensboro officials said he had regained some feeling in his feet and legs in the emergency room of a local hospital late Sunday.
The injury appeared to energize the Monarchs and a crowd generously estimated at 4,020 that booed MacIntyre through much of the delay.
As Gylywoychuk was being wheeled off the ice, MacIntyre skated over to wish him luck. But as soon as he began to speak, Monarchs defenseman Chad Seibel bumped into him. Colin Foley followed by chasing after MacIntyre and had to be restrained by a linesman.
MacIntyre's check appeared routine and did not result in a penalty, Moreover, Gylywoychuk suffered a similar injury last season in junior hockey, when he was paralyzed from the neck down for six hours.
``There was no intent whatsoever to injure him,'' said MacIntyre, who appeared shaken by the incident.
After the incident, a closely contested game - it was tied, 1-1, when Gylywoychuk was injured - was dominated by Greensboro the rest of the way.
Phil Berger, an old nemesis of the Admirals, scored the game-winner at 15:06 of the third period with a short-handed goal that resulted from pure hustle.
Seibel wrested the puck from Admirals defenseman Brian Goudie, who was battling three Monarchs for control in the Greensboro zone, then skated into the Hampton Roads end and passed to Berger, whose shot hit the goalpost. Berger then wristed in the rebound over the shoulder of goalie Corwin Saurdiff.
The Admirals pulled Saurdiff at 18:23 and paid for it almost immediately, as Davis Payne intercepted a pass and put in an empty-net goal at 18:31.
With a two-goal lead, the way was clear for the Monarchs to seek revenge against MacIntyre. Seven seconds after Payne's goal, Jeremy Stevenson pushed MacIntyre to the ice from behind. Stevenson was penalized for fighting and instigating and was given a game misconduct, for which he was honored with a standing ovation.
The Admirals got no such ovation from Brophy, who while walking off the ice at game's end picked up a goal and flipped it in frustration.
``All I need to say is, two short-handed goals,'' Brophy said. ``That says it all.
``It's bad enough that we gave up short-handed shots, but we gave up three shots and four shots and five shots and had two guys back at center ice not even helping out.
``We deserved to lose this one.'' by CNB