THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 13, 1995 TAG: 9501130616
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 219 lines
John Brophy looked almost bored as his Hampton Roads Admirals skated themselves into complete exhaustion.
They had worked out briskly for more than two hours, skating and checking with gusto. Brophy then lined them up for skating sprints, and they sprinted Admirals dug deep ruts into the Scope ice.
``Come on Broph, we've got a game tomorrow,'' said one Admirals player, gasping and gulping down air.
Brophy did not respond - and on they sprinted. Finally, after nearly 90 minutes, he called off practice. Players fell to the ice from exhaustion. Some lost their lunch. All were physically and emotionally drained as they trudged into the locker room.
Veteran Trevor Halverson waited for the last player to enter before speaking. ``Guys,'' he began, ``now you know Broph. This is what happens when you lose here.
``You've got three choices. You can leave. You can lose and continue to work your bleeps off. Or you can win.''
The Admirals chose winning.
Since that practice - or The Practice, as it's known now - on the afternoon of Dec. 5, the Admirals have won 13 times in 15 games and carry a franchise-record eight-game winning streak into tonight's contest with Charlotte at Scope.
Hampton Roads was 8-10-2 and in last place in the East Division before that agonizing December day. Now they're 21-11-3. If Erie defeats first-place Richmond tonight, and if the Admirals beat the Checkers, Hampton Roads would have a share of first place.
Center John Porco, the team's leading scorer, said The Practice sent a clear message.
``He's a winner and he hates to lose and it rubs off,'' Porco said of Brophy. ``It took a little while, but it finally rubbed off on us.
``None of us like to lose, but he really hates to lose. We knew the only options were to win or leave.''
What did the players do to begin winning? Most say it came down to a couple of cliches: They worked harder and began playing as a team.
``It wasn't anything dramatic,'' defenseman Chris Phelps said. ``It finally came to a point where everyone realized (Brophy's) system does work, that if we stick to it, we'll win.
``One of our problems early was that we had so many people coming from different backgrounds, from different systems. Everyone was working hard, but now we're working hard and smart.''
Brophy's system emphasizes defense. Hold the other team to less than 30 shots by putting a body on every opponent down the ice. Be aggressive and stick up for teammates, especially your top scorers, even if it means throwing off the gloves and landing some punches.
The team's penalty minutes have risen as the team has turned things around - the Admirals lead the ECHL in penalty time - but with a penalty-killing special team rated third in the league, that hasn't mattered much.
``Let's be honest,'' Brophy said. ``We had a good team when the season began, but the players thought they could do it without moving their feet. Nobody was checking, we weren't taking people out. We weren't doing all of the stuff it takes to win games. Now we're doing all the stuff it takes to win games, and it feels good. To the players, the coaches, the fans, everyone.''
Defense and goaltending have played a major role in the Admirals' turnaround. After a rough start, Corwin Saurdiff and Patrick LaLime rank among the league's top 15 goalies.
The defense was bolstered by two additions - veteran Rob MacInnis, who signed in November, and Brian Goudie, optioned back from the Portland Pirates in early December.
``Other teams were getting weak goals against us, and it wasn't always because of the goaltenders,'' Brophy said. ``Often it was because a defenseman or a forward wasn't checking.
``Having Goudie and MacInnis has helped. The puck's not in our end as much.
``The goaltenders have been a big, big factor. When a goaltender comes up with a few big saves, players start working harder.''
Another key ingredient was a scoring explosion from three forwards who started slowly - Jim Brown, Rick Kowalsky and Rod Taylor. In the last 15 games Taylor (12 goals, 13 assists), Brown (10 goals, five assists) and Kowalsky (12 goals, 10 assists) have combined for 62 points.
Brophy says there's been one more ingredient. ``Our team stretch has been a big help,'' he said.
Team stretch?
That's not a joke. It's a pregame ritual that the Admirals began at Brophy's insistence.
Before each game, the Admirals line up in a circle in the locker room with Kelly Sorensen in the center. Sorensen then leads them through about 15 minutes of calisthenics that end with him announcing the starting lineup.
Said Sorensen: ``Broph came up to me in Raleigh (on Dec. 6) and said, `We never come out ready to play. I want you to lead the guys in a team stretch before every game.' So we've done it ever since.''
The Admirals defeated Raleigh that night, 4-3, to begin their climb up the East Division.
The team stretch is an emotional experience for the players. They chant, clap, cheer and bang on lockers. It gets so loud that it can alarm people standing outside the locker room, such as ECHL commissioner Pat Kelly.
``What the heck is going on,'' Kelly said with a look of shock prior to a recent game at Scope. It took Admirals president Blake Cullen several minutes to explain.
``It's funny as hell to watch,'' Brophy said. ``It's hilarious sometimes. But it gets them ready to play. Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. All of our players are doing it.
``Kelly does it better than a drill sergeant.''
As does Brophy.
NORFOLK - John Brophy looked almost bored as his Hampton Roads Admirals skated themselves into complete exhaustion.
They had worked out briskly for more than two hours, skating and checking with gusto. Brophy then lined them up for skating sprints, and they sprinted Admirals dug deep ruts into the Scope ice.
``Come on Broph, we've got a game tomorrow,'' said one Admirals player, gasping and gulping down air.
Brophy did not respond - and on they sprinted. Finally, after nearly 90 minutes, he called off practice. Players fell to the ice from exhaustion. Some lost their lunch. All were physically and emotionally drained as they trudged into the locker room.
Veteran Trevor Halverson waited for the last player to enter before speaking. ``Guys,'' he began, ``now you know Broph. This is what happens when you lose here.
``You've got three choices. You can leave. You can lose and continue to work your bleeps off. Or you can win.''
The Admirals chose winning.
Since that practice - or The Practice, as it's known now - on the afternoon of Dec. 5, the Admirals have won 13 times in 15 games and carry a franchise-record eight-game winning streak into tonight's contest with Charlotte at Scope.
Hampton Roads was 8-10-2 and in last place in the East Division before that agonizing December day. Now they're 21-11-3. If Erie defeats first-place Richmond tonight, and if the Admirals beat the Checkers, Hampton Roads would have a share of first place.
Center John Porco, the team's leading scorer, said The Practice sent a clear message.
``He's a winner and he hates to lose and it rubs off,'' Porco said of Brophy. ``It took a little while, but it finally rubbed off on us.
``None of us like to lose, but he really hates to lose. We knew the only options were to win or leave.''
What did the players do to begin winning? Most say it came down to a couple of cliches: They worked harder and began playing as a team.
``It wasn't anything dramatic,'' defenseman Chris Phelps said. ``It finally came to a point where everyone realized (Brophy's) system does work, that if we stick to it, we'll win.
``One of our problems early was that we had so many people coming from different backgrounds, from different systems. Everyone was working hard, but now we're working hard and smart.''
Brophy's system emphasizes defense. Hold the other team to less than 30 shots by putting a body on every opponent down the ice. Be aggressive and stick up for teammates, especially your top scorers, even if it means throwing off the gloves and landing some punches.
The team's penalty minutes have risen as the team has turned things around - the Admirals lead the ECHL in penalty time - but with a penalty-killing special team rated third in the league, that hasn't mattered much.
``Let's be honest,'' Brophy said. ``We had a good team when the season began, but the players thought they could do it without moving their feet. Nobody was checking, we weren't taking people out. We weren't doing all of the stuff it takes to win games. Now we're doing all the stuff it takes to win games, and it feels good. To the players, the coaches, the fans, everyone.''
Defense and goaltending have played a major role in the Admirals' turnaround. After a rough start, Corwin Saurdiff and Patrick LaLime rank among the league's top 15 goalies.
The defense was bolstered by two additions - veteran Rob MacInnis, who signed in November, and Brian Goudie, optioned back from the Portland Pirates in early December.
``Other teams were getting weak goals against us, and it wasn't always because of the goaltenders,'' Brophy said. ``Often it was because a defenseman or a forward wasn't checking.
``Having Goudie and MacInnis has helped. The puck's not in our end as much.
``The goaltenders have been a big, big factor. When a goaltender comes up with a few big saves, players start working harder.''
Another key ingredient was a scoring explosion from three forwards who started slowly - Jim Brown, Rick Kowalsky and Rod Taylor. In the last 15 games Taylor (12 goals, 13 assists), Brown (10 goals, five assists) and Kowalsky (12 goals, 10 assists) have combined for 62 points.
Brophy says there's been one more ingredient. ``Our team stretch has been a big help,'' he said.
Team stretch?
That's not a joke. It's a pregame ritual that the Admirals began at Brophy's insistence.
Before each game, the Admirals line up in a circle in the locker room with Kelly Sorensen in the center. Sorensen then leads them through about 15 minutes of calisthenics that end with him announcing the starting lineup.
Said Sorensen: ``Broph came up to me in Raleigh (on Dec. 6) and said, `We never come out ready to play. I want you to lead the guys in a team stretch before every game.' So we've done it ever since.''
The Admirals defeated Raleigh that night, 4-3, to begin their climb up the East Division.
The team stretch is an emotional experience for the players. They chant, clap, cheer and bang on lockers. It gets so loud that it can alarm people standing outside the locker room, such as ECHL commissioner Pat Kelly.
``What the heck is going on,'' Kelly said with a look of shock prior to a recent game at Scope. It took Admirals president Blake Cullen several minutes to explain.
``It's funny as hell to watch,'' Brophy said. ``It's hilarious sometimes. But it gets them ready to play. Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. All of our players are doing it.
``Kelly does it better than a drill sergeant.''
As does Brophy. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Paul Aiken
Fiery Admirals coach John Brophy dosn't take losing well. "He's a
winner and he hates to lose and it rubs off," center John Porco
says. "None of us like to lose, but he really hates to lose. We knew
the only options were to win or leave."
Graphic
Timeline
The Admirals' winning streak
The Admirals are on their longest winning streak since the inception
of the team nearly six years ago. Here's a look at the streak.
[For complete text, see microfilm]
Gamewatch
by CNB