THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 21, 1995 TAG: 9502210402
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
The slumping Hampton Roads Admirals might be down to three defensemen tonight, two fewer than the minimum carried by most ECHL teams, when they travel to Huntington, W.Va., for the second stop of their eight-game road trip.
Defenseman Rob MacInnis was suspended for a game Monday by the ECHL for spearing a Roanoke player in Saturday's 8-2 loss to the Express. Brian Goudie also will miss tonight's game as he serves the second of a two-game suspension for allegedly threatening a referee in Friday's 5-4 loss to Dayton.
All-Star defenseman Ron Pascucci is eligible to come off injured reserve tonight, but he is listed as doubtful by trainer Rick Burrill. Defenseman Jason MacIntyre also is listed as doubtful with an injured shoulder.
That leaves two true defenseman - Chris Phelps and Tom Menicci - and Tony MacAulay, who has split time between defense and forward.
The last time Hampton Roads skated with three defensemen, it suffered its worst loss ever, an 11-2 shellacking last season at Greensboro.
Assistant coach Al MacIsaac, an ECHL All-Star defenseman two years ago, wouldn't rule out playing tonight if both MacIntyre and Pascucci are out.
``That's the question of the day,'' he said. ``Anything's possible.''
MacIsaac has worked out frequently with the team this season, but not always at full speed. However, he worked out doubly hard the last two days in Roanoke, where the team remained following the loss to the Express.
``We've had injuries and call-ups galore,'' MacIsaac said. ``And they all seemed to have happened at the same time. We're hurting emotionally and physically.
``If we have to, we'll skate with three defensemen.''
If neither injured defenseman plays, the Admirals will be down to 12 skaters - six below the league limit. And that might not be enough, even against Huntington (23-28-2), which has won only three of its last 10 games.
Hampton Roads (28-19-5) has lost four in a row and nine of its last 12. A fifth straight tonight would tie the club record for consecutive defeats.
PLAYOFFS: The good news for the Admirals is that they've all but clinched a spot in the playoffs. The catch is that so have 14 other teams.
Erie, with 32 points in 56 games, can't make the playoffs, and Birmingham or Huntington will soon follow. Since 16 of the 18 teams advance, the playoff field has all but been set.
The teams will be seeded one through 16 based on points, and then placed in brackets. The Admirals must finish in the top eight to have home-ice advantage in the first round, which begins Friday, March 25.
The first three rounds are best-of-five. The Jack Riley finals are best-of-seven.
If the seeding were done today, the first-round matchups would be: No. 16 Raleigh at No. 1 Wheeling; No. 15 Huntington at No. 2 Richmond; No. 14 Knoxville at No. 3 Dayton; No. 13 Johnstown at No. 4 Toledo; No. 12 Greensboro at No. 5 South Carolina; No. 11 Columbus at No. 6 Roanoke; No. 10 Tallahassee at No. 7 Charlotte; and No. 9 Nashville at No. 8 Hampton Roads.
LANGWAY'S ECHL DEBUT: Rod Langway, the 37-year-old former NHL All-Star signed last week by Richmond, played sparingly for the Renegades in three games last week, including losses at Wheeling and Erie. He was scoreless and had no penalty minutes, and Richmond officials say he's still a few weeks away from working into game shape.
If so, he should be ready on March 10, when the Renegades next come to Norfolk.
Asked if Langway can still play, Admirals coach John Brophy said: ``He'll station himself in front of the net and you'll think there's a snow plow knocking guys out of the way. And he'll do it cleanly.''
BITTER PILL: Karson Kaebel was optioned to Dayton on Friday morning from Cornwall of the AHL, just in time to score two goals in the Bombers' 5-4 victory over the Admirals.
Guess who replaced him on the Cornwall roster? Admirals forward Rick Kowalsky.
Apparently, Cornwall officials are pleased with the move. Though they had said Kowalsky would be returned this week, they've had a change of heart. He scored a goal and impressed in two games last weekend and it's likely he'll remain with the Aces at least another week. by CNB