THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 7, 1995 TAG: 9503070385
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
The Hampton Roads Admirals rolled the dice Monday and included All-ECHL forwards John Porco and Rick Kowalsky on their 18-man playoff roster.
Both are in the AHL and might not return to the Admirals, but the rosters were due by 3 p.m. Monday, almost three weeks before the playoffs begin.
``This is the only league I know of where you turn in a playoff roster that far ahead of time,'' Admirals coach John Brophy said, shaking his head. ``Why, I don't know.
``If they (Kowalsky and Porco) come back, we'll be happy if they do. If they don't, we can't help it.''
Teams can add one player to their playoff roster only if three other players are unable to play. Thus, if Kowalsky and Porco do not return, the Admirals will be limited to 16 players.
Brophy would not release any other names from the list, but it was clear he had some difficult decisions to make. Steve Potvin, from Niagara Falls in the Ontario Hockey League, is expected to join the team soon. So is Matt Mallgrave, a standout forward who has been out a month with an injured ankle.
Combined with Porco, Kowalsky and injured players Todd Hunter and George Zajankala, the Admirals had to leave four players off the roster.
Mallgrave said Monday that he will play Wednesday against Roanoke at Scope.
``The ankle is not 100 percent yet, but I need to get in some playing time before the playoffs,'' he said.
BORING HOCKEY: Some in the Raleigh home crowd of 5,200 booed and complained bitterly that the Admirals' 3-0 victory over the IceCaps Sunday was ``boring.''
Precisely, said Hampton Roads defenseman Ron Pascucci.
``When you shut down another team, it's going to be boring,'' he said. ``The score will be 2-1 or 2-0.
``It's boring. It's ugly, but that's the way you win. If we'd been doing that all year, we'd have been winning all year. When we get away from it, that's when we get into trouble.'' by CNB