THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503260412
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Fortunately for Mike Nemirovsky, Hampton Roads coach John Brophy gave him a second, then third chance.
After failing to pull his weight during his first or second stints with the Admirals, the Russian-born Canadian citizen made the most of his third opportunity and earned a regular spot on the second line.
That led to a standout performance Saturday night against Tallahassee, the team which cut him early in the season. Nemirovsky tallied a pair of goals and an assist in leading the Admirals to a 5-3 win over the Tiger Sharks to help even the first-round playoff series at 1-1.
Nemirovsky allows himself a smile when he thinks about scoring on his former team, but he harbors no hard feelings.
``When I got to Tallahassee I didn't produce,'' Nemirovsky said. ``They had me playing on the first line and I didn't play well. They don't need a guy like me playing the third line, I'm not a rugged winger or a fighter. When you get a player like me, either I'm supposed to score or skate and make something happen offensively.''
Nemirovsky cleared waivers and was picked up by the Admirals as a free agent Nov. 30 to fill in for Matt Mallgrave, who had been called up to Portland.
On Dec. 9 he was waived by Hampton Roads, then re-signed on Jan. 25 and waived again Jan. 31. The next day he was in an Admirals uniform again.
``I just wanted to play as good as I can. I played a couple of games, but I didn't really get into it. It was just hard to get sharp on the ice,'' Nemirovsky said of the early days in Norfolk. ``I just didn't start off good, but Brophy told me he was going to give me a chance sooner or later.''
Nemirovsky made it worth the wait Saturday when he gave the Admirals a 1-0 lead midway through the first period with a rebound shot past Tiger Sharks' goalie Mark Richards.
And he brought the crowd to its feet with a breakaway goal at 9:52 of the second period.
``I got the puck from Rod Taylor. I thought nobody was on me and then I started skating and I saw (Mikhail Zdanovskiy) was catching up to me, so I took three harder strides and I knew the goalie was a small goalie and most small goalies open their legs up so I just put it in.''
The reason for Nemirovsky's late-season surge is simple - playing time.
``The most important thing for me is to have the puck,'' Nemirovsky said. ``Once I have the puck the better I'll play ... I'll play with more confidence and I'll try new moves and shoot more.'' by CNB