THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509030146
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 115 lines
Defenseman Ron Pascucci, goaltender Corwin Saurdiff and right wing Rick Kowalsky recently signed contracts that bind them to the Hampton Roads Admirals and the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.
The contracts are the first dividends reaped by the Admirals from an innovative working agreement signed this summer with Portland. The contracts call for Portland to pay the players an average AHL salary - about $30,000 - if they stick with the Pirates. If cut, they report to Hampton Roads, where they will be paid about $7,500 apiece by both teams.
Pascucci and Kowalsky were All-ECHL performers last season and were called up by to higher leagues. Pascucci had 45 points in 52 games. Kowalsky had 53 in 49 games.
Saurdiff started for the Admirals after being loaned to Hampton Roads by San Jose, with whom his contract recently expired. He became the first goaltender in ECHL history to score a goal when he lofted in an empty-netter against Charlotte last season.
Saurdiff will take part in the Washington Capitals preseason camp next week, then will join Pascucci and Kowalsky in Portland's camp on Sept. 21.
Portland coach Barry Trotz said all three will be given a chance to make the Pirates.
``If they're better than our players, then our players will be gone,'' he said. ``We see a lot of potential in all three. That's why we signed them.''
Trotz said he envisions the Admirals and Pirates jointly signing as many as eight players.
``Ideally, we'd like to have six players (under contract) in Hampton, one for each position,'' he said. ``It's too early to tell how many we'll have, though. A lot depends on what happens in our camp and who makes our team.
``This is a good working agreement for both teams. There are players who come out of juniors or college who need a year or two in a lower league before they're ready to play in the AHL.''
Trotz said Steve Poapst, a former Admiral, is case-in-point. Poapst played two seasons in Hampton Roads, then moved on to Portland the last two. He recently signed an NHL contract with Washington.
``Ron Pascucci reminds me very much of Steve Poapst,'' Trotz said. ``He has that kind of potential.''
Trotz said defenseman Chris Phelps and left wing Trevor Halverson are other Admirals who are candidates for two-way contracts.
``We will sign more players,'' he said.
Saurdiff's signing leaves the Admirals overflowing with goaltenders. Mark Bernard was signed away from San Antonio of the Central League this summer and is expected to share time with Saurdiff.
Shamus Gregg and Todd Hunter were part-time starters in goal a year ago. The Admirals will keep three goalies at most.
Brophy said he isn't sure how many players the Admirals will land from their new agreement with Pittsburgh of the NHL and Cleveland of the International Hockey League.
``We won't know that until training camp,'' said Brophy, who will attend Cleveland's training camp in two weeks.
``They haven't said how many players they'll send us. I'm sure we'll get a couple.''
Combined with as many as six players from Portland, it would be an major improvement over last season, when the Admirals had four players under contract with higher leagues.
GOUDIE GONE: Admirals defenseman Brian Goudie apparently is headed to archrival Richmond.
Goudie played parts of the last three seasons in Norfolk while under contract to Portland, but his contract with the Pirates ran out last spring.
Sources with the Renegades say the team will soon announce he's signed with Richmond. He's playing roller hockey this summer in San Jose for Roy Sommer, who coached the Renegades to the ECHL title last season.
Goudie was one of the league's most physical players. Richmond has also re-signed Trevor Senn, giving the Renegades two of the ECHL's most vicious fighters.
``I guess they'll have a 1-2 punch,'' Admirals coach John Brophy said of Senn and Goudie. ``We'll try to find someone to accommodate them.
``We have no hard feelings toward Brian Goudie. It was time to move on, I guess. Technically (his ECHL rights) still belong to us, but we won't hold him back.''
Goudie will miss Richmond's first five games. He was suspended for confronting a referee following the Admirals' 2-1 season-ending loss at Tallahassee in the ECHL playoffs last season.
AROUND THE ECHL: League officials are mum on the fate of Huntington's franchise, but it appears the club is for sale. The team has a skeleton front-office staff and no coach. A conference call was held between league owners Friday and more are scheduled this week. Admirals president Blake Cullen declined comment on Huntington. However, another ECHL official said former Greensboro owner Morris Jeffreys has assembled an ownership group that is likely to purchase the Blizzard. . . . Tallahassee general manager Tim Mouser, who feuded with Brophy last season, has left to become GM of Utah in the IHL. Mouser accused Brophy of calling a black Tallahassee player ``Buckwheat,'' a charge both Brophy and Cullen angrily denied. . . . Tallahassee has signed a working agreement with the Carolina Monarchs, who jumped from the ECHL to the AHL this summer. The move has angered many ECHL officials, who are quietly advocating a boycott of the Monarchs. . . . Rod Langway, the former Caps star who played in Richmond last season, has signed as a player/coach with San Francisco's IHL expansion franchise. . . . Roanoke goaltender Daniel Berthiaume, another ECHL star with NHL experience, has signed with the IHL's Detroit Vipers. . . . Roanoke coach Frank Anzalone was rewarded for last season's 39-19-10 record with a three-year contract. . . . Player/coach Scott Gruhl will return to play in Richmond. Gruhl, the IHL's career goals-scoring leader, had considered retiring. . . . Doug Sauter, one of the ECHL's most successful and most colorful coaches, has left Wheeling to become head coach at Oklahoma City of the Central League. Sauter was eager to leave Wheeling because Oklahoma City is expected to move to the IHL in 1996-97. Sauter is banking on moving up with the Blazers. Wheeling has not named a replacement. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Ron Pascucci
Corwin Saurdiff
by CNB