THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509140468
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
High-scoring right wing Rod Taylor has signed a contract to play a fifth season with the Hampton Roads Admirals.
The Lake Orion, Mich., native was second in scoring with 76 points (37 goals, 39 assists) last season despite getting off to a slow start. He had 54 goals in 1993-94, and is second on the team's career goals-scored list with 148. He needs 24 to surpass Brian Martin in that category.
Taylor rejected an offer from a German professional team to stay with the Admirals.
``I had a chance to go to Germany,'' Taylor said. ``My agent was in touch with a team over there. It probably would have opened some doors for me and it might have been good for me. But I'm very happy to be playing here again.''
Taylor said he looked into playing in Europe because he didn't know if the Admirals wanted him back. Taylor is a veteran and the East Coast Hockey League limits teams to three veterans.
``I wasn't sure they wanted to use a veterans spot on me,'' Taylor said.
Admirals coach John Brophy said he never had any doubts about signing Taylor.
``He's always been in our plans,'' Brophy said.
Training camp opens Oct. 1 at Scope for the Admirals.
ECHL EXPANSION: League officials are negotiating with groups in Trenton and Camden, N.J., and Wilmington, Del., about expansion franchises, and sources within the league said the cities might be admitted before the season begins.
The ECHL is seeking to expand further into the Northeast and all three cities are near metropolitan Philadelphia. Camden is located across the Delaware River from downtown Philadelphia. Trenton is north of Philadelphia and Wilmington is south.
The bad news for the ECHL is that it will be a year or two before new arenas are ready in the three cities, and thus a year or two before they could begin playing.
With 21 franchises, the ECHL is the largest league in the history of minor league hockey, and Greenville, S.C., is to join as an expansion franchise in 1996.
TICKETS ON SALE: Single-game tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the Scope box office and Ticketmaster locations for all Admirals home games. Ticket sales have been limited to date to season tickets. The Admirals have sold 3,800 season tickets, down slightly from last season, in the 8,990-seat Scope.
Tickets for all regular-season games are $8. Tickets for military personnel, available Friday at area bases, are $7 apiece. The Admirals open at home Oct. 18 against Raleigh.
Tickets are $5 for the exhibition opener Oct. 6 against Roanoke at Scope. Admission is free to a blue-and-gold exhibition game Oct. 4 at Scope. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Rod Taylor rejected an offer from a German professional team to stay
with the Admirals.
by CNB