THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 20, 1995 TAG: 9510200654
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Hampton Roads Admirals goaltender Corwin Saurdiff has been sidelined indefinitely with colitis, an inflammation of the colon that caused him to lose 16 pounds in two weeks, and left him severely dehydrated following Wednesday's 6-4 victory over Raleigh.
Rookie Darryl Paquette will replace Saurdiff in goal tonight when the 2-0 Admirals host the Charlotte Checkers at Scope. Mark Bernard, who did not dress the first two games, will be backup.
Saurdiff said the condition has left him unable to digest food. ``My body is eating away at itself,'' he said. He has been put on a liquid diet, is taking medication and has been given strict orders to rest.
Saurdiff was so dehydrated after the Raleigh game that he was unable to walk for several hours, ran a high temperature and was unable to sleep that night.
``Basically I played the game out of the desire to play,'' he said. ``I could have done serious damage to my body. It was my fault. I had no business on the ice.''
Saurdiff said it will be weeks before he returns. He had a bout this summer with colitis, his second in recent years, and doctors say he had a relapse because he tried to play hockey again too soon.
``It's frustrating for this to happen now, especially when I'm playing great, and the team is playing great,'' Saurdiff said. ``There's nothing you can do about it except get on the pills and get it done with.''
NO MORE VETS: The ECHL veterans rule cost the Admirals three potential players this week. Rob MacInnis, who played for the Admirals last season, called Thursday seeking a job. He recently returned from playing hockey in Holland.
MacInnis was told the Admirals have no room on their roster.
Coach John Brophy gave the same answer earlier this week to Portland of the American Hockey League. The Pirates wanted to assign center Justin Duberman, who has NHL experience, and left wing Mike McLaughlin to the Admirals. The Pirates waived the players after Brophy declined.
All three are veterans, players with three or more years of professional experience. The Admirals have the league limit of three - Trevor Halverson, Rod Taylor and Bob Woods.
MacInnis has an offer from Utica of the Colonial Hockey League. McLaughlin and Duberman likely will play elsewhere in the ECHL.
``They could come back to bite us in the rear,'' Brophy said.
CONTRACT IS COMING: Forward Sean Selsmer will become the tenth player assigned to the Admirals by teams in higher leagues.
Technically, Selsmer was signed as a free agent last week after being cut by Cleveland - the Admirals' International Hockey League affiliate. But that's only because the IHL's players union has yet to approve two-way contracts binding players to IHL and ECHL teams.
``Once that's worked out, Cleveland is going to sign me'' to a two-way contract, Selsmer said.
In the meantime, Selsmer is making a financial sacrifice to play for the Admirals. He said other ECHL teams offered him more money than the Admirals, who say they couldn't match those offers and stay under the salary cap.
Admirals president Blake Cullen said he persuaded Selsmer's agent with a simple argument.
``I told him that if he thinks Sean is a player who won't go any higher than this league, that he ought to take the best offer and go elsewhere,'' he said.
``But if he thinks Sean is a player who has the potential to go to the IHL or the NHL, that he'd be better off here, playing for John Brophy, a former NHL coach who will get him in shape and push him to the next level.''
The agent called early the next day to say Selsmer was on his way. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Corwin Saurdiff has been put on a liquid diet, is taking medication
and has strict orders to rest.
by CNB