THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 28, 1995 TAG: 9510280487
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Having a perfect night on the penalty kill is an achievement worth celebrating.
Scoring while killing one of those penalties is gravy.
But scoring two shorthanded goals in one night? That's almost unheard of.
The Hampton Roads Admirals did that and more Friday night at Scope in a 6-0 laugher over the Raleigh IceCaps that was easily their best performance of the young season.
The Admirals killed off 12 Raleigh power plays, including three 5-on-3 chances.
Goaltender Darryl Paquette turned back 27 shots for the shutout. He was so dominant that when it was over, fellow goalie Mark Bernard weaved his way through a host of IceCaps to retrieve the game puck for Paquette, who was being mugged by other teammates.
Naturally, the game ended with the Admirals (4-1-1) killing another penalty.
If Paquette wasn't doing it in front of the net, forwards Sean Selmser and Jeff Kostuch were doing it on the perimeter. The pair forced the IceCaps into numerous miscues near the blue line that led to shorthanded rushes down ice.
Selmser scored the game's first shorthanded goal with just over five minutes left in the first period off a crossing feed from Kostuch for a 2-0 lead. Kostuch scored the second shorthanded goal, and the game's final goal, in the third period off a feed from Selmser.
``They're aggressive guys,'' Paquette said. ``It's nice to see they aren't afraid to really battle it out when we're penalty-killing.
``Some guys like to sit back and force the other team to do something. These guys were going right at 'em and made them make mistakes. That right there takes away five or six shots in a game.''
``Sean and I talked before the game about increasing our contribution,'' said Kostuch, who added a first-period, even-strength goal. ``Our line hadn't been playing particularly well before tonight. And as a team, we talked about pressuring their defensemen and making them cough up the puck.''
The IceCaps (0-4-1) did just that so many times they looked in need of cough drops.
``I can't remember the last time we did that well on the penalty kill,'' Admirals coach John Brophy said. ``That was some pretty good skating out there tonight. And I thought we forechecked well.''
Rod Taylor added an even-strength goal while Chris Phelps and Trevor Halverson added power-play goals for the Admirals, who were 2 for 6 on power-play opportunities.
The performance should lend a lot of confidence to the Admirals' special teams. The Admirals begin the second half of a four-game homestand tonight against the South Carolina Stingrays.
``But we've got to make sure in the next game that we're not overconfident, not jumping by and missing those opportunities and giving them opportunities the other way,'' Selmser said. ``It's actually a very fine line. The number one job is to keep the puck out of your own end and kill those two minutes.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by TAMARA VONINSKI, The Virginian-Pilot
The Admirals Jeff Kostuch and Raleigh's Kyle Kirkpatrick hit the
deck during the first period.
by CNB