THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 10, 1995 TAG: 9511100625
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Defenseman Ron Pascucci, assigned to the Hampton Roads Admirals by Portland of the American Hockey League, is expected to play tonight when the Admirals host Roanoke at Scope.
Pascucci, an All-ECHL pick with the Admirals last season, played sparingly for the Pirates, with no points and six penalty minutes in eight games.
``(Portland coach) Barry Trots says he's coming, and he'll play as soon as he gets here,'' Admirals coach John Brophy said. ``I don't know how long he'll be here, but we're grateful for however long we have him. He's a great defenseman.''
Not that the Admirals are in particular need of help. They're 6-1-3 and trail first-place Richmond by one point in the East. The Admirals, who bested Richmond twice last weekend, are third in the league with a 3.40 goals-against average.
Brophy said he's pleased his team keeps winning in spite of a multitude of injuries. David St. Pierre, the team's top player, has missed six games with a groin pull and likely won't play tonight.
``With St. Pierre, the three shootouts (all losses) probably never would have gotten to a shootout,'' Brophy said.
Center Serge Aubin, whose 11 points are fifth on the team, is out with a muscle pull. Defenseman Bob Woods also has a muscle pull which has sidelined him for two games. Both players are questionable for tonight.
Center Steve Richards, who missed practice Thursday with a groin pull, is expected to play tonight, as is goaltender Darryl Paquette, who has an injured hand.
Goalie Corwin Saurdiff, out with colitis since the third game of the season, was recently released from Chesapeake General Hospital, but he won't return for several weeks at least, trainer Rick Burrill said.
``Even with those guys out, we're as good as anyone I've seen in the league,'' Brophy said. ``I haven't seen them all, but we've played some good ones in Richmond, Columbus and Roanoke.
``We've gotten points out of all but one game. We're playing great hockey.''
MECHANICS: The ultimate nightmare for any minor league hockey team is to have a bus break down in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere.
It happened to the Admirals.
After Tuesday's game in Charlotte, the Admirals' bus blew a hose just outside of Emporia, Va., at 2:45 a.m. on Interstate 95, about 90 miles from downtown Norfolk. Only minutes after the bus' antifreeze blew all over the interstate, the engine began to overheat.
A state trooper came to the team's aid, but told them it would be hours - perhaps as many as 12 - before a qualified mechanic could come to rescue them.
Fortunately, the Admirals already had two such mechanics on board - forward Aaron Downey and defenseman Jason MacIntyre.
``They both work on diesel engines,'' Brophy said. ``They rolled up their sleeves, got under the bus and went to work.''
They repaired and reconnected the hose, persuaded the trooper to take them to Emporia for antifreeze and pumped it into the cooling system. Within two hours, the bus was underway. The team arrived at Scope at 6:30 a.m., two hours later than expected.
ATTENDANCE DOWN: Attendance is down slightly across the ECHL, and officials acknowledge privately it's probably because the season began nearly two weeks sooner than last season.
The league average is 4,446 in 111 openings through Thursday. The league average was 5,311 last season, though it was about 4,900 at the same point last season.
Disappointing starts in two expansion cities is one reason for the low numbers. Jacksonville (3,547) and Louisville (4,059) are drawing smaller crowds than they had expected.
Charlotte (6,109) and South Carolina (7,712), the league's top two draws last season, are down significantly. Richmond (6,295) and Tallahassee (5,892) are up from last season.
Excluding Louisiana, which drew 11,026 in its only home game, the Admirals (6,529) rank second to South Carolina. The Admirals are down about 1,000 per game.
``We've had a lot of home games (six) for this early in the season,'' Brophy said. ``As it gets closer to winter, our numbers will go up. So will everyone's.'' by CNB