THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 29, 1996 TAG: 9608290613
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 67 lines
The Hampton Roads Admirals will hold preseason training camp on the Peninsula at the newly-opened Ice Palace skating rink, which is located in York County a few hundred yards north of Newport News.
The Admirals are training outside Norfolk because their usual training site - Scope - has been booked with other events.
While the camp will be a 45-minute drive north from downtown Norfolk, it is much closer than two other sites they considered - Toronto and Portland, Maine.
Two weeks ago it appeared likely the Admirals would accept an offer from the Portland Pirates, their AHL affiliate, to train in Maine. But that plan fizzled in part because enough ice time wasn't available.
The Ice Palace is the first of three rinks Allen B. Harvie Jr. plans to build in Hampton Roads. Harvie, former owner of the Richmond Renegades, also plans rinks in Greenbrier and Virginia Beach.
The Admirals say one-third of their season-ticket holders live on the Peninsula.
``I'm glad we'll have camp there,'' general manager and assistant coach Al MacIsaac said. ``It would have been great to go to Portland, but it's better to promote our team'' on the Peninsula.
Training camp opens Oct. 6. A blue-gold intrasquad game will be held Oct. 13, at the Ice Palace, which has no seating but plenty of standing room. The Admirals home opener is Oct. 18 against the defending ECHL champion Charlotte Checkers.
KOLZIG IN DEUTSCHLAND: Olaf Kolzig, probably the most famous former Admiral, is playing this week in the World Cup for Germany.
The Washington Capitals' goalie was born to German parents in South Africa and raised in Canada, but never applied for Canadian citizenship. Under Germany's liberal citizenship laws, he is considered a German citizen even though he hasn't lived there since he was 3. Kolzig hadn't been to Germany in 16 years before reporting for practice earlier this month.
Kolzig said he has no intention of becoming an American or Canadian and is using the World Cup experience to strengthen his ties to Germany. His father traveled with him to Germany, where most of the Kolzig family resides. Kolzig speaks fluent German since that's all his parents have ever spoken at home.
``I'll see everyone and catch up with my relatives,'' he said. ``Eventually I'll be going there for vacations.''
He and Caps' teammate Stefan Ustorf are the only NHL players on the German squad, which most prognosticators pick to finish last in the eight-team tournament. Most other teams have stocked their rosters with NHL stars.
Germany's game against Finland will be televised Sunday at 8 p.m. by the fX Network.
BULLDOGS UPDATE: The Philadelphia Bulldogs Roller Hockey International team coached by MacIsaac finished 16-9-2 and one point from making the playoffs. The Bulldogs were tied for second in the Atlantic Division with three teams and lost the division's second playoff bid on a tiebreaker.
Anaheim Bullfrogs' forward Victor Gervais, a former Admiral, was sixth in league scoring with 85 points and first in assists with 55. Philadelphia's Rob MacInnis, another former Admiral, was 16th among defensemen with 39 points.
AROUND THE ECHL: Veteran NHL coach Tom McVie has been named coach and director of operations in Wheeling. McVie has 18 years of coaching experience, including head coaching stints in Washington, Winnipeg and New Jersey. He was an assistant with the Boston Bruins two years ago. ... Wheeling has changed its nickname from the Thunderbirds to the Nailers. ... Moe Mantha, who resigned at Columbus after last season to coach junior hockey in Canada, won't be coaching juniors after all. He was named head coach of the AHL's Baltimore Bandits. ... Roanoke recently extended the contract of head coach Frank Anzalone for two years. Anzalone is 112-75-19 in three seasons with the Express. by CNB