THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 6, 1997 TAG: 9702060677
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 75 lines
The Hampton Roads Admirals won one and lost two Wednesday night.
The victory was a 6-4 verdict over the North Division's Toledo Storm before 5,539 at Scope. Two goals from Randy Pearce, perfect power-play proficiency and often-suffocating defense keyed the Admirals' third straight victory, their ninth in their last 10 games.
The losses were Ryan Mulhern and Rick Kowalsky, the Admirals' fifth- and seventh-leading scorers this season. Both will leave for Portland of the AHL this morning, bringing the number of Admirals called up to other leagues in the past week to four. Alain Savage and Andy Weidenbach are with Cleveland of the IHL.
``We have the depth to keep winning despite the call-ups,'' said forward Joel Poirier, who scored the game's first goal. ``It's a matter of us rising up to the challenge. It's going to be tough, but a couple of guys are going to have to step up and play hockey.''
One Admiral who got a head start in that department was goalie Marc Seliger. Bothered for the last two months with back spasms, he started his first game since Dec. 14. He stopped all but four of the 27 shots he faced, enough for him to be happy about the win, if not completely satisfied with his performance.
``This is a good feeling,'' said Seliger, who will start again Friday night against Raleigh. ``But four goals in 27 shots isn't that good, and I'm not that satisfied. I can do better.''
Seliger admitted that it took a little time for him to get comfortable after the long layoff. His stop of a 2-on-1 Toledo breakout midway through the first period settled his nerves, he said.
In the third period, Toledo scored its final goal when a shot glanced off a couple Storm players and into the net. Seliger was so angered that he snapped the handle of his stick over his leg.
``I thought he played great,'' Admirals coach John Brophy said. ``He made some super saves. We just felt that we had to get him in there sometime, and his back had been feeling better and better. Now seemed like a good time.''
The Admirals trailed 2-1 less than halfway through the first period, then seemed to turn on a switch and take control of the game.
Wing Aaron Downey started things when he stole the puck behind the Toledo net and fired a shot off the skate of Storm defenseman Louis Bernard and past goalie Ryan Bach.
Before the period was over, Pearce would get the first of his two goals.
Defenseman Chris Phelps' pass propelled Pearce between two Storm defenseman at center ice. Alone on Bach, who had come way out of the goal to cut down on the angle, Pearce faked a slap shot, then calmly skated past the prone goalie and put the puck into the empty net.
In the second period, Hampton Roads' defense was so dominating that Toledo managed just four shots on goal - two of them in the final minute. None was a serious threat.
Pearce scored the only goal of the stanza - one of three power-play goals the Admirals had in as many chances. Alexei Krivchenkov unloaded a whistling slap shot on Bach, who made the save. But Pearce was there for the rebound, giving the Admirals a 4-2 lead 9:10 into the second period.
The Admirals would expand that to 5-2 on a goal credited to Kowalsky but set up by Rod Taylor.
Taylor lost his stick in the Admirals' end as a Toledo player slapped a shot at Seliger. Seliger's kick save started the Admirals on a break, with Taylor retrieving his stick and controlling the puck with it as he broke down ice. He blistered a shot at Bach, who left the rebound available for Kowalsky to tip in at 6:42 of the third period.
Toledo answered with a goal by Dennis Purdie at 11:05, but the Admirals put it away with a goal they fashioned just 22 seconds after going on the power play. Dominic Maltais notched his team-high 30th goal of the season, with assists from Taylor and Victor Gervais.
``They came out pretty strong in the first period,'' Brophy said, ``and we didn't get going real quick. But in the second and third period, I thought we played strong, especially on defense.'' ILLUSTRATION: L. TODD SPENCER
Toledo's Aaron Nagy gives the Admirals' Ryan Mulhern the hook.
Mulhern has been called up by Portland of the AHL.