DATE: Friday, March 21, 1997                TAG: 9703210858

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: Jim Ducibella, staff writer 

                                            LENGTH:   79 lines

ADMIRALS RECHARGE THEIR POWER PLAY LATELY, THE MAN ADVANTAGE JUST HASN'T BEEN THAT BIG OF AN EDGE.

The Hampton Roads Admirals spent an extra hour at practice Thursday, looking for the power in their power play.

In their last 76 power plays, the Admirals have just 12 goals. That's a scoring rate of 15.8 percent, shy of their goal of 20 percent and just 14th in the league.

``We should be better, period,'' assistant coach and general manager Al MacIsaac said Thursday. ``Take the game the other night. Neither team scores in five-on-five because we both play such good defense. But who won the game? Roanoke (3-1), because they scored two power-play goals.

``It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a lot of our playoff games are going to be like that, and our special teams are going to have to make the difference.''

It's important for the Admirals to get their power play moving at full steam immediately. Just four points behind first-place South Carolina, the Admirals begin their most important road trip of the season tonight in Charlotte. They play in Raleigh on Saturday, then bus to Richmond for a Sunday afternoon game with the Renegades.

Three games. Three days. Three division opponents.

``Every single game is going to be tight,'' forward Doiminic Maltais said. ``And that's where having a good power-play can help you get the easy goal or two that makes you win.''

The Admirals were 1 for 4 with the man advantage against Roanoke, but on the power play on which they scored, they also yielded a shorthanded goal. There were times when the Admirals had the man advantage that one player was seen telling another where to stand, or to whom he should pass.

``I can't speak for anyone else, but when I go out there, it's like I don't know where I am or what I'm doing,'' said center Victor Gervais, the league's leading assist man.

``We work a lot on it in practice, and the coaches are doing a good job, but we don't talk to each other as much as we should. We just go out there and play.''

Admirals coach John Brophy said he was aware of one glaring problem with the power play.

``We don't shoot the puck enough,'' he said. ``When you've got the puck in their end, you've got to shoot it.''

In Thursday's practice, one power-play unit featured defenseman Chris Phelps and Gervais on the points, Maltais and Rod Taylor on the wings and Rick Kowalsky in front. That should be an explosive unit.

Phelps has one of the hardest shots in the league. Gervais is an expert at getting the puck to teammates in position to score. Taylor and Maltais are two of the team's leading scorers. Kowalsky is excellent around the net.

``We've got a lot of skill players,'' Maltais said, ``but I think we're all trying to make the fancy play. When that doesn't work, we get frustrated.''

There are other combinations MacIsaac will try if the power play doesn't pick up this weekend. The Admirals could go large, with someone like 6-foot-3 Joel Theriault in front of the net, screening the goalie. Or they could move Chad Ackerman to the point, where his booming slap shot could set up plenty of rebounds.

``It's going to take some time to jell,'' MacIsaac said. ``I'd hope that it would happen quickly, on this trip. But we'll evaluate it when we return home and do what needs to be done then.''

ECHL AWARDS: The ECHL's major awards are out. Mike Ross of South Carolina is MVP and the Bauer sportsmanship winner. Birmingham's Dany Bousquet, who played five games with the Admirals last season, is rookie of the year. Chris Valicevic and Marc Delorme of Louisiana are defensive player and goaltender of the year, respectively. Columbus' Brian McCutcheon, a rookie, was named coach of the year. Brophy was outraged. ``Some of our players should have won,'' he said. ``It's a shot in the mouth. How's this team won more games than any the last eight years and never had a player win one of these awards. And who's McCutcheon? The only thing I can say is that when we played 'em, we beat 'em - and he's the scumbag who ordered one of his players to bang his stick over Aaron Downey's head.'' Downey suffered a concussion in the 4-2 Admirals victory on Dec. 4. Columbus' Gary Coupal was suspended for the rest of the season and playoffs. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

Admirals Weekend Road Trip

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