DATE: Tuesday, April 22, 1997               TAG: 9704220258

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.            LENGTH:   78 lines

``GOOD'' ADMIRALS FAIL GREATNESS THEY DIDN'T UNDERACHIEVE, BUT THE SECOND-ROUND LOSS STILL HURTS.

Page Johnson forced a smile as pandemonium reigned on the ice Sunday night at the North Charleston Coliseum, and tears rained in the Hampton Roads Admirals locker room.

About 40 feet away, the South Carolina Stingrays were celebrating their second-round playoff series victory over the Admirals as if they'd won the Stanley Cup, with victory laps en masse. Champagne was uncorked in the locker room as the cheers and high fives continued for nearly an hour.

Meanwhile, the Admirals mourned. Most sat stone-faced, staring at the floor in disbelief.

Johnson, the Admirals co-owner, was philosophical.

``Somebody had to lose,'' Johnson said. ``Our guys played their hearts out. We put the best team on ice that we possibly could have. We did all we could.''

All true.

It was the fifth season in a row in which the Admirals have been felled in the first or second round of the playoffs, a streak that has been a festering sore among fans. Not since winning the 1992 ECHL championship have the Admirals gone to the playoff semifinals.

But this exit should not leave the sour taste that some recent playoff debacles have.

Last season there was a three-game sweep by archrival Richmond in the first round, in which stupidity by the Admirals played a huge role. Several players were suspended for the first two games because of brawls in their final regular-season game.

Two years ago the Admirals were lethargic in a three-games-to-one first-round loss to Tallahassee.

After winning the East Division three years ago, the Admirals were beaten by Wheeling in the second round, three games to one. Four years ago, the Admirals had the second-best record in the league, yet were upset by Raleigh in the first round, again, 3-to-1.

Rightly or wrongly, ``Playoff Underachievers'' was the tag fans put on the Admirals the last four seasons.

That was not the case this time. The Admirals dispatched a game Roanoke team, then engaged in a classic series with South Carolina in which two talented teams played emotional, physical hockey.

South Carolina has the league's best team and best record, and at home, the Stingrays are nearly unbeatable. Yet Hampton Roads took South Carolina into overtime twice in the North Charleston Coliseum.

It was that close.

Had defenseman Alexei Krivchenkov (called up by Cleveland) and all-star defenseman Chris Phelps (whose infant daughter died last week) been in the lineup, one or both of those OT games might have gone the other way.

``We had a good season,'' coach John Brophy said. ``Not a great season. I thought we had the team to go all the way. You don't have a great season with that kind of team when you lose.''

It remains to be seen whether this good season will spur ticket sales. Attendance has been on a gradual decline since the 1992 championship, which business manager Brian Kelley blames in part on the team's playoff misfortunes.

The Admirals' future in the ECHL also remains in doubt. Johnson and co-owner Mark Garcea are exploring a move to the American Hockey League for 1998-99.

Will Victor Gervais and Randy Pearce, stars recruited from the IHL, return next year or try to move back up? Both say they don't yet know.

Will the Admirals successfully negotiate a lease extension with Scope? The team's lease runs out after next season, and owners of several AHL teams would love to replace the Admirals at Scope.

But those questions mattered little to the players who shed tears while the Stingrays shouted for joy.

``This hurts more than last year,'' said Admirals forward Dominic Maltais, who scored 10 playoff goals. ``This is the best team I ever played on. It could have been a championship team. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

IAN MARTIN/The Virginian-Pilot

Randy Pearce, 23, and Alex Alexeev, right, celebrate the Admirals'

last victory of the season, in Game 4 Saturday against South

Carolina.

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