Jacks

It's been exactly three weeks since the Skipjacks touched their home ice at the Baltimore Arena and despite a bad road showing, the team isn't in awful shape in the standings.The Jacks left on Nov. 2 in first place by one point and they return from a 3-6-1 trip -- including last night's 6-3 win in Binghamton -- tied for second place with Adirondack, one point behind Utica.Coach Robbie Laird continually has said the team's play on the road wasn't nearly as bad as its record and the last two nights have been positive proof that the team is hardly struggling.

Just when the Skipjacks are about to embark on their most grueling trip of the season -- a Maritime jaunt that will keep them on the road for 10 games in 20 days -- they have lost their top goalie to the parent Washington Capitals.Due to a groin injury suffered by goalie Don Beaupre in the Caps' 2-1 win in Vancouver Tuesday, Jim Hrivnak has been promoted and will suit up at the Capital Centre tomorrow when the Capitals face Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings.The Jacks have been forced to recall goalie Olaf Kolzig, last year's No. 1 pick, from Hampton Roads of the East Coast Hockey League, where he was starting.

The four-game honeymoon of solid hockey for the Baltimore Skipjacks ended last night at the Baltimore Arena.The Jacks held a 3-1 record coming into last night's game; their only loss was by one goal last weekend on the road against the Adirondack Red Wings.With six days off and a completely healthy team, a bad game at home seemed out of the question.But that was before the Maine Mariners came to town.The Mariners were so impressive in last night's 3-0 victory, the Jacks probably won't want to get out of bed this morning to face them again at 1 p.m. this afternoon.

Even though the playoff war doesn't commence for another 11 days, the battle with Binghamton officially began last night at the Arena.From the Skipjacks' point of view, the 7-1 thrashing of the Rangers is the one game that could set the tone for the almost inevitable upcoming playoff series between the two that would begin April 5 in Binghamton.For the Rangers, it was a night to forget."It was a poor performance," Rangers coach John Paddock said. was a disgraceful, disgusting effort from my team.

Every coach in professional sports will tell you that he wants his team "to get off to a quick start" the night before the season opener.The only problem for coach Robbie Laird and the Skipjacks is that they'll have to take their time doing it.The Jacks' October schedule has just nine games, six at home and all on weekends. In contrast, when the season is closing in March, the Jacks will play 15 games in the month, with eight on the road including the dreaded six-game swing through the Maritime Provinces.

Skipjacks coach Robbie Laird got what he called the final piece of the puzzle after last night's game in Hershey.The Washington Capitals reassigned left wing Brent Hughes to the Jacks, filling out the roster for Friday's opener at the Arena against the same Bears. The Caps also sent defenseman John Slaney back to junior hockey in Cornwall, Ont.Hughes, who scored three goals in four preseason games with the Caps, will report to the Jacks today."He had a terrific camp and he'll be a welcome addition to our team," said Laird, who also liked what he saw from many of his players in last night's 6-5 overtime win in the final preseason game against the Bears.

For a while it appeared Jim Hrivnak was going to make his way into the NHL by default.The Skipjacks goalie, who was 5-5 with the Washington Capitals last season, came to camp last month and quietly did what he does best -- keep the puck in front of him.With veteran Mike Liut firmly entrenched as the organization's top man, Hrivnak was ready to settle for No. 2, as another veteran, Don Beaupre, couldn't come to contract terms with the Caps after his contract...

The hardest question for any of the Skipjacks to answer last night was "What happened?"Playing a mediocre Halifax team with five starters out of the lineup, two players on loan from the ECHL and one import from the New Brunswick Senior League, the Jacks were no-shows at the Arena last night in a 5-4 loss.Some mildly put the blame on the grueling three-game weekend. Some said it was a lack of intensity on both sides. But the real reason, as Citadels coach Clement Jodoin pointed out, was the play of goalie Scott Gordon, who had 32 saves.

New Skipjacks coach Robbie Laird isn't quite ready to break camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., for the start of his career in the AHL."There are still a lot of things that could happen here," Laird said after his "rookie" team defeated the Montreal Canadiens' rookie squad 5-4, after getting a 2-2 tie on Monday. "[Washington coach] Terry [Murray] took 26 players with him on the trip and I expect to get some of those players back."The Capitals begin a three-game trip tonight in Hartford, Conn. After the game, they charter to Orlando, Fla., to face the Buffalo Sabres, before returning to the Capital Centre Saturday night for a grudge match with the Boston Bruins, who ousted them from the Stanley Sup playoffs in May.Meanwhile, Laird will remain in Lake Placid with a team of 24 players, most of whom should be on the Jacks' roster this season.

A hush fell over the crowd at the Arena when it was announced who would be taking the Skipjacks' penalty shot to tie the game with 54 seconds remaining in regulation.At least among the crowd of 3,829, right wing John Purves was a dubious choice."There was never a second of doubt," coach Robbie Laird would say later. "He is as good or better than anyone on the team one on one and he has great hands."Purves, who has been mired in perhaps the worst slump of his career and has been taking a lot of heat from the Arena crowd, proved up to the task, beating Newmarket goalie Allan Bester low on the right last night to earn the Jacks a 2-2 tie with the Saints.