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March 29, 2004 Exhausted Generals slip to 4th Everblades - 3 Generals - 0 BY KEITH TOLBERT Special to the News & Record GREENSBORO - Playing their eighth game in 11 days, the Greensboro Generals fell behind early, then fell into fourth place with a 3-0 loss. The Florida Everblades took an early lead and the Generals never seemed to have the kind of energy they needed to make a comeback. It was the second straight loss for the Generals and comes at a critical time of the year, with playoff hopes teetering in the balance. With three games left in the regular season, the Generals are in fourth place in the Southern Division. The top four make the playoffs. "Right now, I think we are just physically exhausted," Generals coach Rick Adduono said. "But I've seen many guys play with broken bones and sore muscles and that's what it has to be right now. To be a champion, you have to fight through those things." Adduono said every player gave a good effort, but something was missing. He said it may just be a mental approach at this point. "I know the effort is there. I don't think we should be shut out in our own building," Adduono said. "We are definitely lacking the killer instinct. It's just like I told them (after the game), even if they don't have anymore, they've got to find it somewhere." The Generals have only one home game left and two road games to finish the season. One of those road games is with the fifth-place South Carolina Stingrays, a team that has struggled to a 3-6-1 record in its last 10 games. The Stingrays are one point behind the Generals in the standings. "Right now, its survival of the fittest," Adduono added. The Everblades put the Generals on the defensive early. After a hard shot on goal, the rebound ricocheted out to the right circle and Jared Newman's slap shot squirted between the pads of Generals goalie Jamie Hodson's pads. It was Newman's second goal of the season. "That first goal was the only bad goal Hodson gave up," Adduono said. "You've got to give your goalie something to work with." Less than a minute later, the Everblades struck again. This time Tom Buckley got free in the crease and received a nice pass from John McNabb and stuck his own rebound past Hodson for the 2-0 lead. The game was physical from the beginning, and both teams had men in the penalty box for much of the first two periods. Despite five power-play chances, including two in the final period, the Generals failed to capitalize and are now 4-for-45 with a man advantage in their last 11 games. "I've always made it a priority to make sure our power play doesn't go into a long slide," Adduono said. "This is a bad time of year for our power play to be in a slump. With the people we have, we should be scoring. They have to battle harder to score, that's the bottom line." GENERALS REPORT INSIDER Site: Greensboro Coliseum. Greensboro Why the Generals lost: With both teams fighting for playoff position, the Everblades came out with more energy and wouldn't back down from the Generals' physical play. They scored two early goals and let their defense and goaltending do the rest. Stars: Greensboro - Jamie Hodson 33 saves. Florida - Jeff Maund 30 saves; Jared Newman one goal, Tom Buckley one goal, Brent McDonald one goal. The play: With the Generals already trailing 1-0, Buckley got free in the crease and knocked his own rebound past Hodson for the Everblades second goal in less than a minute. What they said: "They gave every bit they had. Some guys are just too beat up." - Rick Adduono, Generals coach Records: Greensboro 39-29-1. Florida 35-25-10 |