Jackals Beat Bullfrogs to Win Roller Hockey Title in First Season

For much of the Roller Hockey International season, the Bullfrogs were the most dominant team in the league.

They set a record for victories in the regular season (22) and never lost two games in a row--until Monday, which was the worst possible time.

Orlando, led by goaltender Bill Horn, beat the Bullfrogs, 8-4, at Orlando Arena to win the Murphy Cup, which goes to the league’s champion.

Horn, a former Bullfrog, made 39 saves for Orlando, which was outshot, 43-26. Horn was at his best early, as Anaheim took 24 shots in the first half but scored only twice.

Anaheim had rallied from three goals down to beat Orlando, 9-8, in the opening game of the best-of-three championship series, but Orlando returned home and won, 9-6, Sunday.

“I feel we were the better hockey club overall,� Bullfrog Coach Grant Sonier said. “But Bill Horn was unbelievable. . . . It was just one of those nights. If we have anything to be upset about, it’s [Sunday’s] performance.�

The Bullfrogs, who won the league’s first title in 1993, ended 27-7-2.

This is the first year in the league for Orlando (23-11-2), which won eight of the final nine regular-season games to make the playoffs.

Jackals Owner Norton Herrick, who holds a 25% share in RHI, also owns the expansion Denver DareDevils. Orlando Coach Jeff Brubaker, recently named to head a new International Hockey League franchise in San Antonio, opposed Sonier in the league all-star game.

Sonier leaves Thursday for his second year as coach of the Huntington (W.Va.) Blizzard of the East Coast Hockey League.

Monday’s final game was close early and the score was tied, 2-2, at the half. Orlando opened up some breathing room with two third-quarter goals.

Anaheim got within a goal at 4-3 when Darren Perkins scored two minutes into the fourth quarter. But Orlando came right back 29 seconds later when Darryl Noren took advantage of a two-on-one situation to slip the puck past goaltender Rob Laurie. Sonier said this was the key goal of the game.

The Orlando lead grew to 6-3 when Daniel Shank picked up a rebound and pushed it ahead to Doug Lawrence, who beat Laurie on a breakaway with 6:40 left in the game.

Anaheim took advantage of a power-play opportunity to cut the lead to 6-4 when Todd Wetzel scored off a Perkins miss with 5:21 left.

But Orlando, especially Horn, turned up the intensity and the Bullfrogs never got closer.

Orlando used another two-on-one chance to take a 7-4 lead with 2:55 left. Kevin Kerr faked a pass then fired a shot from about 20 feet into the back of the net.

At this point, Sonier, who was an assistant on the 1993 championship team, went up and down his bench telling his players: “You’ve got to shoot the puck from everywhere.�

Anaheim also pulled Laurie in favor of a fifth attacker, but the move backfired when officials waved off an illegal-clearing call against Orlando and the Jackals’ Janas Tomans scored an empty-net goal for an 8-4 lead with 2:28 left.

“It’s such a great feeling,� said Orlando’s Shank, who was with the Bullfrogs last season. “Look at their faces, all the guys are crying.�