Short road trip delights Lynx

By Jeff DiVeronica
Democrat and Chronicle

(September 21, 2000) -- After Toronto won the opening game of its last playoff series last Friday, the Lynx rode 14 hours on a bus to Richmond, Va., for Game 2 on Sunday.

The Richmond team, meanwhile, flew home.

So much for the victor taking the spoils.

But the road-weary and seventh-seeded Lynx gutted out a win in Game 2 by the same score as the opener, 1-0, and now play the fourth-seeded Rhinos in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Competitively, Lynx players must have rooted for the Charleston (S.C.) Battery to beat surging Rochester -- one of the A-League's most experienced playoff teams.

Logistically, Lynx owners must have hoped the Rhinos survived. After all, with gas prices, a three-hour drive to Rochester is much cheaper.

"It shows that the players care more about their season than management," Rhinos goalkeeper Scott Vallow said of the Lynx, who play host in Game 1 of the two-game, total-goal series tomorrow. "To (win after) that takes a lot of heart."

Toronto's owners say the longer the team stays alive in the playoffs, the more money they lose. It's one more week of player salaries, stadium rent and hotel costs. To them, red ink means a lot more than red cards.

"We figure each time we advance it's going to cost us another $20,000, $30,000," chief operating officer Nicole Hartrell said last week. "And we certainly aren't going to make (that much) worth of ticket sales."

Toronto's average attendance of 2,620 was 10th in the 25-team league. The Rhinos, who averaged 11,681, can afford a much nicer lifestyle and have players who are better paid because of the 11,681 fans who show up (on average) at Frontier.

"It's a sore point with some of the players," defender Adrian Serioux told the Toronto Sun about the bus trip. "We wish (the owners) would understand that is hard on the players."

Less money means also fewer players and a lack of depth hurt Toronto during an injury-filled 0-6-1 stretch at midseason. But now the Lynx have won four straight and are playing more like the team that started 6-0-2 and beat the Rhinos 2-1 at Frontier in the season opener. Head coach/general manager Peter Pinizzotto has a solid lineup.

In six matchups with Rochester, the Lynx are 2-2-2.

"They play hard," Rhinos defender Scott Schweitzer said. "It's harder to bus than to fly, but it's the playoffs, so you're going to get pumped up."

Rhinos coach Pat Ercoli said long road trips can help a team bond. "If you're winning, it's great for morale," he said.