NEW KIDS ON THE ICE : Can Gulls Find Season in the Sun?

If the hottest new act in town doesn’t suffer a self-induced meltdown, this could be a “Miracle on Ice, Part II.”

The U.S. 1980 Olympic hockey team held countrymen captive when it upset the Soviet Union on the way to the gold medal in Lake Placid, N.Y. The collective spirits of the nation soared, and the feat was instantly dubbed the “Miracle on Ice.”

When the Gulls play Salt Lake City at 7:35 tonight at the San Diego Sports Arena, a different kind of miracle will be at stake. Through the direction and 16-hour days of General Manager Don Waddell, the Gulls have made San Diegans take notice and take in a product that was pieced together under a most imposing deadline.

“Most new teams start (planning) in the beginning of the year,” said Waddell, former general manager of the Flint (Mich.) Spirits. “We started off behind the eight-ball and, during the summer, there’s only so much you can do. As the season gets closer, you realize you have to do it all by (today). But we will get it done.”

Since Waddell, 31, was hired by co-owners Harry Cooper and Vin Ciruzzi in June, he has taken care of business ranging from the sublime--finding the coach he wanted--to the ridiculous--finding a piece of paper to write on.

“When we started, we had nothing,” Waddell said. “At least at the other places, things, like a building, were in place. Here, there was nothing. When I say nothing, I mean nothing. It’s been a lot of mental stress, but given the chance, I would definitely do it again.”

San Diego, one of three new entries in the International Hockey League, was the last horse out of the gate. Eastern Division Albany kept much of its organization intact when it relocated from Fort Wayne, Ind., and Kansas City, another fresh face in the Western Division, had a six-week head start.

With opening night hours away, the Gulls’ season-ticket sales have stalled at 1,500. Though this is significantly short of the expected 2,000 to 3,000, Waddell says he isn’t worried yet. The Gulls are expecting between 8,000 and 9,000 fans tonight. Through Wednesday morning, the team had sold 5,000 tickets, including season tickets.

“We have our work cut out,” he said, “but things should pick up after the first month.”

This will depend, of course, on what happens in the trenches. The players haven’t shown that much in practice. But Coach Mike O’Connell, 34, said it’s as good as he could have expected so early on.

“At the start of the year, there’s so much uncertainty as to who will be here and who will not,” said O’Connell, whose team began practice 16 days ago. “As soon as everyone knows who will be here, people will be more comfortable.”

Already deep in the comfort zone is five-year NHL veteran Steve Dykstra, one of four signed defensemen. According to Dykstra, experience can help mold a team and conceal some blemishes.

“We have a lot of veterans who have been on winning teams and a lot who have been on losing teams, both in the NHL and in the minors,” Dykstra said. “We have size, speed, toughness, finesse and strong goaltending. We have a little of everything.”

And “everything” is at stake. Dykstra said the city is ripe to get behind something to support, but that once the novelty wears off, fans will expect--rightly so--a winner.

“When I first got here,” he said, “I didn’t realize how much people want hockey back and what a great opportunity this is. People are upset with the Chargers and the Padres. They want to grab on to something. But winning’s everything. It’s been proven. No one wants to support a loser.”

O’Connell spent the past 4 1/2 years in Detroit as a defenseman and knows little about the IHL. But his lack of familiarity is offset by Waddell and the 11 veterans he signed early. Waddell wore several hats in his five years with the now-defunct Flint Spirits. The veterans, who average 28 years in age, have a combined 93 seasons of professional hockey behind them.

“I’ll learn quick,” O’Connell said. “The players will fill me in. You have to make sure your team is prepared. You can’t be too concerned about the opposition.”

But one of the Gulls’ toughest opponents will be the team they play tonight and Saturday--Salt Lake City. What a stroke of luck. The Golden Eagles were second in the division last year and have several returners, including Brian Glynn, IHL defenseman of the year, and center Marc Bureau, Salt Lake’s second-leading scorer last season.

Two of the Gulls’ proven scoring threats are members of the one line O’Connell has announced. Left wing Carl Mokosak will play alongside center Jim McGeough, who scored 35 goals and had 46 assists in 77 games with Phoenix last year, and right wing Darren Lowe, who had 31 goals last year in Flint but scored 53 in 1987-88. On defense, Dykstra is joined by Dave Korol, Al Teur and Pete Dineen. The goaltenders are Scott Brower and Mark Reimer.

Without an exhibition game--Salt Lake City and San Diego are the only IHL teams to open without one--San Diego goes into the season blind.

“It could hurt us,” O’Connell said. “You think you can do certain things on the ice, but until you play other teams in a game, you don’t know what you can and can’t do.”

O’Connell said if there’s a lot they can’t do, he’ll move quickly and decisively to find an antidote.

“If we win all the time, and I don’t like the way we’re winning,” he said, “we’ll change. Likewise, if we lose all the time . . . we’ll make changes. I’m not opposed to change.”

What hasn’t changed is the law of O’Connell’s land: Anything less than 100% effort is wasted effort.

“Coach just told us at our meeting today,” Dykstra said, “if you don’t love your job you shouldn’t be here. How many people can say they love their job? I’d like to make a winner out of San Diego because if we win, I win.”

Everyone wins. But Jim Keilbach, on loan from Phoenix’s public relations department during the summer to run interference for Waddell, said the second-year Roadrunners are living proof that winning isn’t synonymous with success at the ticket office.

“We were an entertaining hockey club,” Keilbach said. “We didn’t always win, but we entertained. We never got out of last place, yet we still showed we were for real, and we’re back.”

Last season, after an 11-year absence of hockey in the city, Phoenix averaged 5,272 in attendance, trailing only Milwaukee (7,890) and Salt Lake City (5,711).

“It’s quite a story that we revived hockey in Arizona,” he said. “And San Diego has sold more season tickets then we had at the same time last year.”

Waddell, who had to do little to attract fans in Flint in the dead of winter, is hoping to find a way to attract an average of at least 5,000 fans for the Gulls’ 42 home games.

“In Flint, the rink only held 4,000,” he said. “If we did nothing, we knew we’d have 2,500 people. That was a good crowd. Here, if we only get 2,500, we’d have to shut it down.”

But management and players don’t think that will happen. They say the Gulls have captured the imagination of a sports town finished with the Padres and frustrated with the Chargers.

“We’ve been the hot item in town,” Waddell said. “People are looking for something to support.”

Gull Notes

The Gulls trimmed their roster to 22 by releasing defensemen Greg Bignell and Jody Praznik.