Bullfrogs Still on Path of Least Resistance

The seemingly unstoppable Bullfrogs beat the Washington Power Saturday night, but the buzz around the Arrowhead Pond was far more substantial than another lopsided Major League Roller Hockey victory.

Overshadowing the 24-5 triumph was a report that new board members of Roller Hockey International are expected to announce plans to revive the league in 1999. According to Bullfrogs President and General Manager Stuart Silver, the announcement is scheduled to be made July 25 before the gold medal game of the International Ice Hockey Federation World In-Line Championship at the Pond.

With the way they have been blowing out MLRH opponents, it’s clear that the Bullfrogs, who won two of five Roller Hockey International crowns before that league folded last fall, need a bigger challenge. They’ve outscored opponents, 159-37, and are breaking team records without breaking much of a sweat.

Saturday, in front of an announced crowd of 7,991, the Bullfrogs (12-0) set a franchise record for consecutive victories in a season. Forward Sandy Gasseau tied a team record for points in a game with three goals and six assists. Four other players had hat tricks or better.

In their first meeting, the Bullfrogs set a franchise record for most goals in a 25-2 victory.

“Having the Bullfrogs in this league was a mistake,” Washington player/coach Eugene Wehner said. “This league was designed to get the best [rink] skaters on the East Coast. It wasn’t meant to have ice hockey players like the Bullfrogs have.”

Washington (3-6) is the defending MLRH champion. Before the game, Silver said he was in the process of evaluating his commitment to MLRH beyond this year. RHI went broke at the end of last season and the Bullfrogs jumped to MLRH late last spring, rather than go on hiatus, as several other RHI teams did. Among other things, Silver said he is concerned about poor attendance, but said he gets along well with other MLRH owners.

In a meeting earlier this week, Silver ordered players not to talk about prospects of a new league or to say anything negative about MLRH. But privately, several Bullfrogs indicated that they would welcome stronger competition.