Worried Winger

No one has been more disturbed by the way the Bullfrogs have been playing lately than their usually quiet right winger, Sean Whyte.

The Bullfrogs are out of sync but have been finding ways to win. They still figure to be heavy favorites to take their third consecutive in-line title when the Roller Hockey International playoffs begin this afternoon at the Arrowhead Pond.

But Anaheim will likely be without its second-leading scorer, Kevin St. Jacques, who broke his hand in a 6-4 victory over Las Vegas last Sunday. And Whyte, valued more for his checking and defense than his 13 goals and 26 assists, is concerned, despite the Bullfrogs finishing the regular season on a seven-game winning streak.

“We definitely need to find a way to play better the next few days,” Whyte said. “I guess we’ll just have to do it with a lot of hard work. We’ve got two days to practice and maybe that will help us get things right.”

The Bullfrogs, winners of RHI’s Western Division, and the St. Louis Vipers, winners of the Eastern Division, will sit out today’s opening round.

The Minnesota Blue Ox and Buffalo Wings play at 4:30 today, with the winner advancing to play St. Louis in one semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The San Jose Rhinos meet the Las Vegas Coyotes at 7:30 tonight, with the winner meeting the Bullfrogs in the other semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

The championship game is Sunday at 6 p.m., and Whyte knows how difficult it will be for the Bullfrogs to be there if they continue playing at their current level.

“It only takes one loss now and you’re out.” he said.

A fierce competitor, Whyte (6-foot-1, 235 pounds) criticized his team’s play after a 5-4 shootout victory over last-place Dallas on Monday. Whyte’s winning penalty shot was one of the few highlights of an otherwise dreadful outing.

The team has followed a similar pattern in the past few weeks: It usually trails at halftime, rallies to get even in the third quarter and eventually wins by a goal or two.

“I think our man-to-man defense needs a little work,” Whyte said. “We tend to play too much zone, particularly late in the game, and you just can’t do that in roller hockey. And our power-play needs help, although I think our penalty killing has been good. We just need two more wins and we need to find a way to do it.”

Whyte, 29, played in 18 games for the Kings in the 1992-93 NHL season but quickly went back to the minor leagues. He broke into in-line hockey in 1995 with the now defunct Phoenix Cobras and totaled 18 goals and 29 assists his first season.

He joined the Bullfrogs mid-season in 1996 and helped the team advance to the RHI semifinals. A year later, he appeared in only eight regular-season games, but all seven playoff games as the Bullfrogs won the RHI title.

Last season, he produced his finest defensive effort and helped the Bullfrogs win their third league title since the team’s inception in 1993, this time in Major League Roller Hockey.

Whyte, who intends to skate a third ice hockey season with the Phoenix Mustangs of the West Coast Hockey League in the fall, says he doesn’t care who the Bullfrogs play Thursday.

Anaheim won all six regular-season games from Las Vegas but was only 3-2-1 against San Jose, including two games that went to shootouts.

“We have a few key guys that come back every year and they set the tone,” Whyte said. “Certain guys here can play. They’re true winners, like it or not, and those few rub off on everyone else. That’s why this team has done so well over the years.”