Suffolk News-Herald

Last year, Jason Morgan burned up NHL rinks for Calgary and Nashville. As the 2004-05 season started, the center was sharpening his skills for the Norfolk Admirals, just one step down from heading back to the big leagues for Chicago.

Then, on Wednesday, Morgan and his teammates found out that their dream would be put on hold for another year. A dispute between the players’ organization and the owners forced the NHL to become the first North American professional sports league to cancel an entire season.

&uot;I don’t know how much they’re going to talk over the next year,&uot; Morgan said Friday after the Admirals’ morning practice. Going into Friday night’s home game against Hershey, the local squad was third in the American Hockey League East with a 28-16 record. &uot;Both sides have good points, but I don’t know if they could take losing two seasons.&uot;

He’s one of 15 members of the team that played in the NHL last year. Travis Moen played left wing for the Blackhawks.

&uot;It’s frustrating to be down here in the minors for a year, knowing we won’t be able to make it,&uot; Moen said. &uot;We have a dream to be up there. It would have been tough, but I thought I had a pretty good shot.&uot;

The team’s top goalie, Michael Leighton has played in 30 games this year (four less than he played last year in the Windy City), allowing just 2.06 goals per game.

&uot;It’s definitely disappointing,&uot; he said of the lockout. &uot;It’s hurt hockey. It’s very disappointing for the players, the fans and the coaches. I’m open to wherever I could play, the AHL, Europe, wherever.&uot;

In his home in Ontario over the past few weeks, Shawn Thornton saw lockout updates everywhere he looked.

&uot;There were about six pages in the newspaper about it every day,&uot; said Thornton, who scored a goal for Chicago last year. &uot;The front pages would have two, and there would be four more in the sports section. People thought they could bridge the gap, but it was too big.

&uot;I hope (the Admirals) can bring more fans out,&uot; he said. &uot;I hope they stay interested and don’t find another hobby to take their time.&uot;

Being the only game in town for a while might help the team, Morgan said.

&uot;We’re ready to go up,&uot; he said, &uot;but while we’re here, we’re focused on the Admirals. In the past, a club could lose a few players if they got called up by the parent club, but now we’re all here, and we know we’re not going anywhere, so we’re going to focus on going as far as we can.&uot;