Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 19, 1994 TAG: 9403190142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HUNTSVILLE, ALA. LENGTH: Medium
On a night when it hoped to clinch an East Coast Hockey League playoff berth, the Express instead was administered a costly double-whammy Friday at the Von Braun Civic Center.
The lowly Huntsville Blast, the spinoff of the Express' Roanoke predecessor, the Roanoke Valley Rampage, rode a sterling performance by former Rampage goalie Todd Chin and stunned the Express 7-5.
The Roanoke loss, coupled with Richmond's 6-1 victory at South Carolina on Friday, kept the Express' magic number at four for eliminating the Renegades from the playoff chase in the ECHL East.
With three games left in the 68-game regular season, sixth-place Roanoke (34-28-3) leads seventh-place Richmond (32-28-5) by two points.
The Express can thank Chin for its predicament.
Chin swatted away 54 of 59 shots as the Blast (20-37-9) picked up its first victory of the season over an East Division opponent. Before Friday, Huntsville had gone 0-10-3 against the East.
After taking it on the chin in a game the Express figured to win, Roanoke coach Frank Anzalone and his players had a difficult time finding alibis.
"We didn't look like a club that wanted to get it done . . . a club going for a playoff spot," Anzalone said. "It's unfortunate, but I guess that's the way she goes. I don't know what to think about this club right now."
Express forward Tony Szabo said his club played "like it was on a vacation or something."
"I think everybody just expected to show up and kick Huntsville's rear end," Szabo said. "Well, we were in la-la land all night. You get 59 shots, yeah, you expect to win.
"Am I worried about [making the playoffs]? I am. I don't know about everybody else."
Despite spending most of the first period in the Huntsville end of the rink, outshooting the hosts 23-13, the Express somehow skated off the ice down 3-0.
While Chin fended off one Roanoke flurry after another, the Blast took full advantage of the few chances it mustered in the Roanoke end.
Craig Herr made it 1-0 at the 1-minute, 56-second mark, blocking a clearing attempt by Roanoke goalie Paul Cohen in the slot and swiping the loose puck into the net.
The Blast cashed in on another power-play opportunity 13 1/2 minutes later when Mike Jorgensen ripped a 15-footer from the low right circle off Cohen's left leg into the net.
Jorgensen struck again with 2:59 left in the period, taking a Chris Belanger centering pass in the slot and stuffing it past Cohen.
"We gave up way too many soft goals," Anzalone said. "Cohen had an off night and he didn't get much help."
After Szabo got Roanoke on the scoreboard, beating Chin with a bad-angle 15-footer 48 seconds into the second period, Huntsville quelled any Express comeback hopes when Ken House scored five minutes later.
Express defenseman Will Averill then buried his club at the 7:56 mark, drawing a five-minute major and a game misconduct for checking Huntsville's Mario Deslisle into the boards from behind.
The Blast made it 5-1 during the power play as Scott Burfoot took the puck away from Roanoke defenseman Trevor Burgess, skated in alone on Cohen and scored.
Huntsville stretched the lead to 6-1 early in the third period.
Roanoke scored four goals in the game's final 10:33 to make the score respectable.
\ ICE CHIPS: The Express had expected to get Lev Berdichevsky back from Adirondack on Friday, but the Russian was waylaid in New York by faulty plane connections, Roanoke general manager Pierre Paiement said. It was uncertain whether Berdichevsky would join up with the club before tonight's game at Birmingham. . . . Anzalone benched Cohen in favor of Russian Andrei Mezin at the start of the third period. Mezin gave up one goal on three shots in his pro debut. . . . The 59 shots on goal were a Roanoke record. . . . Express captain Dave "Moose" Morissette was not suspended for Friday's game as Anzalone believed would be the case. The Express enforcer pummelled Huntsville's Kurt Walsten into submission in a fight at the 55-second mark of first period.
by CNB