
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, October 30, 1995                   TAG: 9510300103
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: WHEELING, W.VA.                                LENGTH: Medium

EXPRESS DROPS 3-2 VERDICT

Samuel Groleau's power-play goal with less than nine minutes remaining capped a two-goal third-period rally Sunday night as the Wheeling Thunderbirds defeated the Roanoke Express 3-2 in an East Coast Hockey League game.

Groleau corralled a back-door pass from Ron Wilson and beat Express goaltender Mike Parson just under the crossbar with Dave Stewart off the ice for roughing, his fourth minor penalty of the game.

Former Express forward Gairin Smith, who set up Wheeling's first goal, tied the score for Wheeling early in the third period after Roanoke had led 2-1 through two periods.

Smith tipped in the rebound after Parson stopped Pat Barton's soft right-wing shot at 6:13 of the third. Parson and Stewart argued with referee Brad Beer that the puck was kicked in, but to no avail. Beer had waved off two apparent Express goals in the second period, ruling both hit the crossbar, despite the red light coming on after the first one and all five Express players raising their sticks on the second.

Wheeling enforcer John Badduke scored his first goal of the season at 5:40 of the second period, one-timing a right-point feed from Smith past Parson on the stick side.

Roanoke dominated play the reminder of the period, and Jeff Jestadt beat Wheeling's 19-year-old rookie netminder Tomas Vokoun on a rebound at 14:56 to tie the score at 1.

Jeff Jablonski's late second-period breakaway goal, after Ilya Dubkov deflected a cross-point pass, gave the Express its only lead at the 18:39 mark of the second period.

However, Roanoke's ineffectiveness with the man advantage proved fatal, as the Express finished 0-for-7 on the power play, including a four-minute high-sticking double minor on Wheeling's Brock Woods early in the second period. The recipient of Woods' infraction, Express wing Brian Gallentine, suffered a cut on his face and did not return to the game.

Wheeling (4-2-1) won its first home game of the season after an 0-2-1 start at the Thunderdome. The Express (4-4-0) fell for the fourth time in six meetings with the Thunderbirds.

ICE CHIPS: Scratched from the Express lineup were defenseman Nick Jones and winger Mike Stachi. The loss marked only the fourth time in franchise history, out of 65 situations, the Express has lost a game when leading after two periods. The Express four-game trip concludes Tuesday night against the Erie (Pa.) Panthers

by CNB