ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 8, 1996 TAG: 9603080053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: EXPRESS NOTES
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
Now that Roanoke has clinched a spot in the East Coast Hockey League's Riley Cup playoffs, the Express can turn its attention to potential first-round opponents.
The next three games could go a long way toward determining Roanoke's first-round matchup. The Express plays three East Division rivals in as many days, beginning with tonight's game against the Charlotte Checkers at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Roanoke (32-26-3) is in fifth place in the East, with 67 points, four behind fourth-place Hampton Roads. If the Express finishes the season in fifth place, it will play Richmond, the East's top team. If it finishes fourth, it will play the East's No. 2 team, which almost assuredly will be Charlotte.
Either way, it will be a tough first-round assignment for the Express.
``I don't think we're afraid of Richmond, even though they're the best team in the league,'' said Express forward Craig Herr. ``If you want to win, you've got to beat anybody at any time. Greensboro was the No.15 seed last year, and they made it all the way to the finals'' before losing to Richmond.
``But if we get to fourth, great,'' Herr added. ``We want to move higher, just because we need to start playing better. This year we want to try to peak in the playoffs.''
Even though Richmond (42-9-11) has the ECHL's top points total (95), the Checkers will be just as formidable. After stumbling out of the gate, Charlotte (40-16-4) has been one of the league's best teams. The Checkers have won eight in a row and are 19-4-2 in their past 25 games.
``Charlotte is the hottest team in the league,'' said Frank Anzalone, the Express' coach. ``They are on fire - more than anybody else.''
This is the first year of an ECHL playoff format that pits division rivals against one another in the first round. Last year, the 16 playoff teams were seeded based on total points. This year, in hopes of boosting disappointing attendance for playoff games, most teams will face a divisional rival in the first round.
Not that the Express is ducking anyone, but it wouldn't mind avoiding Richmond in the first round. If it could vault into third, it would have the luxury of playing outside the East. The third-place team in each of the three divisions opens the playoffs against a non-divisional opponent.
The third-place team with the best record will play the ECHL's wild-card team - the sixth-place team with the best record - in the first round. The other two No.3 teams will play each other.
With home games against Charlotte today and South Carolina on Saturday and a game at Hampton Roads on Sunday, the Express has an opportunity this weekend to move up.
``We've beaten Richmond. We've beaten Charlotte,'' said Express wing Jeff Jablonski. ``So we know we can do it. Still, it would be tough to open the playoffs against the best team in the whole league.''
LOW GOALS: It's no secret the Express has struggled to score goals this season. Only two teams (Raleigh and Erie) had scored fewer than Roanoke's 200 goals through 61 games. The Express has not scored more than four goals in a game since Dec.30.
``We're well aware that we're only scoring three goals a game,'' said Jablonski, who leads Roanoke with 34 goals. ``It's hard to say why [the Express is a low-scoring team]. We've got guys who have gotten pretty good opportunities. We're just having trouble. Scoring's not easy to teach. You've either got it or you don't.''
Some guys haven't had the touch lately. Even proven scorers such as Jeff Jestadt, the leading goal-scorer in franchise history, and Ilya Dubkov, the Express' all-time leading points scorer, have struggled.
Dubkov broke out of a slump with a hat trick in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Mobile. Jestadt hasn't scored a goal in 11 consecutive games and has one goal in his past 16 games.
The list goes on: ECHL All-Star Tim Christian hasn't scored in 17 consecutive games; Dave Holum has one goal and one assist in his past 16 games; Jason Clarke has one goal in nine games; Karry Biette has one goal (an empty-netter) in 11 games; and Chris Potter, who has fought injuries and illness, has one goal in 15 games.
Herr, who has battled myriad injuries this season, has one goal in 19 games.
``I hate to say it, but we're having trouble scoring,'' Herr said. ``Everyone's hoping the guys break out of slumps.''
ICE CHIPS: The Express has won a franchise record-tying eight consecutive games at home and has given up a total of 16 goals in those victories. Roanoke is 13-2-0 in its past 15 games at the civic center. ... The Express scored 32 goals in 13 February games, with 13 coming from defensemen. ... Roanoke's 20 home victories are tied for third-most in the league.
LENGTH: Medium: 86 linesby CNB