Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 2, 1991 TAG: 9102020368
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Forty-eight hours after registering a big road victory at Johnstown, the Rebels gave it back Friday night at the LancerLot, losing 5-3 to the visiting Chiefs.
So instead of moving into a second-place tie with Johnstown (25-19-2) in the East Coast Hockey League's tight Eastern Division race, Roanoke Valley (21-21-6) finds itself only four points ahead of last-place Erie.
"We seem to have a tough time gaining any momentum," said Rebels coach Claude Noel, admittedly perturbed by his team's inconsistent play.
"We don't have to be reminded of what kind of weekend this is for us. It was a chance to beat some people and make a big jump in the standings," Noel said.
The Rebels jumped Friday - into a defensive hole, that is.
Catching the Rebels out of position defensively time and time again, the Chiefs executed their breakaway like a basketball team conducting a pregame layup drill.
And when the breakaway wasn't there, the Chiefs simply fired the puck on net and cashed in wide-open rebounds that the Rebels' defense failed to clear.
Johnstown led 2-0 after one period, 5-1 after two. And it was over.
Third-period goals by Roanoke Valley's Marco Fuster and Steve Gatzos simply made the final score respectable.
"We played well in the third period, but by then it was way too late," Noel said. "The second period was a killer. We were just terrible in our own zone. There were major defensive breakdowns and they kept getting two-on-ones, three-on-ones.
"We just weren't there. There were guys not wanting to do the job."
Johnstown scored three times in the final 8:08 of the period to take a commanding lead.
Besides the line of Gatzos, Peter Kasowski and Brian Bellefeuille, the Rebels got nothing offensively.
Johnstown's Dave Buda was the prime beneficiary of the Rebels' defensive lapse. Buda paced the Chiefs with two goals, his 40th and 41st, and two assists.
Brian Ferreira added a goal and two assists for Johnstown.
Goalie Mike Parson, sent down from Maine of the American Hockey League in exchange for Chris Harvey, turned in a strong effort for the Chiefs, stopping 34 of 37 shots.
\ ICE CHIPS: Paul Willett has signed a contract with the NHL's Los Angeles Kings. Willett, who scored 21 goals and had 29 assists in 29 games with the Rebels, is with the Kings' AHL farm club at New Haven, Conn. . . . Gatzos' goal was his second short-handed goal in two games, the club's third in three games. . . . Fuster's power-play goal ended a streak of 17 straight unsuccessful power plays for Roanoke Valley. . . . Cincinnati drew an ECHL-record 10,070 fans for its 4-3 victory over Greensboro on Friday. . . . Richmond, an 11-2 winner in its last visit to the LancerLot on Jan. 5, rolls into town tonight. The slumping Renegades (21-23-5) trail third-place Roanoke Valley by one point.
Johnstown 230-5 Roanoke Valley 012-3
First period-1, Johnstown, Buda 40 (Ferreira, Hrytsak), 5:08. 2, Johnstown, Buda 41 (Messuri), 12:40. Penalties-Hrytsak, Jo (tripping), 5:42; Heine, RV (holding), 8:05.
Second period-3, Roanoke Valley, Kasowski 14 (Bellefeuille, Heine), 4:02; 4, Johnstown, Ferreira (Messuri, Buda), 11:52. 5, Johnstown, Grassie 7 (Buda, Messuri), 18:28. 6, Johnstown, Cruickshank 28 (MacVicar, Ferreira), 19:59. Penalties-Kasowski, RV (high-sticking), 1:08; Aubrey, RV (roughing), 6:45; Allain, Jo (hooking), 7:51; Florio (tripping), 13:49; Schwartz, (fighting major), 17:32; Heine, RV (fighting major), 17:32.
Third period-7, Roanoke Valley, Fuster 15 (Kasowski, Wilson), 12:30 (pp). 8, Roanoke Valley, Gatzos 6, 17:23 (sh). Penalties-Cruickshank, Jo (hooking), 11:00; Aubrey, RV (hooking), 16:33; Wilson, RV (high-sticking), 19:34.
Shots on goal-Johnstown 13-17-5-35. Roanoke Valley 9-11-17-37.
Power-play opportunities-Johnstown 0 of 5. Roanoke Valley 1 of 4.
Goalies-Johnstown, Parson (37 shots-34 saves). Roanoke Valley, Horn (30-25), Morschauser, entered game at start of 3rd, (5-5).
A-1,407.
by CNB