Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 13, 1993 TAG: 9302130253
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ROANOKE VALLEY HANDLES STORM
If the Toledo Storm squanders the East Coast Hockey League's Western Division title, it may well point to the Roanoke Valley Rampage - of all teams - as the reason.What figured to be an automatic two points for Toledo in the standings - a game with Roanoke Valley - turned into a nightmare for the Storm on Friday as the aroused Rampage won 4-3 in an overtime shootout.
The victory was Roanoke Valley's second in its past 24 games and only its sixth in the past three months.
Forward Chris Smith, the final Roanoke Valley shooter in the five-man shootout rotation, got the game-winner, firing the puck between the legs of Storm goaltender Scott King.
"Everyone before me had tried to go between King's legs, so everyone was telling me not to.
"I came down the ice . . . it's a situation where you really can think. I saw an opening between his legs and stuck the puck through. It was a good feeling to see it hit the back of the net."
The Storm (27-14-11) was not amused by losing to a club that's on pace to rewrite every futility mark in ECHL history.
King, livid at the final result, charged into the visitors' locker and promptly booted a metal folding chair across the room.
Toledo coach Chris McSorley, whose club has lost a season-high five straight games, pinned the unexpected setback on the lack of manpower. His club came to Vinton two men short because of injuries, lost center Alex Hicks and defenseman Derek Booth to injuries in the first period and then lost two skaters when forward Bruce MacDonald and defenseman Rick Corriveau were handed game misconducts in the second period.
"We played with nine skaters the last two periods," McSorley said. "We've got to get some players together in the same uniform. If you don't have your personnel, you're not able to perform."
McSorley, the Storm and the 755 fans on hand must have left the Lot wondering one thing: Who were those guys in white?
Trailing 2-1 after being dominated in the first 20 minutes, the Rampage played like a band of imposters in the second period.
In what was possibly its best period of hockey of the season, the suddenly enraged Rampage (12-37-1) took over, outshooting the Storm 23-10 and scoring two goals to take a 3-2 lead. Two more Roanoke Valley goals were waved off by referee Tim Burton, including Dean Dorchak's rebound poke with 26 seconds on the clock that goal judge Garland Dooley said, "was definitely a goal."
It took a smooth move by McSorley to get his club even. With 6:24 left in regulation, the Storm requested that Burton examine the stick being used by Roanoke Valley's Peter Speranza. Burton took a look at Speranza's timber and ruled it was curved more than the allowed 1/2-inch.
As a result, Toledo got a power play, which it cashed in 1:45 later when defenseman Alex Roberts blistered a 45-foot rising slap shot past Rampage goalie Pete Fry.
In the five-minute overtime, Toledo saw Barry Potomski's apparent game-winning goal at 3:17 disallowed when Burton ruled he kicked the puck into the net.
The Storm also got a rare overtime power-play opportunity with 45 seconds left when Roanoke's Roger Larche slashed Dan Wiebe, but never mustered a shot on goal.
In the shootout, where shooters go 1-on-1 against the opposing goalie, Toledo's Jeff Jablonski and Roanoke's Ken House were the only players to score among each club's first four shooters.
After Fry stopped Rick Judson, Smith lined up at center ice. He skated in and fired the puck between King's legs into the back of the net.
"It's a nice win, shoot, we only have 12, so they're all big," said Roanoke Valley coach Steve Gatzos, whose club already has been eliminated from the ECHL's playoff chase.
"We haven't quit. That's important.
"I can count on one finger how many things have gone right for this club this year. Hey, this is one. Everything we have tried to do here has gone wrong."
\ ICE CHIPS: Roger Larche, picked up from Greensboro in a trade for Trevor Smith earlier this week, paid immediate dividends for the Rampage. Larche had two goals and an assist. . . . Paul Dukovac had the other Roanoke Valley goal. Dorchak had three assists. . . . Toledo fell to 2-10 in overtime, the worst mark in the ECHL. . . . Roanoke Valley is 3-1 in OT. . . . Dorchak was the only one of the Rampage's five leading scorers on the ice. Scott Burfoot (groin) and Jack Williams (hand) are out with injuries, while the other two, Trevor Smith and Craig Endean, are no longer with the club. . . . Toledo center Jim Bermingham is the cousin of former Roanoke Valley hockey player Wayne Mosdell. . . . The Louisville IceHawks make their only visit of the season to the LancerLot tonight. \
see microfilm for box score