Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 4, 1993 TAG: 9311040163
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Staff report
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
The Express lost 6-3 to the Charlotte Checkers, but more significantly may have lost the services of captain Dave "Moose" Morissette indefinitely.
Morissette, the Express' captain and inspirational leader, was carried off the ice in the second period after being slashed on his right leg. He was taken to a Charlotte hospital late Wednesday night.
No word was released on Morissette's condition, but Express assistant trainer Chris Pollack said "we fear that he suffered a broken right tibia below the knee."
Roanoke led 1-0 after one period on Conrade Thomas' fifth goal of the season, a power-play banker off a Checker defender.
The Checkers scored twice in a span of 74 seconds in the second period to take a 2-1 lead on a long slap shot by Dan Murphy and Matty Robbins' tip of a Sergei Berdnikov drive.
Roanoke's Ilja Dubkov tied the game at 2 at 11:57 of the second, ripping a 30-foot slapper over the right shoulder of Hunter.
The Express retook a 3-2 lead at 1:56 of the third period on Lev Berdichevsky's breakaway goal off an outlet pass by Oleg Yashin.
From that point, though, it was all Charlotte, which finished by scoring four unanswered goals.
Robbins notched what proved to the game-winner with 14 minutes left, skating past four Roanoke defenders on a three-quarter ice rush and lifting a backhand over Ryder's right shoulder.
Joe Cleary's back-handed stuff and Scott MacNair's empty-net goal iced the Charlotte win.
\ ICE CHIPS: The victory enabled Charlotte (4-4) to pull into a fourth-place tie in the ECHL East at eight points with Hampton Roads (4-1) and Roanoke (4-4). . . . The Express will practice today in Roanoke before hitting the bus again for a Friday game at East Division-leading Raleigh.
Owner Larry Revo's dilemma has intensified in Huntsville, Ala.
After Tuesday's fiasco in which the Blast drew 351 fans for a game delayed 90 minutes due to a large hole in the Von Braun Civic Center ice, ECHL Commissioner Pat Kelly told sources Wednesday that the daily operation of the Huntsville franchise soon may be taken over by the league.
Revo, whose club has drawn only 779 fans its past two home games, informed the club's salaried employees Wednesday that they will be cut back to part-time status.
Two ownership groups, including the owners of Huntsville's Class AA Southern League baseball club, reportedly have inquired about buying the franchise that Revo moved to Huntsville from Vinton in April.
Memo: slightly different version ran in the New River edition.