Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 6, 1993 TAG: 9311060178
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Staff report
DATELINE: RALEIGH, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
The loss spoiled a hat trick by Express left wing Lev Berdichevsky on his 28th birthday and dropped Roanoke (4-5) below .500 for the first time this season. East Division-leading Raleigh improved its record to 7-1-1.
Trailing 4-1 entering the third period, Roanoke closed to 4-3 on a pair of Berdichevsky goals in a span of 2 minutes, 5 seconds. The first one was a slap shot from the right faceoff circle; the second one a breakaway off an outlet pass by Oleg Yashin.
Referee Marc Joanette did not call a penalty on Roanoke until 3:32 remained in the game, sending defenseman Will Averill off for tripping IceCaps forward Jim Powers.
With the Raleigh power play almost over, Al Leggett's dump-in off the left-rear glass behind the Express goal bounced straight into the slot, instead of behind the net where Roanoke goalie Dan Ryder was waiting, and wide-open Barry Nieckar scored his first goal of the season with 2:12 left to seal the verdict.
Raleigh's Kevin Riehl opened the scoring at 4:35 of the first period, taking David Shute's deflected centering pass and walking in alone on Ryder, lifting a shot just under the crossbar for his fifth goal of the season.
Once again, the second period proved fatal for the Express, as Raleigh netted three goals. The Express has been outscored 17-5 in the second period on the road this season.
Chris Nelson slapped Donevan Hextall's faceoff draw past Ryder from the right point at 2:06 of the second to make it a 2-0 Raleigh lead.
Berdichevsky netted his first goal of the night and 10th point in his past five games, slipping a breakaway backhand shot past Raleigh goalie Chad Erickson's stick side at 6:31 of the second.
The loss was Roanoke's fourth in a row on the road. Despite outshooting Raleigh 31-27, the ECHL's top-ranked defense stymied the Express for the majority of the evening.
\ ICE CHIPS: Express forward Ladislav Svoboda, playing for the first time in three games, was carried off the ice in the second period after being hit from behind into his own bench by Nieckar. Svoboda, who led the Express in preseason scoring but had been scratched from the lineup the past two games, did not return and suffered possible ligament damage to his right leg. . . . Enforcer Dave "Moose" Morissette, injured in Wednesday's loss at Charlotte, did not suit up. . . . Berdichevsky's hat trick was Roanoke's second of the season. Forward Pat Ferschweiler recorded the first three-goal game in Express history in a 7-5 victory at Charlotte on Oct. 28. Berdichevsky, who missed three games because of injury, has a team-high eight goals. . . . Roanoke, which has played six of its first nine games on the road, is idle until Tuesday, when it entertains the Charlotte Checkers at 7 p.m. at the Roanoke Civic Center. Roanoke is unbeaten in three games on home ice. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB