Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 5, 1994 TAG: 9403050189
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In an effort that had the boo birds singing at a season-high pitch, the Express got its caboose cleaned in an embarrassing 9-3 loss to the Raleigh IceCaps.
Roanoke fighting for an East Coast Hockey League playoff berth? The uninformed never would have known it from watching this one - the most lopsided home loss in Express history.
"Right now, it's like the tragedy is there in front of us," said Roanoke coach Frank Anzalone, outside a quiet locker room.
"The car accident is right there and you've been told. Now we have two choices - to try to drive the old thing around town or get a new one. Ain't much chance at the second one."
"This is the worst pummeling we've taken. We just let our game steamroll downhill and got squashed. We got our lunch handed to us, that's all there is to it."
The IceCaps (33-19-7) didn't bother to leave table scraps. Raleigh got two cheap goals in the first period - the first courtesy of a major blunder by Express goalie Dan Ryder - and never backed off in completing a three-game season sweep in Roanoke's building.
Raleigh tacked on four more goals in the second period - the first three off Ryder before Anzalone mercifully summoned backup Paul Cohen.
As the Express (32-25-3) skated off trailing 6-1, the fickle faithful took up the abuse where Raleigh left off, serenading the hosts with a chorus of boos.
One fan, who later was nabbed and escorted from the building, took out his wrath on Anzalone as the coach left the ice for the locker room.
"Some idiot was yelling at Coach," Ryder said. "The coach doesn't need that. Frank is a teacher in practice, but during the game it has nothing to do with Frank. He just stands on the bench. We're the guys on the ice making the mistakes."
Ryder hurled his blocker and hit the fan. Meanwhile, Anzalone made it up four steps in an effort to get at the fan before being halted by a security guard.
"I understand the boos," Anzalone said, "but I don't understand the verbal abuse.
"Fans are fickle and they turn in a hurry. We've won 32 games this year. I understand the fans' point of view to an extent. We should be booed. We deserved to be booed."
Ryder, to his credit, admitted to being the night's biggest boob. The San Jose Sharks' farmhand set the tone for the evening early, giving up a short-handed goal by Rick Barkovich after he strayed into the 804 area code - some 45 feet from the net - trying to retrieve a loose puck.
"I lost the puck in the lights," Ryder said, "and by the time I saw it come down I was caught too far away [from the net]."
With 23 seconds left in the first period, Ryder got beat on another softie - a slow-moving 20-foot deflection off the stick of Raleigh's Lyle Wildgoose.
"We outplayed 'em in the period and come off down 2-zip," Ryder said. "This whole game is my fault. I struggled. I started fighting the puck and let some bad goals in."
Attempting to save some face in the third period, the Express scored twice in the first 2:13 to close to 6-3. The second goal came in a six-on-five situation as Anzalone elected to pull Cohen at the two-minute mark.
Down three with 16 minutes left, Anzalone decided to keep rolling the dice. With the puck in the IceCaps' end, Cohen skated off again. This time, Wildgoose made Roanoke pay, scoring an empty-net goal from the blue line.
"We had to gamble. We had nothing to lose at that point," Anzalone said of pulling his goalie early. "But even then we were still turning the puck over. We're just not focused on what made us a good team.
"Hey, we're not happy about this. I'm sick. I'm happy it's over."
\ ICE CHIPS: It was the sixth and final meeting between the two clubs. Raleigh won five of six, including two in overtime. . . . Despite the loss, Roanoke's magic number for making the playoffs was shaved to 12 points when Richmond lost 7-1 at Dayton on Friday. . . . Wildgoose completed a hat trick when he scored the Ice Caps' eighth goal, with 8:36 left. . . . Barkovich's short-handed goal was the league-leading 18th against Roanoke. . . . The Wheeling Thunderbirds make their only visit of the season to Roanoke tonight. The game is the Express' final Saturday home date of the regular season.
by CNB