Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 18, 1994 TAG: 9403180090
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When it steams back home early Monday, the Express hopes to be carrying valuable cargo - an East Coast Hockey League playoff berth.
Because of Richmond's 4-3 home loss to South Carolina on Wednesday, the Express could pick up the goods it has been seeking tonight in Huntsville, Ala.
If Roanoke (34-27-3) beats the Blast and Richmond (31-28-5) fails to gain at least one point tonight at South Carolina, the Express will clinch a playoff berth.
"We're not out of the woods yet," said Frank Anzalone, Roanoke's coach. "We just need to go out on the road and get the job done. Hopefully, we'll come home with what we've been playing for all season long."
Roanoke's magic number is four. Any combination of Express victories (two points) and overtime or shootout losses (one point) combined with Renegades losses (two points) and overtime or shootout losses (one point) totaling four will eliminate Richmond.
The Express, which goes to Birmingham on Saturday and Nashville on Sunday, got some help when South Carolina defeated Richmond on Wednesday. If Roanoke wins two of its final four games - the Express finishes the season at home Tuesday against Huntington - it makes no difference what Richmond what does in its last four.
Roanoke also has a chance to overhaul South Carolina (32-24-9) for fifth place in the ECHL East Division. The Stingrays lead the Express by two points, but Roanoke has played one fewer game.
It would be ironic if Roanoke clinched in Huntsville. The Blast (19-37-9) is the spinoff of the Express' Roanoke predecessor - the Roanoke Valley Rampage. Owner Larry Revo moved the club from Roanoke to Huntsville at the end of the 1992-93 season.
"We'd like to get this playoff thing done as soon as possible," Express forward Tony Szabo said. "We've been chasing this for five months and 64 games. Let's go ahead and get it over with."
The Express will be without high-scoring forward Lev Berdichevsky tonight. Berdichevsky, whose return from Adirondack sparked Roanoke in a 6-2 home victory over South Carolina on Tuesday, rejoined the American Hockey League club Wednesday.
"They [Adirondack officials] say we might get Lev back [today]," Anzalone said. "But how many flights can Lev make in four days? I don't think he's coming back and forth. Lev doesn't like to fly anyway."
Roanoke also will be without its captain, Dave "Moose" Morissette, for tonight's game. Morissette will be serving a one-game suspension for collecting another "aggressor" game-misconduct penalty Tuesday.
If Roanoke makes the playoffs, the best-of-three first-round series would open Wednesday at the Roanoke Civic Center. The final two games of the series would be played at the opponent's rink.
If Roanoke finishes sixth, its likely first-round opponent would be Hampton Roads, which entered Thursday with a six-point lead over second-place Greensboro in the ECHL East. If Roanoke finishes fifth, it might see any one of three clubs - Greensboro, Raleigh or Charlotte.
by CNB