Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 21, 1994 TAG: 9403210122
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NASHVILLE, TENN. LENGTH: Long
After five long months and 67 grueling games, the Express finally nailed down an ECHL playoff berth Sunday night, outlasting the Nashville Knights 4-3 in a shootout.
In a game that looked like it would never end, the Express had to go 11 rounds in the shootout before winning.
Defensmen Trevor Burgess supplied the winning goal, beating Knights goalie Jamie Stewart on a backhand move.
When Roanoke goalie Paul Cohen got a piece of Brandon Coates' shot, sending it over the net, the Express bench erupted in joy and tackled Cohen in front of the goal.
"Man, we took it right down to the end," said Roanoke coach Frank Anzalone, relieved that his club's relentless chase for a playoff bid finally was over. "Give these guys a lot of credit. A couple of weeks ago it looked like we might not make it. Richmond refused to lose, and things just seemed to keep getting tighter and tighter.
"This club deserves to go to the playoffs. We won two tough games in shootouts in two tough buildings on two straight nights. I'm just glad it's finally over, and we can get on that bus and go home."
Cohen, who stopped all but two of Nashville's 11 shooters in the shootout, said he never doubted this club.
"This team had too much talent and character not to make it," Cohen said. "We hit a little rough spot a few weeks ago, but we never folded the tent. It was can of corn, what are you talking about?"
After each club's second shooter - Tony Szabo for Roanoke and Tim Sullivan for Nashville - and sixth shooter - Roanoke's Ilja Dubkov and Nashville's Gerry Daley - scored, Cohen and Stewart matched saves until round 11 of the shootout.
Burgess, who had scored one goal in his previous 16 games, finally solved Stewart, shoveling the puck under the Nashville goalie on a low backhand.
"It's definitely a big relief to get this thing over with," Burgess said. "There were times the last few weeks when I didn't know if we'd ever get this thing done."
Defenseman Chris Potter added: "I was about to have a heart attack during the shootout. This team definitely isn't for the faint of heart."
The victory clinched fifth place in the ECHL East for Roanoke (36-28-3). The Express will open the best-of-three first round of the playoffs on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Roanoke Civic Center against the second-place finisher in the East - either Hampton Roads, Greensboro or Raleigh.
"We'll take a day off to savor this and then think about the playoffs," Anzalone said. "We're just glad to be playing somebody."
Daley, who played 13 games for Roanoke before being traded in late November, almost spoiled the Express' party, tying the score at 3-3 with 6 minutes and 11 seconds remaining in regulation.
Battered, bruised and tired from Saturday's grinding 3-2 win in Birmingham, the Express got a quick boost from Dubkov. The Russian scored 2:46 into the game, punching home a point-blank rebound of Tom Holdeman's drive off the pads of Stewart.
Cohen, spectacular in Roanoke's win at Birmingham, made it stand up until the 5:50 mark of the second period. Nashville's Dean Gerard, set up when Coates swiped a Roanoke clearing pass, skated in alone, deked Cohen to the ice and fired the puck into a wide-open net.
It appeared the teams would skate off to the second intermission tied at 1-1 when Roanoke struck with 11 seconds left in the period.
Pat Ferschweiler, taking a pass off the right wing boards from Szabo, zipped down the ice alone and beat Stewart to give the Express a 2-1 lead. It was his first goal since Feb. 22, a span of 10 games.
Nashville (26-35-6), already in the playoffs in the weak West Division, came right back, tying the game at 2-2 on Sullivan's rebound goal at 7:51 of the third period.
Roanoke regained the lead for the third time with 8:44 left in regulation on Keith Cyr's wrist shot from the right circle.
But Nashville answered again 2:33 later when Daley picked up the puck at center ice, raced past defenseman Claude Barthe and beat Cohen to the stick side.
\ ICE CHIPS: It's conceivable that forward Gairin Smith has played his last game this season for Roanoke. Smith, who received a double-game misconduct in a brawl Saturday in Birmingham, was slapped with a five-game suspension on Sunday by ECHL commissioner Pat Kelly. Smith sat out Sunday's game and will be unavailable for Tuesday's regular-season finale against Huntington plus three playoff games . . . Express enforcer Dave "Moose" Morissette, whose sore right knee kept him on the bench for the third period in Birmingham, was back in form Sunday, dropping the gloves with Knights penalty-minute leader Stephen Corfmat 6:12 into the game . . . Roanoke went 12-9-1 in its final 22 road games to finish 15-18-1 away from home . . . The Express didn't have to contend with Link Gaetz, who rung up 261 penalty minutes in 24 games with Nashville. Gaetz was given his walking papers last week after an altercation with Nashville coach Nick Fotiu. Gaetz, one of hockey's most publicized goons, has resurfaced in the Florida-based Sunshine Hockey League.
by CNB