
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 11, 1994                   TAG: 9401110077
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

KNEE NOT ALL THAT HURTS FOR MORISSETTE

Forget the pain in his left knee. Dave "Moose" Morissette says the most difficult part of his rehabilitation from knee surgery undoubtedly will flare up tonight when the Roanoke Express meets the Charlotte Checkers at the Roanoke Civic Center.

"I'm going to hate to be sitting in those stands," Morissette said. "There's nothing worse for a hockey player than having to sit in the stands and watch a game. It's going to hurt. I wish I could be out there."

Morissette, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last Thursday in Roanoke, is expected to be out of the lineup from two to five weeks.

Morissette said the knee had been bothering him for six weeks and got worse as the Express hit its hectic late-December schedule.

"Playing all those games in such a short time took its toll," Morissette said. "It kept getting worse and worse. It was almost to the point where I couldn't skate anymore. I was having to ice [the knee] after every period.

"With the club battling for a playoff spot, I wanted to keep playing. I told them to get me a brace. But Frank [Anzalone, Express coach] and Pierre [Paiement, Express general manager] decided after last Wednesday's game that we should operate now.

"They were just looking after Dave Morissette the hockey player, and I appreciate that. Some people would have just told me to take a week off and try to come back."

Paiement said the club didn't want to take any chance on not having its captain and top enforcer for the East Coast Hockey League stretch drive.

"We want Moose at full strength for later," Paiement said. "That's why we took care of it now. He was in bad shape. He could barely make it back to the bench after one shift on Wednesday. He was hurting."

Paiement said Dr. T.K. Miller, who performed the surgery, said Morissette had a torn ligament in the knee. Paiement said Miller was "very positive" about the operation.

"[Miller] said he should be as good as new in four, five weeks," Paiement said.

"I think the guys can handle themselves," said Morissette, 22. "I was a little scared that other teams might try and intimidate them without me in the lineup. That's why I wanted to wear the brace and keep playing. But if the guys stick together and show the other teams they're not scared, they'll be OK without me."

\ ICE CHIPS: Roanoke puts its ECHL-high eight-game home winning streak on the line tonight against Charlotte. A win would move Roanoke (19-16-1) into a fourth-place tie with Charlotte (20-13-1) in the ECHL East. . . . The Express has won three games in a row and is 12-5-1 since Nov. 27. . . . Express right wing Tony Szabo is the hottest thing going in the ECHL. Szabo's club-record 15-game points streak is the fourth-longest such streak this season in the ECHL. Szabo has 14 goals and 18 assists during the 15-game run.

by CNB