Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 16, 1994 TAG: 9401160154
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Staff report
DATELINE: COLUMBUS, OHIO LENGTH: Medium
Berdichevsky's five-point evening tied a team record set this season by Ilja Dubkov and helped the Express (21-17-1) snap the Chill's nine-game winning streak. Columbus is 24-12-2.
Oleg Yashin opened the scoring at the 1-minute, 10-second mark, taking a drop pass from Dubkov in the high slot and wristing a 35-foot shot to the right of Chill goalie Sergei Khramtsov.
Berdichevsky then started his natural hat trick at the 6:04 mark, intercepting a Jesse Cooper outlet pass, and one-timing his 30th goal of the season just under the crossbar. The red light never came on, but referee Jared Ruddy, who would eject Columbus coach Terry Ruskowski, immediately signaled the goal was good.
After Berdichevsky's goal, Ruskowski refused to close the gate to the Chill's bench as he continued screaming at Ruddy. Ruddy then dropped the puck for the center-ice faceoff, and he immediately whistled Ruskowski for delay of game.
Twenty-five seconds later, Berdichevsky took a back-door feed from Yashin at the right circle and slapped home his second goal.
Berdichevsky scored his third consecutive goal at the 11:08 mark, banging home the rebound of a Yashin shot to make it 4-0 at the first intermission.
Clayton Young, the Chill's All-Star center, scored his 32nd goal of the season early in the second period by flipping a backhand shot from 15 feet past goalie Paul Cohen, making his first start for Roanoke.
The Express countered six minutes later on the power play, as Gairin Smith swiped a left-wing board feed from Pat Ferschweiler through the legs of the Columbus goalie.
Roanoke scored its third power-play goal of the evening 45 seconds later as Ferschweiler deflected a left-point drive by Will Averill over the Chill's goalie at 7:36. The Express made it 7-1 as Berdichevsky completed his goal scoring by jamming home a rebound at 12:28 on the power play.
Ruskowski became enraged with Ruddy as the Chill clearing attempt hit the referee in the foot seconds before Berdichevsky's fourth goal. Ruskowski responded by littering the ice with the Columbus stick rack and assorted water bottles before being ejected.
Roanoke gave up its league-leading 14th short-handed goal of the season off the stick of Rob Schriner to cut the Express margin to 7-2 through two periods. Newcomer Tom Holdeman scored Roanoke's fifth power-play goal of the evening in 15 chances with 1:54 to play.
The Express travels to Wheeling, W.Va., today to meet the Thunderbirds before coming home to play Johnstown on Tuesday night in search of its 10th consecutive victory at the Roanoke Civic Center.
by CNB