Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 23, 1994 TAG: 9401220237
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Roanoke Express can doJ something the rest of the East Coast Hockey League's Eastern Division can't: Beat the Greensboro Monarchs.
The upstart Express showed it still has the powerhouse Monarchs' number Friday night, beating Greensboro 3-1 before a crowd of 5,455 at the Roanoke Civic Center.
The victory was the Express' third in as many games this season against Greensboro in Roanoke. The Monarchs won the only meeting in Greensboro, 6-5 in a shootout. The Express is the only club in the seven-team East Division with a winning record against the Monarchs.
Lev Berdichevsky's goal with 4 minutes, 28 seconds left - a point-blank one-timer from the right slot that beat Monarchs goalie Tom Newman low to the stick side - decided the physically played contest.
Tony Szabo iced Roanoke's 10th victory in its past 11 home games, scoring an empty-net goal with 1:03 left.
"It's a heck of a good team win against a real good hockey team," said Frank Anzalone, the Express' coach. "I don't know if you can say we have their number because three of the four games we've played have been in our building.
"We played well defensively and got some great work from [goalie] Dan Ryder. He came up with the save four or five times when we really needed it."
With the score tied at 1, Roanoke (22-19-1) won it with what Anzalone labeled "one of the greatest shifts I've ever seen."
Defenseman Will Averill set up the game-winner, pinching the puck in from the Greensboro blue line for the third time on the shift. The puck went low to the left of the Greensboro net, where Monarchs Trevor Burgess and Dean Zayonce started wrestling Roanoke's Oleg Yashin along the boards. Dubkov skated in from nowhere and elbowed Burgess, dislodging the puck. Dubkov skated away with the puck and fed Berdichevsky, who buried it in the back of the net.
"Greensboro had held the Russians up and worked 'em over pretty good to that point," Anzalone said. "I think the Russians got tired of it and decided to fight back. They worked and worked and worked on that shift. It was great."
Unless you're Greensboro coach Jeff Brubaker and his Monarchs (24-11-5), who have found the civic center to be their personal house of horrors.
Has the Express become the albatross for the mighty Monarchs?
"Get serious," said Brubaker, stuffing a piece of pizza in his mouth. "Why have they beaten us? They're just lucky, I guess.
"Really, I don't have much to say. Go let Frank brag for a while."
The Express players got a rise out of Brubaker's statement that they merely were lucky.
"If we're lucky, we've been lucky three times," Ryder said, grinning.
Szabo, who also scored Roanoke's first goal, added: "What people say and what people do are two different things."
Ryder, who made three strong stops when the score was 2-1, said he thought the Monarchs "don't have any respect" for the Express.
"They've been a first-place club and we've been down near the bottom," Ryder said. "I'm sure they feel they're better than us. They tried to scare us out of the building, but we didn't budge. One thing's for sure: These two teams don't like each other."
That has become rather obvious. The bigger Monarchs came out hitting, trying to send a message to the Express, minus its two most physical players - captain Dave "Moose" Morissette and scrappy center Roger Larche.
Greensboro skaters lived in the Roanoke end for the game's first 10 minutes, unloading 10 shots at Ryder before the home team could muster one on the Monarchs' goal.
Despite dominating the period, Greensboro skated off with only a 1-0 lead. After absorbing the first-period assault, the Express came out charged and tied it in the second period.
It took Roanoke only 42 seconds to get even as Jeff Jestadt swiped the puck from Phil Berger in the Monarchs' end and fed Szabo, who ripped a quick 25-foot slap shot over Newman's glove.
The chippy period was punctuated by a melee behind the Express goal at the horn. The fracas was precipitated by Greensboro's Greg Capson, who hit Ryder while the Express goalie was smothering the puck.
"He [Capson] jumped on me, so I went after him," Ryder said. "Pretty soon, I had a lot of help down there."
The game remained 1-1 until Averill and the Russians worked their late magic.
"We sucked it up in front of a big crowd," Szabo said. "They tried to run us out of here and we wouldn't let it happen. That feels good, let me tell you."
\ ICE CHIPS: Berdichevsky's goal ran his streak to a club-record six games with at least one. It was his 36th of the season, tying him with Wheeling's Darren Schwartz for the ECHL lead. . . . Roanoke skated without Larche, who twisted a knee in Tuesday's loss to Johnstown. Larche won't return to the lineup until Thursday's home game with Dayton, at the earliest. . . . Morissette, still rehabilitating from knee surgery Jan. 6, helped Anzalone work the bench. . . . The Express continues a four-game home stand tonight against the Raleigh IceCaps. Judging from advance ticket sales, Express president John Gagnon said he is expecting the season's largest crowd. The club record is 5,822, on Dec. 30. NASCAR Winston Cup driver Rick Mast and several drivers from New River Valley Speedway will sign autographs before tonight's game. Greensboro 100-1 Roanoke 012-3
First period-1, Greensboro, Payne 17 (Wolanin, Young), 5:14 (pp). Penalties-Szabo, Rke (hooking), 1:01; Holdeman, Rke (slashing), 3:53; Payne, Gbr (roughing), 12:41.
Second period-2, Roanoke, Szabo 23 (Jestadt), :42. Penalties-Zayonce, Gbr (tripping), 8:56; Mears, Gbr (roughing), 12:08; Brezeault, Rke (roughing), 12:08; Burgess, Gbr (roughing), 13:24; Szabo, Rke (roughing), 13:24; Capson, Gbr double-minor (slashing, roughing), 20:00; Ryder, Rke double-minor (roughing), 20:00.
Third period-3, Roanoke, Berdichevsky 36 (Dubkov, Averill), 15:32. 4, Roanoke, Szabo 24 (Averill, G. Smith), 18:57 (en). Penalties-Berger, Gbr (slashing), 2:31; Ferschweiler, Rke (interference), 2:45; Capson, Gbr (slashing), 10:32; Potter, Rke (slashing), 11:03; G. Smith, Rke (charging), 19:57; Dubkov, Rke (roughing), 19:57; LaPlante, Gbr (roughing), 19:57.
Power-play opportunities-Greensboro 1 of 5. Roanoke 0 of 6.
Shots on goal-Greensboro 14-5-10-29. Roanoke 10-11-7-28.
Goalies-Greensboro, Newman, 16-6-3 (27 shots-25 saves). Roanoke, Ryder, 16-10-0 (28-27).
Referee-Bob Willer. Linesmen-John Horan, Alex Spannaus.
A-5,455.
by CNB