Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 24, 1994 TAG: 9401230169
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Unfortunately for most of the 7,579 fans at the Roanoke Civic Center, the Express finished on a down note.
Raleigh's Steve Mirabile picked off an attempted clearing pass by Roanoke goalie Paul Cohen and rifled a 30-foot shot into a wide-open net to give the IceCaps a 5-4 overtime victory over the stunned Express in the East Coast Hockey League.
The loss, especially the way it happened, sent the biggest throng for a Roanoke hockey game since the Roanoke Valley Rebels drew 8,159 on April 12, 1973, filing quietly for the exits.
"It was an unfortunate way to lose in overtime," said Frank Anzalone, the Express' coach. "All you say in overtime is that if you get beat, make sure it's a good goal. That wasn't a good goal. We basically gave Raleigh an empty-netter to win the game."
Cohen, a fifth-year pro picked up last week by Roanoke, said it was a play he had made "100,000 times before."
With the puck coming toward him, Cohen skated approximately 20 feet from his net, trying to beat onrushing IceCaps forward Bruce MacDonald. Cohen got his stick on the puck and flipped it, only to see it strike Mirabile, who was trailing the play. The Raleigh forward quickly teed up the puck and fired it past defenseless Express defenseman Claude Barthe, trying to cover for Cohen.
"I didn't see the second man [Mirabile] at all," Cohen said. "I think if I would have seen him I would have eaten the puck.
"I knew I had a clear shot off the boards to beat the first guy [MacDonald], but then came [Mirabile]. I never saw him until he picked the puck up. I made the right play [straying from the net].
"I hate [that] it cost us the game. The guys played great, and it feels like I let 'em down."
Only minutes earlier, the Express and the crowd was riding high after Tony Szabo's goal with 20 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 4 and forced overtime.
"I had noticed a few people were filing [for the exits]," Szabo said. "Then I scored and said, `Get back here.' "
Five minutes before Szabo's tying goal, Raleigh (24-15-7) had taken a 4-3 lead on a short-handed breakaway score by Rich Barkovich.
His goal came 2 minutes, 22 seconds after Raleigh's Chic Pojar had tied the score at 3. Earlier in the eventful third period, Roanoke had stormed from 2-1 down on goals by Reggie Brezeault and Jeff Jestadt.
"It was a heck of a back-and-forth game," Szabo said. "We led, they led, we led, they led and then we tie with 20 seconds left. There's 7,500 people in the stands, and it's like playoff hockey.
"Sure, it was a tough way to lose. But it wasn't all [Cohen's] fault. We win as a team and lose as a team. Hey, the people should have gotten their money's worth, anyway."
The Express, coming off a bruising 3-1 victory over Greensboro on Friday, wasn't at full strength. Roanoke skated without its two most physical players - Dave "Moose" Morissette and Roger Larche. Plus, two top guns who played - Lev Berdichevsky and Pat Ferschweiler - were slowed by the flu and a sprained wrist, respectively.
"We had a lot of guys nicked and banged up," Anzalone said. "Then, Gairin Smith has a skate break with nine minutes left.
"I'm not pleased with the loss, but I am pleased with the effort. We gave all we had to those 7,500 people. We just didn't get the last break."
by CNB