Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 13, 1994 TAG: 9403150144
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Randy King
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Now instead of being known as the first player to ever be banished for life from the Sunshine Hockey League, the Roanoke Express goaltender has become recognized as the first guy to record back-to-back shutouts in the run-and-gun East Coast Hockey League.
That's fine with Cohen, a 29-year-old who simply wants to skate off from his professional career with his head up.
"I'll probably be ending up my career either this year or next year," Cohen said. "In the meantime, I just want to play well, help this Roanoke team win a lot of games and maybe one day get into hockey management.
"Last season [in the Sunshine League], I really had hit rock bottom. I was taking too many things personally. It was awful ... my most disappointing season in hockey. Some frustration built up ... and an unfortunate incident happened."
Cohen, who had been on the verge of signing an NHL contract after leading Springfield to the American Hocky League semifinals in l991-92, got burned in the Sunshine. And it didn't occur at the beach.
Tired of watching longtime minor-league goon Ron Aubrey cheap-shot his peach-fuzzed teammates one night, Cohen took matters into his own hands. The goalie applied his stick to Aubrey's face, shattering the jaw of the former ECHL thung.
"By no means did I want to hurt him or anything like that," Cohen said, "but it was just some guy who was going out there trying to hurt people. That's exactly what he was doing. I just had had enough and I was angry. I certainly regret doing it, but I hurt him for maybe like 40 seconds."> The 40 secondds was enough to earn Cohen a lifetime suspension from the Sunshine League.
"Doing something like that was totally uncharacteristic of me," Cohen said. "It just wasn't me. People know what type of goalie I am. Afterward, I had friends calling from all over the world asking, "What are you doing? Where are you playing?"
Cohen begain this season with St. Thomas of the Colonial Hockey League. When he heard six weeks ago that Roanoke coach Frank Anzalone, for whom he had played in Nashville (ECHL) before getting recalled by Springfield in '91-92, wanted him to join the Express, the Ajax, Ontario, native was more than happy to come south.
"When I heard Frank wanted me to come play here, that was good enough for me," Cohen said. "I knew this would be a good place for me."> He was right. After a so-so start, Cohen posted the first shutout in Express history - 1-0 over Huntsville on Feb. 1. Three days later Cohen wrote his name in the ECHL record book, stopping Huntington 8-0.
The soft-spoken goalie has tried to shrug off the attention generated by the consecutive shutouts.
"I dont care if it's 1-0 or 9-8 as long as we win and get two points," he said. "I think the shutouts were exciting for the guys. Myself, well, I am happy to help put Roanoke in the record book."
\ "Sleeping Beauty": That's defenseman Scott Boston's new tag in Knoxville these days.
After the Cherokees' ECHL-record 14-game winning streak ended in Louisville on Jan. 29, Boston failed to wake up when the team bus returned to Knoxville. Boston continued to snooze as his gear was removed. The charter then left for Nasville with Boston its only passenger.
"I didn't wake up until we were five minutes out of Nasville, " Boston said.
Boston roused when he heard the same song being played over and over and got up to complain. The defenseman realized he was the only person on board as he walked barefoot down the aisle.
After being startled by Boston's presence, the bus driver loaned the player his shoes.
The next day, Boston bought a ticket on a Greyhound and returned to Knoxville.
\ Bad, Bad Broph: No matter how hard he tries, John Brophy can't stay out of trouble.
Hampton Roads' volatile coach went ballistic Feb. 5 in Raleigh after referee Scott Hansen waved off Shawn Wheeler's tip-in at the final horn of the IceCaps' 5-4 victory.
After exchanging barbs with Hansen, Brophy trudged toward the locker room, along the way uprooting a goal net and dumping it over backward.
Wheeler then gave chase to Hansen. When corraled by the two linesmen, the Admirals' captain fell backwards against the goal judge's box, knocking a 2-foothole in the Plexiglas.
"John Brophy woulndn't have reacted the way he did [if the goal wasn't good]," Wheeler said later. "If we'd lost the game honestly, he'd immediately have been in the locker room carving us up.
"Brophy knows a goal when he sees one."
\ Ice Chips: Mick Chighisola's turbulent ECHL career apperars to be history. The former Virginia Lnacer recently was released by Louisville, his seventh club in five seasons in the league. "It's too bad, [beacuse] he has a lot of talent," said Bill Goldsworth, Louisville's coach. "But this is why he has been with so many teams." ... Former Richmond Renagades owner Allan Harvie Jr. has announced plans to build a $2.25 million public rink in Chesterfield County. The facility, scheduled to be completed by September, figures to become the primary practice facility for the Renegades, who have had trouble getting enough ice time at the Richmond Coliseum.
by CNB