Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411210029
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Outside of goaltender Dan Ryder, the only Sharks roaming Roanoke are carrying pool cues. And if Minnesota had planned on putting a Moose Lodge in Roanoke, evidently there's no address yet.
``As things stand right now, I don't see any help coming from either San Jose or Minnesota anytime soon,'' said Frank Anzalone, the Express' coach. ``We were supposed to get a player from Kansas City [San Jose's top IHL affiliate] named J.F. Leslie, but two days before his assignment he pulled a groin muscle in practice and he's never come down. He appears to be the only, only possibility in KC.
``Meanwhile, Minnesota has no players. They've got a load of guys on 25-game tryout. They're not winning [5-10-2 entering Friday] and they're just trying guys out. Minnesota cut four players last week and three of 'em would never have come here. Those guys are bitter and don't want any part of the East Coast [Hockey] League.''
So while some other ECHL clubs skate with as many as five players under NHL-IHL contract, the Express will have to continue to make do with limited aid.
``It just a fact of life,'' Anzalone said. ``Everybody thought we'd get a couple of players for sure from Minnesota, but it hasn't worked out that way. There's absolutely nothing you can do. Frank Serratore [Minnesota coach] has his own problems to work out, much less hear me yapping at him all the time over the phone.''
Roanoke's next dealing with a higher league could involve losing a player, not gaining one. More than one IHL club is monitoring the progress of Express goalie Dave Gagnon.
The Las Vegas Thunder (IHL) called Anzalone this month about the possibility of bringing up Gagnon for a couple of games, but the deal fell through.
``If it's going to happen, it's going to happen and I can't worry about it,'' Anzalone said. ``If they call, [Gagnon] has done a great job and they want him, then fine. You can't hold any player back. But replacing 'em is another story.''
STANDING PAT: Express center Pat Ferschweiler, the last player cut in Minnesota's training camp, said he doesn't expect to be recalled despite the struggling IHL club's record.
``I think they're looking for some veteran players right now,'' Ferschweiler said. ``They're not in a situation to bring up a guy who never has played in the IHL right now. They want a guy who can make an impact right away, rather than a guy who might take awhile to get acclimated to the level of play.''
Ferschweiler maintained it wasn't tough coming back for a second season in Roanoke.
``I felt maybe I needed another season down here and I wasn't quite ready,'' Ferschweiler said. ``I looked at being the last man cut in Minnesota as a positive, because last year I went to Vegas' camp and I really didn't consider myself anywhere close to that level.
``But I felt like I took a step toward the IHL. This year I, hopefully, can take another step, and maybe next year when I get my chance, hopefully, I can do well. I'm just looking at doing the best I can here, and next year give it another shot.''
BOILING BROPHY: The Hampton Roads Admirals are struggling, and coach John Brophy is anything but amused.
After his club was dealt its fourth consecutive loss, a 6-2 defeat in Greensboro on Nov.12, a fuming Brophy torched his players publicly for their lack of effort.
``They've quit on us,'' Brophy said. ``It's obviously gone to that situation. The team has quit.
``That's never happened to me. Every place I've coached, from the National Hockey League on down, I've never had a team quit. I've had teams that have lost, but never a team that's quit.
``Take your best shot at me. It's my fault. It's my fault when the team doesn't play.''
The Admirals, whom Brophy called ``the best team I've ever had'' during the preseason, were 5-7-1 and in last place in the East Division entering Friday's action.
SCOPING THE LEAGUE: The joke's no longer on Huntington, the league's laughingstock last season with a 14-49-5 record. The Blizzard was 7-4-1 and tied with Knoxville for the South Division lead entering Friday's action. Through 12 games last season, Huntington was 1-9-2. Huntington's 8-1 romp over Birmingham on Thursday gave the Blizzard its first three-game winning streak in franchise history. ... Former Brown University goalie Geoff Finch has helped jump-start the Wheeling Thunderbirds. Finch earned ECHL player of the week honors for Nov.7-13, posting a 3-0 record and 0.67 goals-against average. Finch recorded his first shutout as a pro against Toledo, marking the first time the two-time defending Riley Cup champion had been blanked since the 1991-92 season. ... The Greensboro Monarchs have lost All-Star defenseman Chris Valicevic for six to eight weeks with a knee injury.
THEY USED TO BE HERE: Mark Woolf, who scored 50 goals for the Roanoke Valley Rebels in 1991-92, has been sent from Worcester (AHL) to Huntington. Woolf had six goals in his first three games with the Blizzard, including a hat trick Saturday in Nashville. ... Former Roanoke Valley Rampage center Scott Burfoot is off to a great start for Erie. Burfoot entered Friday's play leading the ECHL in assists (18) and was tied for the league's scoring lead with Dayton's Karson Kaebel with 25 points. ... Three players cut in Roanoke's preseason camp - forwards Roger Larche and Reggie Brezeault and defenseman Chris Scourletis - are on the roster of the West Palm Beach, Fla., entry in the Sunshine League.
by CNB