
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 10, 1994                   TAG: 9412140071
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C.                                LENGTH: Medium

CHARLOTTE CUTS DOWN EXPRESS

Rookie goaltender Rob Tallas turned aside 42 of 44 Roanoke shots and Darryl Noren scored three goals as the Charlotte Checkers won for the seventh consecutive time at home, 5-2 over the Roanoke Express in an East Coast Hockey League game Friday evening.

With Roanoke captain Pat Ferschweiler and defenseman Nick Wohlers called up Friday by the Minnesota Moose of the International Hockey League, the Express' attack was limited to an unassisted goal by Jeff Jestadt early in the second period and a Jon Larson power-play score in the third.

Kurt Seher opened the scoring in the first period, controlling a centering feed from Matt Robbins and whipping an ankle high, 50-foot bomb past Roanoke goalie Dave Gagnon at 9 minutes, 38 seconds to make it a 1-0 Charlotte lead.

Noren padded the lead to 2-0 by knocking down a Gagnon clearing attempt on the left wing and firing home his 11th goal of the season by the backpedaling Express goalie.

Noren buried his second goal of the game early in the second period as Shawn Wheeler's no-look pass found Noren alone from 15 feet on Gagnon at the 4:13 mark.

Jestadt put Roanoke on the board barely two minutes later, intercepting an Andy Silverman clearing attempt and rifling a shot over Tallas' left shoulder for his ninth goal of the season. Jestadt's goal broke a personal seven-game drought and cut the Checkers' lead to 3-1 through two periods.

However, Noren completed his hat trick 1:51 into the third, when his 35-foot shot hit the glass behind Gagnon, popped out over the crossbar and hit Gagnon's skate before sliding over the goal line to make it a 4-1 lead.

Matt Robbins' short-handed goal, the first the Express had given up all season, padded the Checkers' lead to 5-1 before Express defender Larson rounded out the scoring with a power-play goal from the left circle through Tallas.

Charlotte (14-7-3) improved its record to 9-1-1 at home and padded its lead over third-place Roanoke (12-6-4) to three points in the ECHL's East Division.

The Express plays at Raleigh tonight before returning home next weekend to face Richmond and Greensboro.

ICE CHIPS: Ferschweiler is expected back in the lineup tonight in Raleigh, N.C., while Wohlers is expected to remain with the Moose. ... The Express added former Roanoke Valley Rampage center Chris Taylor to its active, 18-man roster to replace Ferschweiler. ... Defenseman Darwin McClelland made his Express debut after coming over from Columbus in the Robin Bouchard trade ... Gagnon was pulled after Robbins' goal in favor of backup Rocco Trentadue. ... The ECHL announced Friday it has voided Thursday's trade that sent Roanoke center Carl Fleury to Erie in exchange for center Andrei Kozlov. The ECHL said Kozlov was on Erie's injury list and league bylaws prohibit the trading of any players on the injury list. ... Goalie Dan Ryder, called up from Roanoke by Kansas City of the IHL last week, stopped 36 of 37 shots in the Blades' 5-1 victory Thursday at Phoenix. ... Ex-Roanoke Valley Rebel goalie Bill Horn has been called up from the Greensboro Monarchs on a 25-game tryout by the IHL's San Diego Gulls.

Roanoke 0-1-1-2

Charlotte 2-1-2-5

First period-1, Charlotte, Seher 2 (Robbins), 9:38 (pp). 2, Charlotte, Noren 11 (Wheeler, Fenton), 11:33. Penalties-Taylor, Ro (holding stick), 3:31; Dubkov, Ro (slashing), 8:34; Blouin, Ch (roughing), 12:11; Silverman, Ch (holding), 12:29; Larson, Ro (holding), 15:03; Wheeler, Ch (roughing), 15:03; Dubkov, Ro (tripping), 17:20.

Second period-3, Charlotte, Noren 12 (Fenton, Wheeler), 4:13. 4, Roanoke, Jestadt 9 (Herr), 6:52. Penalties-Cloun, Ch (elbowing), 1:26; Kempffer, Ch (tripping), 10:32; Clarke, Ro (roughing), 15:13; Murphy, Ch (roughing), 15:13.

Third period-5, Charlotte, Noren 13 (Kempffer, Seler), 1:51 (pp). 6, Charlotte, Robbins 9, 3:36 (sh). 7, Roanoke, Larson 3 (Potter, Jestadt), 5:21 (pp). Penalties-Toujikov, Ro (slashing), 1:45; Murphy, Ch (interference), 5:02; Murphy, Ch (unsportsmanlike conduct), 5:21; Blouin, Ch (roughing), 7:19; Toujikov, Ro (tripping), 11:23.

Shots on goal-Roanoke 13-12-19-44. Charlotte 10-11-12-33.

Goalies-Roanoke, Gagnon (21 shots-18 saves), Trentadue (0:00 third, 12-10). Charlotte, Tallas (44-42).

Power-play opportunities-Roanoke 1 of 8. Charlotte 2 of 5.

Referee-Matt Dunnie. Linesmen-John Horan, Pete Wicklum.

A-7,178.

by CNB