Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, December 27, 1994 TAG: 9412280021
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Express has been feeling downright festive lately, and with good reason. Roanoke spent the holiday season acquiring lumps of goals and fattening its record to 16-7-4. Roanoke's .667 winning percentage is second-best in the East Coast Hockey League, trailing only East Division-leading Richmond's 19-5-5 mark and .741 winning percentage.
Tonight, the Express returns home for the holidays for a 7 p.m. game against the Charlotte Checkers at the Roanoke Civic Center. Even though Roanoke has a higher winning percentage, the two teams are tied for second place in the ECHL East since both have 16 regulation wins and four overtime victories for a total of 36 points.
Tonight's winner assumes sole possession of second place, although that's not a feat at the top of Express coach Frank Anzalone's post-Christmas wish list.
``Yeah, second place is nice, but it's not something we're caught up in,'' Anzalone said. ``We would like to continue to win at home and just continue to get better.''
Offensively, the Express has definitely gotten better. Roanoke has scored fewer than three goals just once in the last seven games and has scored five or more goals in its last three games.
TONIGHT'S GAME: The Express has won five straight games against the Checkers in the Roanoke Civic Center dating back to November 1993. Two of those victories came in overtime. ... Charlotte has turned into easy road kill of late. The Checkers, who are a league-best 10-1-2 at home but are 6-8-2 on the road, were crowned 8-0 at Hampton Roads last Friday. Charlotte allowed four power-play goals against the Admirals, just three days after giving up five power-play goals in Roanoke. At home, the Checkers have a league-high penalty-killing record of 92 percent. Their road percentage of 65.1 percent is second-worst in the ECHL. Roanoke and Hampton Roads were a combined 9-for-14 on power-play opportunities against the Checkers, who have allowed just 12 power-play goals at home. ... This is Roanoke's 17th game of a 26-game stretch against East Division squads. Roanoke's next game against a non-divisional foe will be Jan.21 at Johnstown.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: Former Express center Pat Ferschweiler, who was signed to a 25-game tryout by the Kansas City Blades of the International Hockey League two weeks ago, has two goals and three assists in five games for the Blades. ...
Lev Berdichevsky has four goals and nine assists in 29 games for the American Hockey League's Adirondack Red Wings. ... Steve Tepper boasts a team-high 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) for the Fort Worth Fire of the Central Hockey League. Dominic Maltais, one of the final cuts during preseason training camp, has 17 goals and 11 assists for Fort Worth. ... Roger Larche and Reggie Brezeault are with the West Palm Beach Blaze of the Sunshine Hockey League. Larche has six goals and 20 assists in 19 games and Brezeault has seven goals and 10 assists for the front-running Blaze (14-4-1). ...
Dave ``Moose'' Morissette, last year's Express captain, is still looking for his first goal with the Minnesota Moose of the International Hockey League, but he has increased his penalty minutes to 99 in 21 games. Same old Moose.
Morissette, who returned to Roanoke last week for a promotional night and is still one of the most popular players to ever play in the Roanoke Valley, is considering returning to Roanoke in the off-season to operate a hockey camp for youths. Morissette and the Express held a successful, week-long camp last summer at the Roanoke Civic Center.
ICE CHIPS: After tonight, the Express takes to the road for four games and will not return home until Jan.10 when it hosts Hampton Roads. Roanoke will play just five home games in January. ... The South Carolina Stingrays traded Brad Pascall and Dan Ruoho to Johnstown for left wing Brandon Christian and future considerations. Christian, who had played in just four games this year, had 29 goals and 25 assists last season for the Chiefs.
Express vs. Charlotte
7 p.m., today. Roanoke Civic Center. Tickets are $8.50, $7.50, $6 and $5 for senior citizens and students and $4 for children younger than 12.
by CNB