Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 28, 1994 TAG: 9412280094
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Roanoke Express received more gifts from the Charlotte Checkers than it did from Santa Claus.
Taking advantage of the Checkers' generosity and goaltender Dan Ryder's Scrooge-like play between the pipes, the Express crowned the Checkers 5-0 before a crowd of 7,391 at the Roanoke Civic Center. It was the third-largest crowd ever to see an Express game and the largest ever on a weeknight.
Roanoke (17-7-4), which extended its winning streak to a season-high four games, jumped the Checkers in the East Coast Hockey League standings, as well. The Express now has sole possesion of second place in the East Division, while Charlotte (16-10-4) slips to third.
The Express stuffed the nets with three goals in the second period as the Checkers decided 'twas better to give than to score.
Utilizing a dubious hat trick - lazy passing, powerless power plays and tentative goaltending - the Checkers might as well have put a bow on the puck before giving it to the Express.
The shutout was the fourth in Roanoke's two-year history, and the first as a professional for Ryder, the backup to Dave Gagnon. Ryder made 32 saves.
``Tonight was one of those games where the puck was going to go in for us and not for them,'' said Frank Anzalone, the Express' coach. ``Plus, Dan Ryder was out of his head.''
One play typified the kind of night it was. With the Checkers on a power play midway through the second period, Charlotte's Shawn Wheeler decided it was time to make a behind-the-back pass at center ice. Roanoke's Dave Stewart intercepted the puck and passed it to Ilya Dubkov, who - while being pulled down by Matt Robbins - lightly tapped a backhand by Charlotte goalie Jon Hillebrandt.
The puck, which appeared to be moving in slow motion, rolled untouched into the net.
Dubkov's goal made it 3-0 with 11 minutes, 24 seconds left in the period and the rout was on.
It was Roanoke's second short-handed goal of the night and the fifth short-handed score the Checkers have given up in five games.
Charlotte also gave up two short-handed goals in an 8-0 loss at Hampton Roads on Friday. The suddenly anemic Checkers are 0-3-1 in their past four games and are 6-9-2 this season on the road.
``The tail is wagging the dog,'' said John Marks, Charlotte's coach. ``We've got people who do things their way and not the team way. We've got people reading a book on a different page than they should be. We've got people who think they're better than they are. We've got people taking the easy way out.
``I'm the dog and they're not going to wag my tail,'' added the Checkers' imposing, 6-foot-5 coach. ``I'm a big dog. And I bite.''
It was almost time to call off the dogs midway through the second. The Express went up 4-0 when Marty Schriner took a neat drop pass from Chris Potter, walked in and buried a forehand in the net at the 11:12 mark. Only 2:25 later, Derek Laxdal scored his second goal of the night, even though he was trying to pass. He skated in unguarded from the left faceoff circle and sent the puck across the crease, where it bounced off a Checkers player and into the net.
Down 5-0, Marks yanked Hillebrandt and put in injured rookie Rod Tallas, who played despite a torn tendon in his right hand.
Roanoke had no trouble in goal. Ryder's finest moment of the night - his career, perhaps - came just seconds after his worst. He was handed a delay-of-game penalty after his dying-quail of a clearing lob sailed into the stands.
With right wing Jason Clarke serving Ryder's two-minute sentence in the penalty box, Ryder proceeded to make a series of sensational saves, including a glove stop of a Darryl Noren blast from the prone position that brought a thunderous ovation from the crowd.
``I just tried to cover the ice,'' Ryder said. ``I thought there was no way he [Noren] would go high. He shot high at the last minute and I just stuck my glove up.''
Said Anzalone: ``He set it up that way. First, he shoots the puck over the glass, then he knocks the puck out to the wrong guy, then he makes a phenomenal save.''
The Express held a 2-0 lead after one period, even though it was outshot 16-5. Jon Larson scored off a rebound at the 9:06 mark, only 70 seconds after Charlotte's Sylvian Blouin was penalized for roughing.
Oleg Yashin got the assist after his shot from the right side whizzed by the goal, hit the end boards and bounced to Larson, who knocked it in from the left wing for his fourth goal of the season.
Roanoke's first short-handed goal came midway through the first, when Stewart cleared the puck from the Express zone to the red line, where Laxdal picked it up and beat Hillebrandt on a breakaway to make it 2-0 at the 13:14 mark.
``Our guys were in the right place at the right time tonight,'' said Anzalone, whose team doesn't play at home again until Jan.10. ``There are nights when you're on a roll and another team's struggling and things are going to happen the way they happened. Our guys have worked hard to make those things happen. We made the plays.''
ICE CHIPS: Defenseman Andrei Kozlov, acquired from Erie in a trade last week, became eligible Tuesday night, even though he had only served eight games of a 10-game suspension he received for a stick-swinging incident during a game against Toledo. Kozlov, who was not in uniform Tuesday, would have missed Erie's next two games had he remained with the Panthers, but since the Express does not play on either of those nights, Kozlov will not miss any more games. His nickname, ``The Russian Bear,'' probably has something to do with the 52 penalty minutes he accumulated with Erie. ... Heading into Tuesday's game, the Express had the best home power-play percentage (30 percent, 24-for-80) and the worst home penalty-killing ratio (72 percent). The team's road penalty-killing percentage of 83.3 percent is tops in the league.
Charlotte 0---0---0 - 0
Roanoke 2---3---0 - 5
First period-1, Roanoke, Larson 4 (Yashin), 9:06 (pp). 2, Roanoke, Laxdal 13, 13:14, (sh). Penalties-Jestadt, Ro (holding), 3:02; Hawley, Ch (hooking), 3:17; Fenton, Ch (boarding), 6:23; Blouin, Ch (roughing), 7:56; Herr, Ro (hooking), 12:15; Ryder, Ro (delay of game, served by Clarke), 18:21.
Second period-3, Roanoke, Dubkov 15 (Stewart), 9:36 (sh). 4, Roanoke, Schriner 2 (Potter), 11:12. 5, Laxdal 14 (Stewart, Smith), 13:37. Penalties-Tucker, Ch (roughing), 2:09; Yashin, Ro (roughing), 2:09; Thibodeau, Ch (tripping), 3:59; Hillebrandt, Ch (roughing, served by Tucker), 4:49; Potter,Ro (inteference), 8:08; Bench, Ch (too many men on ice, served by Berdikov), 13:01; Noren, Ch (roughing), 14:23; McClelland, Ro (roughing), 14:23; Clarke, Ro (tripping), 17:49;
Third period-None. Penalties-Blouin, Ch (roughing), :30; Clarke, Ro (roughing), :30; Stewart, Ro (roughing), 2:34; Hawley, Ch (unsportsmanlike conduct), 2:34; Blouin, Ch (instigating), 18:26; Blouin, Ch (fighting), 18:26; Blouin (game misconduct), 18:26; Clarke, Ro (fighting), 18:26.
Shots on goal-Charlotte 16-10-6-32. Roanoke 5-11-9-25.
Power-play opportunities-Charlotte 0 of 5. Roanoke 2 of 7.
Goalies-Charlotte, Hilllebrandt 6-3-1(14 shots, 9 saves), Tallas, 13:37 second period, (11-11). Roanoke, Ryder (32-32).
Referee-Steve LeMay. Linesmen-Dana Hall, Mark Hamlett.
A-7,391.
by CNB