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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 4, 1995                   TAG: 9501040113
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C.                                LENGTH: Medium

EXPRESS' UNBEATEN STREAK ENDS AT 6 GAMES

Joe Crowley scored in the second round of a sudden-death shootout to give the Charlotte Checkers a 3-2 victory over the Roanoke Express in an East Coast Hockey League game Tuesday night before a crowd of 6,222 at Independence Arena.

The victory vaults the Checkers into first place in the ECHL's East Division. Charlotte (20-10-4) has 44 points, followed by Roanoke (19-7-5) and Richmond with 43 each.

The Express saw its six-game unbeaten streak come to an end but still has not suffered a regulation loss in seven games.

After regulation ended 2-2, the teams played a scoreless overtime, then each had two goals in the overtime shootout.

Derek Laxdal scored in Roanoke's first round, and Shawn Wheeler scored on Charlotte's second try. Craig Herr made it 2-1 in the shootout with a goal in Roanoke's third round, then Matt Robbins scored in the fourth round for the Checkers to tie it. Neither team scored on its fifth try, forcing sudden death. Hawley beat Express goalie Dan Ryder on the Checkers' second try of the sudden-death round to win it.

Roanoke took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Jeff Jestadt one-timed a back-door pass from Herr on a power play. The score stayed that way until Joe Hawley tied it with a rebound shot while on his knees late in the second period.

The Express took the lead early in the third when Darwin McClelland scored on assists from Herr and Dave Stewart. Charlotte tied it at the 12-minute, 45-second mark on Dan Murphy's slap shot from the left point. It was Murphy's 10th goal as a pro, six of them against Roanoke.

Jestadt had a breakaway late in the third period that missed, and Roanoke's Chris Potter couldn't convert a clean break as the game went into overtime. Roanoke is 4-0-5 in overtime games.

by CNB