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

DATE: THURSDAY, January 12, 1995                   TAG: 9501130048
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C.                                 LENGTH: Medium

GOALIE, `X' FACTOR BEAT EXPRESS 4-3

The ``X-Men'' made their presence known at the Greensboro Coliseum on Wednesday night, but it was goaltender Peter Skudra who turned out to be the real superhero in the Greensboro Monarchs' 4-3 shootout victory over the Roanoke Express in the East Coast Hockey League.

After giving up two goals in the first period and one in the third, Skudra blanked all five Express skaters in the shootout.

``He was outstanding, especially in the shootout,'' said Jeff Brubaker, the Monarchs' coach.

Not only did Greensboro get a big performance in goal, but the offense was sparked by the newly discovered pairing of Hugo Proulx and Francois Leroux. Proulx and Leroux are the Monarchs' only French-Canadian players and were given the nickname of the ``X-Men'' by Brubaker.

With the Monarchs trailing 2-0 in the second period, a deflection sent Proulx off on a two-on-one with Leroux, who easily deposited Proulx's centering feed in the net.

Proulx then set the table for Artur Kupacs early in the third for the tying goal, and Leroux assisted on Gabriel's goal that gave Greensboro a 3-2 lead eight minutes later.

Jeff Jestadt's goal with five minutes left in regulation sent the game into overtime, and after five more minutes of scoreless hockey, the game went to a shootout.

Each team's first shooter missed, and after Roanoke's Tony Szabo put his shot into Skudra's pads it was time for Proulx to shoot. Proulx calmly skated in on goalie John Bradley with the puck on his forehand, then deked to his backhand before pulling the puck back to his forehand only inches from Bradley's skates. Proulx was able to extend his stick past the goalie's sliding leg and put the puck just inside the right post.

``That was a great 40-minute win for us,`` Brubaker said.

ICE CHIPS: For the second year in a row, Express defenseman Michael Smith has been selected to play in the ECHL All-Star Game. Smith will play in the Jan.24 contest in Greensboro as a member of the East squad. Dave Gagnon, who was Roanoke's starting goalie before being called up to the Minnesota Moose of the International Hockey League, also was selected to the East squad. ... Defenseman Dave Stewart was named the Express player of the month for December. Stewart led the team with 14 points.

by CNB