Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502200075
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Until Saturday night.
In front of the largest crowd ever to watch a hockey game in the Roanoke Civic Center, the Roanoke Express torpedoed the Hampton Roads Admirals 8-2.
A sellout crowd of 8,541 - the third audience of more than 8,000 to watch the Express in its two-year history - witnessed not only Roanoke's highest scoring output of the season, but also the worst defeat Hampton Roads has suffered to a team from Roanoke.
``This was a big win,'' Express captain Dave Stewart said. ``It's nice to win in front of that many fans in the building. Any time you beat Hampton Roads is a good win as far as I'm concerned.''
Stewart, a defenseman, had two goals and two assists and was a big part of Roanoke's four-goal barrage in the second period. Roanoke's eight goals came from seven players.
The victory was Roanoke's second in four days over the sinking Admirals. On Wednesday, the Express dealt Hampton Roads a 4-2 defeat in Norfolk.
Roanoke (29-15-9) closed to five points of East Division-leading Richmond after the Renegades lost 6-2 at Erie on Saturday.
``It's a good time of the year to start peaking and finishing strong,'' said Roanoke's Tony Szabo, who collected a goal and two assists. ``A lot of teams peaked early in the season. Now we're the one starting to play better.''
The Admirals - who have been hamstrung by injuries, suspensions and player reassignments - lost for the eighth time in 11 games.
``Half our team was in the locker room,'' said John Brophy, Hampton Roads' coach.
The Admirals had only 14 skaters, including goalies Todd Hunter and Shamus Gregga, who were shuffled in and out of goal.
``I recognize that they were not a fully healthy team,'' said Frank Anzalone, Roanoke's coach. ``But they came in here last year with 14 players, got a one- or two-goal lead, and beat us. Historically, they've done well against us ... We didn't want them to come in here and nurse a one-goal lead.''
A one-goal lead was certainly not enough to derail the Express. Roanoke scored five straight goals after Hampton Roads (28-19-5) struck first when Trevor Halverson backhanded a shot through Daniel Berthiaume's pads in the first period.
Szabo began the eventful second period by taking a backhand pass from Craig Herr and detonating a slapshot past Gregga, who was immediately replaced by Hunter, who been had replaced by Gregga after giving up Ilya Dubkov's goal in the first period.
Dubkov's score, which came as he rebounded his own miss while falling down, gave the Express a 2-1 lead at the 11:39 mark of the first period.
The Express poured it on in the second, as Derek Laxdal beat Hunter with a slapshot to make it 4-1 and Marty Schriner wristed home a shot from the slot to make it 5-1.
``We kind of wore them down,'' said Roanoke left wing Jeff Jestadt, who scored Roanoke's first goal on a breakaway. ``They only had a couple of lines and we had three good lines going.''
John Porco cut Hampton Roads' deficit to 5-2 by deflecting a Rob MacInnis drive past Berthiaume, but the Express closed the game with three goals - two by Stewart and another by Jason Clarke off Dubkov's give-and-go pass.
Almost lost in the Express scoring spree was the fact that Berthiaume allowed two goals or fewer for the sixth time in seven games and that Roanoke has allowed 30 shots or fewer in three straight games. The Express outshot the Admirals 27-23.
``Defensively, we hustled,'' Anzalone said.
Another telling plot line: Hampton Roads, the most-penalized team in the league, had just two players penalized.
``Any time you have just two penalties in a game,'' Brophy said, ``nobody's doing nothing.''
ICE CHIPS: Saturday's attendance exceeded the previous record of 8,524 set Feb. 12, 1994, in a game against Louisville ... Before the game, Herr was recognized as Roanoke's player of the month for January.
by CNB