Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 21, 1995 TAG: 9502210082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Tonight, the Express has an opportunity to gain ground on a team it trails in the hunt for East Coast Hockey League playoff spots when it entertains the South Carolina Stingrays at 7 p.m. in the Roanoke Civic Center.
South Carolina leads the ECHL's Southern Division with 70 points, the fifth-highest total in the league. Roanoke, which trails only Richmond in the East, is sixth in the overall standings, three points behind the Stingrays.
The ECHL's top 16 teams qualify for the playoffs and will be seeded based on their final points totals, not their divisional finishes. Teams that finish in the top eight overall are assured home-ice advantage through at least one round of the playoffs.
With 15 games remaining, the Express could move as high as second place in the final standings. Of the five teams ahead of Roanoke, four lead the Express by seven points or fewer.
``There are a lot of teams who are pretty close together,'' said Express wing Tony Szabo. ``We just want to play well and try to keep moving up.''
The Stingrays are one of the ECHL's hottest teams, having won 14 of their past 17 games. They have suffered just two regulation losses since Jan. 12.
Goaltending has been one of the main reasons behind South Carolina's surge. Steve Shields has posted two shutouts in the past 10 days and has allowed a scant nine goals in his last seven starts. Daniel Berthiaume has allowed two or fewer goals in six of seven games since joining Roanoke two weeks ago. He is 5-1-1 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.
by CNB