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

DATE: SATURDAY, February 25, 1995                   TAG: 9502280026
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Staff report
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

EXPRESS RIGHT AT HOME ON ROAD

Darwin McClelland knocked in the puck during a goal-mouth scramble early in the third period, and the Roanoke Express held on for its ECHL-leading 16th road victory, 4-2 over the Richmond Renegades on Friday night at the Richmond Coliseum.

Jason Clarke, who would clinch the game with an empty-net goal, fed McClelland from behind the net with a cross-crease pass that deflected off the skates of two defenders before reaching McClelland. The forward's backhand golf swing deposited the puck just under the crossbar with 2 minutes, 12 seconds gone in the third period.

With the victory, the Express moved five points behind first-place Richmond in the ECHL's East Division. Roanoke has two games in hand.

The Express' Jeff Jestadt opened the scoring early in the second period, corralling an errant Richmond drop pass and shooting a 20-footer by goalie Duane Derksen at 8:10.

Richmond, playing without its top two scorers, Scott Gruhl and Shane Henry, and four other regulars, tied the score less than four minutes later when Blaine Moore split the Express defense and lifted a backhand shot over Roanoke goalie Daniel Berthiaume.

Garrett MacDonald forged Richmond's only lead of the game with a sizzling, 50-foot power-play wrist shot over Berthiaume's left shoulder while Marty Schriner was in the penalty box for hooking.

Schriner made amends with an end-to-end rush up the right wing in the final minute of the second period, beating Derksen after getting past Mike Taylor at 19:40.

Berthiaume closed the door in spectacular fashion in the third period. First, he deflected Steve Bogoyevac's point-blank shot after a missed, wide-open wraparound try. Then, he blocked a 40-foot bomb by Mike Burman with less than five minutes to play.

Roanoke (31-15-9) won for a franchise-record fourth consecutive time on the road, and for the fifth consecutive time overall, one shy of the franchise mark.

Richmond (35-16-6) fell for only the fourth time at home this season.

ICE CHIPS: Newcomer Todd Holt, reassigned from Kansas City of the International Hockey League on Thursday, wore uniform No.20 for the Express. .. Roanoke travels to Greensboro for a 7:30 game tonight, before taking on Richmond at the Roanoke Civic Center on Tuesday. ... Jestadt extended his points streak to eight games, but Tony Szabo (11) and Ilya Dubkov (seven) each saw his streak snapped. ... Berthiaume gave up two or fewer goals for the seventh time in nine appearances with the Express.

by CNB