Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 7, 1995 TAG: 9503070121
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Roanoke Express has a chance to go where it hasn't gone this season - the top of the East Coast Hockey League's East Division standings.
The Express, which has won three games in a row and eight of its past nine, plays Greensboro tonight at 7 p.m. at the Roanoke Civic Center. A victory would give Roanoke 79 points, tying it with first-place Richmond, which is idle tonight.
For two weeks, Roanoke coach Frank Anzalone has said he is not concerned about finishing first in the division, which seemed an impossibility a month ago. The Express was in fourth place and trailed Richmond by 11 points on Feb.15, but since then Roanoke has gotten hot and Richmond has cooled off following a rash of injuries to some of its regulars.
``We don't want to get caught up in a dream,'' said Frank Anzalone, Roanoke's coach. ``If the opportunity to win our division is there, we'll go after it, as would Richmond or Hampton [Roads] or Charlotte or any other team in our division. We're enthusiastic about going after first place.''
The Express has already locked up a playoff spot and needs only five points to secure home-ice advantage through at least the first round of the playoffs. Roanoke currently has the fifth-most points in the ECHL, which will seed its team based on overall point totals, not divisional finishes.
The Express has moved up in the division thanks in large part to goalie Daniel Berthiaume, who has won eight straight games. Berthiaume is 10-1-1 and has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 games since coming to the Express in a trade from Erie on Feb.5.
Roanoke is winless in its past four games against the Monarchs and has won only twice in eight games against them this season.
``We need to find out why there's a little quirk against Greensboro,'' Anzalone said. ``We haven't been able to compete with them recently. They've changed their team around this season. We haven't found the right combination it takes to beat them.''
ROSTER MOVE: The ECHL has decided not to release the names of players on playoff rosters until the end of the regular season. The playoff rosters had to be filed with the league office by 3 p.m. Monday. Even though Anzalone would not announce who is on his playoff roster, he did say that wing Rouslan Toujikov has been placed on injured reserve. Most likely, Toujikov will not appear in the playoffs unless the Express loses another player to injury.
MOOSE CALL: Express captain Dave Stewart was called up by the International Hockey League's Minnesota Moose on Saturday, but he never made the trip. Stewart, a defenseman, was to report to the Moose for only one game, but his flight from Johnstown was delayed and there was no way he could reach the team in time for its Sunday afternoon game.
EXPRESSIONS: Playoff tickets go on sale today at noon at the civic center. The first two games of the best-of-five first-round series are tentatively scheduled for March 23 and 25 if Roanoke has home-ice advantage. Playoff tickets are $1 more than regular-season tickets. ... If Roanoke wins its last three road games - two at Hampton Roads and one at Raleigh - the Express would tie the ECHL record for most road wins in a season with 21. ... The Express was 9-for-9 in penalty-killing over the weekend, but 0-for-5 in power plays. Roanoke's power-play percentage of 24.7 leads the league. ... The civic center is using a new ice-making system called Jet Ice and early results have been favorable. The system uses colored powders to make the ice whiter and the on-ice logos brighter.
ICE CHIPS: Former Express wing Oleg Yashin finally scored his first goal for the Charlotte Checkers on Sunday. Yashin, who was Roanoke's leading scorer when traded to the Checkers for Joe Hawley on Feb.9, did not score a goal in his first 10 games with the Checkers. Former Express forward Reggie Brezeault, who was claimed off waivers by the Checkers last week, beat Yashin to the scoring column by notching his first goal as a Checker on Saturday. Brezeault didn't score a goal in eight games with the Express. ... Hampton Roads wing Ron Majic established a league record for penalty minutes in a game when he spent 62 minutes in the penalty box during the Admirals' Feb.24 game at Wheeling. Majic was assessed one minor penalty, four majors, a 10-minute misconduct and three game misconducts for various misfeasances. Majic and Hampton Roads coach John Brophy were fined $1,000 and suspended for three games for their roles in a fight between the two teams.
by CNB