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

DATE: FRIDAY, March 10, 1995                   TAG: 9503100064
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ECHL OWNERS STILL TALKING ABOUT MOVES

The East Coast Hockey League's board of governors met Thursday in Charlotte, N.C., but took no action on the proposed restructuring of minor-league hockey that would send its top four draws to the American Hockey League.

The board will meet again in Charlotte on March 20 to discuss the possibility of those teams - Hampton Roads, Charlotte, Greensboro and South Carolina - leaving the league after this season.

The NHL's plan to restructure the minors would form a partnership between the leagues, essentially turning the ECHL and the AHL into farm leagues for the NHL. The AHL would be a Class AAA league, and the ECHL would be a Class AA league.

``Not much happened of substance on the American Hockey League proposal,'' said Bill Black, one of the Greensboro Monarchs' owners. ``There was quite a bit of discussion. A lot of views were exchanged. ... This is like a boa constrictor trying to swallow an elephant.''

The plan could be beneficial to the ECHL, but the proposal is not without drawbacks. The ECHL would be assured of getting players from its NHL and AHL affiliations, but the league would lose teams from its best markets. The Roanoke Express would lose some of its biggest rivals.

John Gagnon, the Express' president, attended the meeting but could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

PLAYOFF PICTURE:The Express is battling Richmond for more than just first place in the East. The teams are trying to finish among the top four in the 18-team league. Roanoke and Richmond each has 81 points, the fourth-highest total in the league.

Since the league will be basing playoff seedings on total points rather than divisional finishes, the No.4 spot is very important. The top four seeds would get home-ice advantage through at least two rounds of the playoffs, should they advance that far.

Roanoke needs only one point to lock up home ice through the first round of the playoffs. If the playoffs began today, Roanoke would be seeded fifth (Richmond would get the No.4 spot because victories is the first tie-breaker) and would face Greensboro, which would be seeded 12th.

Roanoke likely will open the playoffs against any one of six teams - Greensboro, Columbus, Johnstown, Knoxville, Nashville or Huntington.

Harry Minium of Landmark News Service contributed information to this story.

by CNB