Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503280025
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Suddenly, there's a lot of mystery in this East Coast Hockey League series.
Following Roanoke's 6-1 win over the Cherokees on Thursday, it appeared the two teams switched uniforms Saturday, as Knoxville skated to an early lead and held on to even this first-round Riley Cup series at one victory each.
Was that really Cory Cadden in goal for the Cherokees? Cadden, the guy who allowed six goals in the opener, stopped 46 of 49 shots on Saturday.
Was that the same Knoxville team that fell behind 6-0 on Thursday? On Saturday, the Cherokees jumped ahead 3-0 less than 18 minutes into the game and never were headed.
Now, for the biggest mystery of all: Which Express team will show up tonight, when the two teams meet in Game 3 in Knoxville, Tenn.? Will it be the one that appeared in the opener, or Saturday's lackluster version? Even Express coach Frank Anzalone was left to wonder.
``I'm stunned,'' Anzalone said. ``I'm dumbfounded. I knew this team was not ready to play tonight when I walked into the locker room. We had guys dancing and jiggling around before the game. They think they're the greatest team ever. They're not. They're fooled. It's too bad, because I know how to win.
``We have some guys who are infatuated with fan stardom. I'm not. I'm infatuated with winning and that's it. I got 88 points [in the standings] out of these guys. I know how to win.''
The next two games will be played in Knoxville, where the Cherokees are 21-9-4 this season.
``Now, we want to take care of business at home,'' said Barry Smith, Knoxville's coach.
The Express got as close as 5-3 in the third period, when Joe Hawley skated past the defense and scored a power-play goal, but Knoxville's Jon Jenkins buried an empty-netter after Anzalone pulled goalie Daniel Berthiaume in favor of an extra attacker.
Cadden made several spectacular saves, including a great deflection of Tony Szabo's point-blank shot in the third with the score 5-3. Szabo wristed the puck high from just outside the crease, but Cadden got a piece of it to send the puck waffling wide of the net.
``Cadden's a good goalie,'' said Szabo, who raised his arm in celebration after the shot, thinking it had gone in. ``That was a just a great save.''
Roanoke outshot the Cherokees 49-32, but the Express could gather few of the long rebounds following Cadden's saves.
Knoxville's first goal came short-handed at the 5:03 mark, as Robb McIntyre dropped a shot off Berthiaume's pad after Berthiaume had wandered from the net in an effort to cover the puck.
Jim Brown made it 2-0 by skating past two Roanoke defenseman and beating Berthiaume low glove-side, then David Neilson deflected Carl LeBlanc's drive into the net for a 3-0 lead with 2:24 left in the period.
The Express cut into that lead with Ilya Dubkov's power-play goal late in the first period and defenseman Dave Stewart's right-point goal in the second.
Roanoke's rally was short-lived. Thirty-five seconds after Stewart's goal, Knoxville's Chris Tucker scored off McIntyre's assist. Five minutes later it was 5-2, as Gaul converted a pinpoint backdoor pass from Neilson.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for text.
by CNB