Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 1, 1995 TAG: 9504030081
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
No one had to be reminded this was only Game 1 of the East Coast Hockey League's Riley Cup playoff series between these rivals.
``It was just great hockey,'' said Frank Anzalone, Roanoke's coach.
Richmond leads the best-of-five series 1-0. Game 2 is here at 6:05 p.m. Sunday.
The Renegades got off to a flying start at the Richmond Coliseum, but it was the wild finish for which Game 1 will be remembered.
Trailing 3-2 with 2:33 to play, Anzalone took goaltender Daniel Berthiaume off the ice and replaced him with a sixth attacker. The Express got a couple of close shots, but couldn't put the puck in the net.
Thirty seconds after Ilya Dubkov's wrist shot went wide of the goal - the third time Dubkov was denied on a close opportunity in the third period - Richmond's Jan Benda kicked the puck free from the side boards and buried an empty-netter from the blue line to make it 4-2 with 1:12 left.
The coliseum crowd began filing for the exits, but it wasn't over. Thirty seconds later, the Express had a man advantage again, as Sean O'Brien was penalized for holding. Darwin McClelland scored on a rebound with 14.2 seconds left.
After the ensuing faceoff, Roanoke dumped the puck into Richmond's zone, but was offside. Eleven seconds were put on the clock, Roanoke won a faceoff, but couldn't get off a shot against goalie Dave Littman as time expired.
Express president John Gagnon apparently didn't feel his club was given the time it was due. Witnesses said Gagnon went after the timekeeper following the game and had to be restrained by security officers.
``Our guys played great,'' Anzalone said. ``We had some great scoring chances. If Dubkov buries that shot, we're in OT. We played a great game.''
Both goalies were sharp in the third period. In addition to frustrating Dubkov, Littman stopped Michael Smith on a clean walk-in.
``He was there to shut the door,'' said Roy Sommer, Richmond's coach.
Berthiaume - who, like Littman, had 20 saves - stopped all eight shots he saw in the third period, although Richmond's Trevor Senn missed a wide-open net on a wraparound midway through the period.
For all of the fireworks of the third period, the game actually may have been won in its first 2:40, when the Renegades scored twice.
Richmond came out flying, as Benda and Andrew Shier scored 15 seconds apart on a pair of two-on-one breaks to give the Renegades a 2-0 lead.
``Those quick goals hurt,'' said Express defenseman Dave Stewart, ``but we had chances to win the game.''
All three of Roanoke's goals came on the power play, the first from Derek Laxdal to make it 2-1 at the 10:42 mark. The Express had seven power plays to Richmond's two.
The Renegades scored their third goal when Senn got to a bouncing puck in the slot and knocked it past Berthiaume to make it 3-1 with 11:35 left in the second period.
``Senn's goal should never have happened,'' Anzalone said. ``That goal hurt us.''
Roanoke closed to 3-2 when Smith poked a rebound past Littman at the 13:23 mark of the second. Richmond's Scott Gruhl was handed an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for shooting the puck into the net several seconds after the Renegades had been called offside.
``It's tough to lose a game that you had a chance to win,'' Laxdal said. ``We just want to win one game here. I hope it's Sunday.''
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB