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

DATE: MONDAY, April 3, 1995                   TAG: 9504040057
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                 LENGTH: Medium

GAME 2 OF SERIES A GAS FOR LAXDAL - LITERALLY

The latest incident occurred during the first period of Sunday's East Coast Hockey League game at the Richmond Coliseum, when a Richmond police officer sprayed mace toward Roanoke forward Derek Laxdal, who had squirted water on some fans as he sat in the penalty box.

After the game, Laxdal discussed the incident with Roanoke's general manager, Pierre Paiement, and the ECHL's vice president of operations, Richard Adams.

The Express may be considering legal action, but no charges were filed immediately.

``I can't say anything right now,'' Paiement said. ``We'll know more'' today.

The incident occurred with 6:41 left in the first period, after Laxdal and Richmond's Garrett MacDonald were penalized for high-sticking.

A group of fans behind the penalty box taunted Laxdal, who responded by taking the cap off his water bottle and squirting water over the glass, according to Ron Gathright, the official in the Roanoke penalty box.

The policeman, whose name was not disclosed, was hit with some of the water. There apparently was an exchange of words, then the officer sprayed a cloud of pepper mace into the area. Laxdal and Gathright quickly vacated the box.

``You couldn't breathe,'' Gathright said.

Laxdal's only comment was, ``It's a legal thing.''

The incident was the second off-ice disruption during the best-of-five series.

Following Game 1 on Friday, Express president John Gagnon was forcibly removed from the media area after a dispute with the coliseum's timekeeper, Bill Woodson.

``I was down there with my son to see if they had a lounge,'' Gagnon said. ``I heard one of them [off-ice officials] talking about the clock, so I asked him if he was the clock operator and he said yes.

``I asked him if the off-ice officials were paid here. He said no. I told him, `I still think you're overpaid.' We had some words, then a couple of 300-pound guys forced me out of there. They didn't have to restrain me. I would have left, but they grabbed me.''

Gagnon said he had been displeased with the clock management during the final moments of the game.