Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511060103
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Roy, a 20-year-old Boston University player, was paralyzed from the neck down Oct.20 during the first shift of his first college game. He struck the boards headfirst, shattering his fourth vertebra 1:56 into the Terriers' home opener against North Dakota.
The tragedy affected more than just the BU hockey team. The ``hockey community,'' as it's known, has expressed shock and sympathy over the accident.
For its part, the ECHL has established the ``Travis Roy Fund'' to help the Roy family with medical expenses.
Teams in the league will hold fund-raisers during November and December, with the proceeds going to a fund established by BU.
The Roanoke Valley Hockey Boosters will be donating proceeds from their ``50-50'' raffle Dec. 2, when the Roanoke Express entertains the Richmond Renegades. The booster club sells tickets for $1 and awards half the pot to the holder of the winning ticket. The rest of the money will go to the Travis Roy Fund.
``The hockey community is very tightknit and we consider every player a member of that family,'' said Jana Spaulding, the ECHL's director of communications. ``With 21 teams, the ECHL is in a position to make an impact, and we intend to use our resources to assist Travis and his family in any way possible.''
Those wishing to make an individual contribution can do so by sending it to: Travis Roy Fund, c/o ECHL League Office, 800 Briar Creek Road, Suite DD-518, Charlotte, N.C., 28205.
AHL ALERT: The battle between the ECHL and the American Hockey League appears to be flaring again. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported last week that the president of the AHL's Baltimore Bandits contacted Richmond Coliseum officials about the possibility of putting an AHL team there.
The AHL successfully lured the Greensboro Monarchs away from the ECHL during the summer and would like to continue its Southern expansion. More teams in the South would mean less travel for Greensboro, now called the Carolina Monarchs, and Baltimore.
The Richmond Renegades won't be leaving the coliseum any time soon. The team is about to reach a three-year lease agreement with coliseum officials. But the pressure on the ECHL's largest markets - Richmond, Norfolk and Charlotte, N.C. - to join the AHL likely will increase.
However, owners of those teams probably are watching Carolina's situation closely. Despite the promise of higher-quality hockey, the Monarchs are averaging fewer than 4,000 fans per game in the spacious, recently remodeled Greensboro Coliseum.
The Monarchs attracted more fans in the ECHL, when the team's operating budget was considerably less. However, if Charlotte, Richmond, Norfolk and perhaps Raleigh joined the AHL, the Monarchs would have better rivalries and attract more fans.
For its part, the ECHL launched a pre-emptive strike against the AHL by placing a franchise in Trenton, N.J., for the 1997-98 season. Trenton, apparently, was a target for AHL expansion. The ECHL also soon may be expanding to Wilmington, Del.
SCORING UP: It appears the emphasis on enforcing the obstruction rules has resulted in higher-scoring games through the first two weeks of the ECHL season.
Through games of Oct.31, the league was averaging 8.2 goals per game, slightly up from last season's final average of 7.8.
Following the lead of the NHL, the ECHL decided to enforce the obstruction rules in an effort to cut down on clutching and grabbing and make the game faster. The emphasis on the rules has resulted in higher-scoring NHL games, as well. Through the NHL's first 71 games, the average was 6.8 goals per game, compared with 5.4 goals per game in the same period last season.
SAURDIFF HOSPITALIZED: Hampton Roads goalie Corwin Saurdiff may miss most of the regular-season after being hospitalized with colitis two weeks ago.
Saurdiff, who still is a patient at Chesapeake General Hospital, has lost 22 pounds in two weeks from the colitis, an inflammation of the colon. He was admitted to the hospital after he began bleeding internally.
A Hampton Roads spokesman said Saurdiff might miss the rest of the regular season. At best, he won't return until January.
THROWING HEAT: A little known fact about Roanoke Express wing Jason Clarke is that he played semipro baseball in Canada. Clarke, a noted tough guy on the ice, relied mainly on his fastball when pitching for the St.Catharines (Ontario) Blue Jays.
``I'm glad I stuck to hockey,'' Clarke said. ``You can't fight in baseball. ... Sometimes I did, though.''
AROUND THE ECHL: Richmond's Scott Gruhl scored the 700th goal of his 17-year professional career in the Renegades' 6-3 victory at Charlotte on Wednesday. Richmond's Dmitri Pankov scored nine seconds into that game, the second-fastest goal in Richmond history. ... Charlotte drew a crowd of 5,021 for Wednesday's game, the smallest in franchise history. The Checkers, off to a 1-6-1 start, have to be considered the biggest disappointment in the ECHL. ... Brendan Curley, who was traded from Hampton Roads to Louisville, did not report to the RiverFrogs and has retired.
by CNB