ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 27, 1995 TAG: 9512270084
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
Tim Christian is ice-bucket cool, with a surface as still and solid as a frozen pond in a Michigan winter.
``Still waters run deep,'' the old saying goes, and its meaning is applicable to Christian, the quiet, almost-shy rookie right winger for the Roanoke Express who has been hot enough to turn ice to steam in the past week.
Still waters run deep? In Christian's case, the surface hides a fire in the belly that has allowed him to set the backs of nets on fire with five goals in two games heading into Tuesday night's game against the Raleigh IceCaps.
Christian will try to keep his heat wave going tonight, when the Express plays the IceCaps at the Roanoke Civic Center at 7 p.m.
``I'm just an average role player,'' said Christian, a 6-foot, 180-pound scorer from Grand Rapids, Mich.
``I just try to go out, play the game and see what happens.''
That's the closest Christian comes to crowing about his recent performances, which include his first professional hat trick that came Saturday in a 9-4 win over Hampton Roads.
The rink is where Christian makes most of his noise. Off ice, he's soft-spoken and recalcitrant, even in a raucous post-game locker room, where stereo speakers blare the sounds of rock bands such as Bush, Sponge and Weezer following Express victories.
The nice guy at one of the end lockers takes backslaps from teammates and just smiles.
``All the guys here are great,'' said Christian. He said he and his wife, Lana, fit in well with the players, many of whom are also married.
``They know I'm not much of a talker. They treat us great here.''
His actions in his past few games have spoken louder than words. Since being scratched from the lineup three times during the first month of the season, Christian has emerged as one of Roanoke's best-kept secrets. His 14 goals are second-most on the team behind Jeff Jablonski's 22, and he was leading the East Coast Hockey League in shooting percentage (33 percent) heading into Tuesday's game.
Opponents are taking notice, too. After Christian scored his second goal on Saturday, he raised his arms to celebrate and Hampton Roads defenseman Jason MacIntyre knocked him to the ice. Later, Sean Selmser played rough with Christian and was penalized for holding.
Even though a poor first month threw a crimp into his plus/minus rating (minus-13), Christian has impressed Express coach Frank Anzalone with his gritty style.
``Forget about the goals, he's been one of the hardest-working players for us,'' said Anzalone, who was coaching at Lake Superior State five years ago when he first spotted Christian in junior hockey.
``He takes the game to heart. He's loyal to the [Express] jersey. He's one of those guys who would've been a great Laker [at Lake Superior State].''
But Christian opted for Ferris State University, where he led the team in scoring for three straight seasons and averaged nearly one point per game during his four years there.
Former Huntington Blizzard coach Paul Pickard had coached Christian in junior hockey in Kalamazoo, Mich., and had helped get him recruited by Ferris State. When Christian began sorting through the pro offers last spring, he considered going to play for Pickard at Huntington, but Pickard got another coaching job outside the ECHL.
``[Pickard] taught me a lot about hockey,'' said Christian, a recreation leadership and management major who was a Dean's List student at Ferris State.
``He helped get me into college and make me a D-1 [Division I college] player. I felt I owed him something.
``It was up in the air whether he would have the [Huntington] job, so I never committed there.''
Christian placed a couple of calls to a former college teammate - Jeff Jestadt, a third-year wing with the Express.
``Coach Anzalone called me a lot over the summer, and I talked to Jeff a lot,'' Christian said. ``I asked Jeff how he liked Frank, the city ... those sorts of things. He said it was a good situation.''
It's a situation that's benefited both parties.
``This guy has bypassed other players who didn't keep developing,'' Anzalone said. ``This kid can skate, and he can take it to the net. He's a good guy to have.''
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines KEYWORDS: HOCKEYby CNB