ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 5, 1996 TAG: 9601050032
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
For weeks, Brian Gallentine had known this day was coming. Still, it wasn't easy when it arrived.
Gallentine, a rookie winger for the Roanoke Express, has retired from professional hockey, two months after a high-sticking incident left him partially blinded.
Gallentine, 22, has regained only 10 percent of the vision in his right eye, Express coach Frank Anzalone said. Gallentine has scar tissue behind his retina, a condition that is inoperable.
``Pretty much nothing has changed,'' Gallentine said from his home in Jackson, Mich. ``My vision has improved a little, but not much. ... I definitely miss it down there. I still talk to a couple of the guys every now and then.''
Gallentine, a first-year player out of Western Michigan University, was injured on Oct.29 in Wheeling, W.Va., when Brock Woods of the Wheeling Thunderbirds hit him with the blade of his stick.
The Express placed Gallentine on the 60-day injured reserve list but learned a couple of weeks ago that Gallentine's chances of regaining his vision were not good and that his career was over.
Express general manager Pierre Paiement said the team will publish a commemorative souvenir program to go on sale Jan.12 to help raise money for the remainder of Gallentine's education. The Express will donate $1 from the sale of every program in January to a trust fund.
Gallentine will attend Roanoke's Jan.13 game against the Dayton Bombers to autograph posters.
``We wanted to do something special in helping Brian maintain a positive outlook on the rest of his life,'' Paiement said. ``It was Brian's decision to go back to school, and I'm confident that the Express and our fans will come through in a big way for one of our own.''
Gallentine, who was one of Roanoke's most promising rookies, had two goals in eight games before getting hurt.
Earlier in the week, center Marty Schriner also opted for retirement. Schriner emerged as one of Roanoke's best offensive players during the second half of last season, but he never got on track this season.
Schriner, 23, had no goals and seven assists in 18 games this season and had been scratched from the lineup 16 times.
ICE CHIPS: Roy Sommer of the Richmond Renegades and Jeff Brubaker of the Jacksonville Lizard Kings have been chosen to coach the ECHL All-Star Game on Jan.23 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Sommer led the Renegades to the Riley Cup championship in 1995, and Richmond has the best record in the ECHL this season. He will be assisted by Jim Playfair of the Dayton Bombers.
Brubaker led the Greensboro Monarchs to the Riley Cup finals last season, and his first-year Jacksonville squad leads the South Division with 44 points. Assisting him will be Tallahassee coach Terry Christensen.
LENGTH: Medium: 58 linesby CNB