ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 10, 1996 TAG: 9602120068
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: EXPRESS NOTES
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
The skating wounded of the Roanoke Express will try to do some healing tonight and Sunday.
The Express brings a roster full of bruised body parts, separated shoulders, sore hands and banged-up elbows into tonight's game against the Richmond Renegades at the Roanoke Civic Center.
The roster won't include center Dave Holum, who hurt his left shoulder last Sunday against Raleigh and will miss tonight's game. Early reports were that Holum would be out for four weeks, but Holum has said he thinks he can play sooner than that.
``It looks like I've got a rotator cuff problem, now,'' said Holum. ``It looks shaky for this weekend. I think I can make it back next week.''
Other players who will be on the ice in varying degrees of pain include Craig Herr (back, left hand), Chris Potter (right wrist), Jeff Jablonski (right hand) and Jason Clarke (right elbow).
Many of those injuries have nagged players and hindered their effectiveness for several games. Heading into Friday's game at Hampton Roads, Herr has just one goal since returning from his back injury. Jablonski, who leads the Express with 29 goals, hasn't scored a goal in six games.
Herr will fill in for Holum at center and Potter probably will move to a line with Jablonski and Ilya Dubkov.
``Guys are usually hurting this time of year,'' said Potter. ``We'll just have to pull through.''
RENEGADES FINALE: Tonight's game will mark Richmond's last regular-season visit to the civic center this season.
Of course, the teams could meet in the playoffs. If the playoffs began today, Richmond, the first-place team in the East Division, would play Roanoke, the fifth-place team, in a best-of-five series. Richmond already has qualified for the Riley Cup Playoffs.
The Express is 3-5 against the Renegades this season, with all three wins coming in shootouts. Beating Richmond in regulation has been a tough chore for the entire league this season - the Renegades have a league-low six regulation losses.
``If we played them in the first round [of the playoffs], we gotta know we can beat them in regulation,'' said Clarke. ``We've got to play well and play harder, especially in the last three minutes. They've gotten to us a couple of times late in games. We haven't played a full 60 minutes against them.''
Tonight's game is expected to attract a near-sellout crowd. A large crowd also is expected for the game against Charlotte at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
WHOSE AFFILIATION?: Express general manager Pierre Paiement said he was stunned to learn this week that the Minnesota Moose, Roanoke's International Hockey League affiliate, had actually sent a player to the ECHL's Wheeling Thunderbirds.
To make matters worse, the player, defenseman Mark Visheau, had been coveted by the Express. Paiement and head coach Frank Anzalone had inquired about Visheau's availability several weeks ago when the player was receiving little ice time.
Apparently, the order to send Visheau to Wheeling came from the Edmonton Oilers, who purchased Visheau's contract from the Winnipeg Jets. Edmonton is affiliated with Wheeling and instructed Minnesota coach Frank Serratorre to send Visheau there, from where he probably will move up to Cape Breton in the American Hockey League if he leaves the ECHL.
``I was shocked,'' Paiement said. ``Frank Serratorre said, `Pierre, I had nothing to do with this.' [Visheau] became Edmonton's property and they sent him where they wanted. The kid was adamant about not playing in the East Coast a few weeks ago.''
This isn't the first time a Roanoke affiliate has sent a player to another ECHL team. Last season, Minnesota assigned goalie Duane Derksen to Richmond and the Kansas City Blades, who were part of the Express' now-defunct working agreement with the San Jose Sharks, sent goalie Corwin Saurdiff to Hampton Roads. The Express did not have a need for either goalie when the IHL clubs were looking to send them down.
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