ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 1, 1996 TAG: 9611010018
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
CHARLOTTE, WHICH has dominated Roanoke, makes a visit to the civic center for an ECHL contest tonight.
The Roanoke Express will try to forget its Checkered past tonight.
The Express has experienced more than a few problems with the Charlotte Checkers in East Coast Hockey League play, most recently last Friday when the Checkers drilled Roanoke 9-1 at Charlotte.
Counting last season's three-game playoff sweep, Charlotte (4-1-1) has beaten the Express five straight times. That's not counting a Charlotte win in the exhibition season, either. Last season, the Checkers beat Roanoke seven out of 10 times, outscoring the Express 41-29 along the way.
``We've just got to work hard,'' said Express coach Frank Anzalone, whose team snapped a four-game losing skid with an impressive 6-3 win at Hampton Roads on Wednesday.
In that victory, ``we worked hard in and out of our zone,'' Anzalone said. ``We didn't just allow them to get in our zone. We made them work to get in.''
During the losing skid, the prevailing theory was that opponents were too easily skating past the forwards and putting pressure on Roanoke's big defensemen. That led to multiple odd-man rushes, which led to point-blank shots on Roanoke's goal that frequently found the back of the net.
As a result, Roanoke (2-4-1) surrendered an average of 6.5 goals in its four regulation defeats. The Express has improved defensively in its past two outings, including a 3-2 shootout loss to South Carolina on Tuesday.
The biggest beneficiary of Roanoke's improved defense has been veteran goalie Dave Gagnon, who has allowed just five goals in his last 120 minutes of regulation duty.
Trouble is, Gagnon twisted his knee during Wednesday's game. Anzalone said his status was uncertain for tonight.
``On [the Admirals'] first goal, his skate got caught,'' said Anzalone.
``We're concerned. He's got a little tweak. We'll see if he's well'' for tonight's game.
RUSSIAN DEFENSE: The Express acquired defenseman Olegs Sorokins from Jacksonville in a trade for cash considerations. Sorokins arrived in Roanoke on Wednesday but did not travel with the team to Hampton Roads. The Express plays its next six games on the road and does not return to Roanoke until Nov. 12 when it faces Richmond.
LENGTH: Short : 50 linesby CNB