ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 5, 1997 TAG: 9701060101
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-10 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HOCKEY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
Just when Larry Moberg thought he couldn't wait any longer for his first victory as a professional well, he had to wait a little longer.
With the East Coast Hockey League season fast approaching the halfway point, the back-up goaltender for the Roanoke Express was staring at a goose egg next to his name in the ``W'' column on the stat sheet. Playing behind the esteemed Dave Gagnon, Moberg knew he was not going to be afforded many opportunities. His minutes-played number resembled the running time of an Oliver Stone movie.
``Anybody who plays behind Dave isn't going to get a lot of chances,'' Moberg said.
A stretch of 18 games passed without Moberg's name being announced as the starting goalie. It was a streak that didn't end until Dec.28, when he started between the pipes for Roanoke's game at Raleigh.
Things looked promising in the third period, with the Express holding a 3-1 lead. The IceCaps scored twice, though, forcing a shootout. Now, if Moberg was going to win, he was going to have to earn it.
Shootouts are designed to last five rounds, although some don't last that long. If the score remains tied after five rounds, the shootout format becomes sudden-death. Moberg faced sudden death six times before teammate Dave Stewart scored in round 12. Moberg denied the last Raleigh shooter to earn his first victory as a professional hockey player.
``I was thinking, `If we get to the shootout, I think I can win,''' Moberg said. ``It had been five years since I had been in a shootout [in junior hockey], but it's something I do every day in practice. To tell the truth, I was fairly relieved when it went to a shootout. After blowing the lead in the third, I didn't want to lose the two points.''
Not to suggest anything shady was occurring, but Moberg probably wanted the game to go on as long as possible considering how long it had been since he had played. There were a couple of situations that had to make him wonder if he'd be on the ice at all.
First, he had to make the club in training camp. Moberg, a rookie who played for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks last season, beat out Scott Donaldson for the back-up spot. Then, a month later, the Express was assigned goalie Paul Taylor, who was working on a shutout in his first start before leaving with a pulled groin.
Taylor planned all along to sign with the American Hockey League's Saint John Flames, but until he did, Moberg's status was in limbo. For a day or two, he thought he might get waived or traded.
``I thought I might be going somewhere else,'' he said. ``It was stressful. If Taylor hadn't pulled his groin, I wouldn't have made the road trip [to Florida and Alabama]. I might've been gone that week.''
As it turned out, Taylor was promoted and Moberg stayed with the club. Now, Moberg would like to contribute a little more to the Express' cause.
``Hopefully, I can win a few more,'' he said. ``I want to help the team any way I can - even if it's just in relief of Dave.''
RUSSIAN EXPRESS: Ilya Dubkov, Roanoke's all-time leader in points scored and games played, continues to rack up points. He went into Friday's game at Knoxville with 33 in 17 games. If he continued that pace over a full 70-game schedule - which he can't, because he missed the first 14 games - he would score nearly 140 points.
AROUND THE ECHL: South Carolina's Brett Marietti scored a goal in the Stingrays' 10-2 rout of Raleigh on Dec.29 for the franchise-leading 142nd point of his career, but the real hero for South Carolina was equipment manager Aaron Fackler, who saved the Stingrays from being stranded in North Carolina. After the game, the Stingrays found themselves locked out of their team bus. A locksmith and local law enforcement officials couldn't pop the lock, but Fackler - on the shoulders of a South Carolina player, used a coat hanger to open the latch.
Heading into the weekend, Dayton goaltender Derek Herlofsky had won 10 consecutive decisions, three short of the ECHL record set by Roanoke's Daniel Berthiaume two seasons ago. Former Express forward Chris DeProfio had his first hat trick as a professional this past week for Louisville. After DeProfio left Roanoke in November, the Express traded his rights to the RiverFrogs.
Phil Berger, No.2 on the ECHL's all-time points list, found his way to Raleigh after he was let go by Charlotte. Berger is on leave from the IceCaps and may retire. Former Raleigh coach Rick Barkovich, 32, has been pressed into service by the IceCaps because of a shortage of players. Barkovich, who starred for the IceCaps in the early 1990s, is the team's director of hockey operations.
The Columbus Chill turned back the clock to the early 1980s when it played the Toledo Storm on Dec.30. Included in the program was a concert by '80s New Wave legends A Flock of Sea Gulls, known for the 1982 hit ``I Ran (So Far Away).''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 89 linesby CNB