ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997             TAG: 9701160047
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: B-2  EDITION: METRO 
                                             TYPE: IN THE REGION
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS

RICHMOND AGAIN NOT FIT FOR HOCKEY

For the second consecutive weekend, the Roanoke Express will not play a scheduled game against the Richmond Renegades.

Sunday's Express-Renegades game has been postponed because of ongoing repairs at the Richmond Coliseum, which was damaged by a fire Jan. 8 that also forced the postponement of Roanoke's Jan.12 game at Richmond. No makeup date has been set for either game.

Richmond president Harry Feuerstein had attempted to obtain an electric generator and a portable ice surface as a temporary solution for the coliseum's severely damaged electrical system. The facility may not be fully repaired until February.

Re-scheduling the games could be problematic for both teams, especially Roanoke. The Express has 12 games in February and 14 in March.

In other sports news in the region:

* Virginia Tech will serve as host for the NCAA Division I men's golf East Regional May 15-17 at the Homestead Resort's Cascades Course in Hot Springs.

Tech athletic director Dave Braine and Homestead golf director Wayne Nooe announced plans for the 54-hole competition that will determine part of the field for the 1997 NCAA championship tournament.

The East Region field will be comprised of the top 22 teams and the five best remaining individuals from four districts stretching from Maine to Florida. The top 11 teams and two remaining top individuals will advance to the NCAA championship May 28-31 at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill.

* First Union Bank will bring 109 teams from Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee to the Roanoke Valley on Saturday and Sunday for the seventh annual First Union Indoor Classic soccer tournament.

Champions will be crowned in nine boys' divisions and six girls' divisions during action at Carter Athletic Center, North Cross School's old gymnasium and Roanoke College's Alumni Center. Admission to games is free.

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