ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701270123
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
In less than four seasons of existence, the Roanoke Express has suited up several fine goal-scorers and has been fortunate to have been backstopped by quality goaltenders.
It also has had Ilya Dubkov and Dave Gagnon.
Two grizzled veterans of professional hockey, Dubkov and Gagnon separated themselves from some of the best players to have worn the Express green and red during Roanoke's impressive 7-2 bombarding of the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday night before a season-high crowd of 8,226 at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Fittingly, Dubkov and Gagnon set career marks for the Express on the same night. Dubkov became the all-time leading goal-scorer in Express history with a third-period goal, his 91st in 3 1/2 seasons with the Express. Gagnon, who spent part of the 1994-95 season with Roanoke, recorded the 38th victory of his Express career, surpassing the franchise record Daniel Berthiaume had set last season.
``You start a season with goals,'' Gagnon said, ``and this was one of them.''
At least Gagnon started the season with a jersey on his back. That was not the case for Dubkov, the reticent Russian center who returned to his homeland during the past summer and was not in Roanoke's plans until November.
Since coming back to the only American team for which he has played, Dubkov has produced some of the best hockey of his career. In 26 games, he has 18 goals - two fewer than he had in 69 games last season.
``It's exciting, sure,'' said Dubkov, who also contributed four assists as part of his five-point night. ``I think this is my best season. It's been fun. These are the best guys in the four years I've been here.''
Many of those guys contributed in a game that in the end seemed like an Express greatest-hits package. The seven goals came from seven players, with the usual suspects - Jeff Jablonski, Dave Stewart, Jeff Loder, Jeff Cowan, Chris Lipsett and Wayne Strachan - providing highlights like a who's who of Express stars.
If it wasn't Stewart blasting home his patented power-play slap shot, one of Roanoke's four power-play goals on the night, it was Strachan tipping in a Stewart rocket. If it wasn't Jablonski stealing the puck, feeding Dubkov who in turn backhanded to Lipsett on a picture-perfect three-on-two rush, it was Stewart springing Loder on a breakaway.
If the first seven minutes of the third period - when the Express dropped four goals on the Checkers to break open a 3-2 game - weren't the best the Express has played this season, there were a lot of guys in the Roanoke locker room who couldn't remember when they would have been.
``It was smart, hard hockey,'' said Frank Anzalone, the Express' coach. ``Good thrust. We had good, good thrust. Very powerful. It was a very powerful 10 minutes.''
Loder started it with his breakaway at 1:41 to make it 4-2. Dubkov scored his record-breaker at 4:24 on the power play with a nice wrist shot to the short side of Charlotte goalie Ken Shepard, Jablonski dunked a cross-crease pass from Dubkov for another power-play score at 6:13 and Cowan finished the rout by stealing the puck and scoring unassisted at 6:39
Four goals in 4:58.
``Charlotte seemed to give up after that,'' Loder said. ``I was kind of surprised.''
Roanoke (23-14-3) outshot Charlotte 49-36 and was not threatened after the Checkers (21-15-4) scored once on four second-period power plays.
Gagnon (21-10-3) finished with 34 saves and had 29 through two periods, many of them coming as he flipped from one side to the other in the crease during Charlotte's four power plays. Only the Fox Network's fall schedule included more flops than Gagnon's performance in goal. Kimbi Daniels' power-play goal at 14:23 tied it at 2-2, before the Express rolled.
Roanoke had taken a 2-1 lead after the Checkers' Mickey Elick scored at 5:35 after the Express turned over the puck. Stewart responded with his slap shot at 10:59 and Strachan made it 2-1 with his redirection at 7:25 of the second.
``Fortunately, we were able to win without asking our goaltender to be magnificent,'' Anzalone said.
ICE CHIPS: Left wing Shawn Wheeler, an ECHL veteran, came out of retirement after spending the first half of the season behind the bench as Charlotte's assistant coach. Wheeler suited up for the first time this season Tuesday when the Checkers took on the ECHL All-Stars in Charlotte and scored a goal in the Checkers' 4-2 victory over Knoxville on Friday. ...The Express is 17-6-2 since going 5-8-1 in its first 14 games. ...Roanoke completes this three-game homestand against the Knoxville Cherokees at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY STAFF. 1. Jay Kenney (left) and Matt Robbinsby CNB(right) of the Checkers try to keep the Express' Tim Christian from
getting the puck. color. 2. Mickey Elick of the Checkers (bottom)
throws a hip check at the Express' Chris Lipsett during Saturday
night's game.