ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 5, 1997 TAG: 9703050110
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
Frank Anzalone laid it on the line, and that line responded.
The Roanoke Express' coach knew he had a potential power line when he shifted Wayne Strachan to play with Jeff Jablonski and Ilya Dubkov a couple of weeks ago. Strachan had a hat trick and an assist to lead a three-man unit that produced four goals and five assists in Tuesday's 8-5 victory over the Dayton Bombers in an East Coast Hockey League game at the Roanoke Civic Center.
The Express posted back-to-back victories for the first time since Feb.18 by winning a wild affair in which it scored four third-period goals and weathered a 49-shot Dayton bombardment.
The Express never trailed after scoring four consecutive goals to take a 4-2 lead midway through the second period, but it could not ground the Bombers until late in the third.
``There were times out there when I didn't know if we were coming or going,'' Anzalone said.
That line sums up the kind of season Strachan has experienced. A guy who scored 18 goals in the International Hockey League during the 1995-96 season, Strachan has played in Long Beach and Manitoba of the IHL and Thunder Bay of the Colonial League before Manitoba sent him to Roanoke.
After experiencing some initial disappointment at being sent down, Strachan has become a major contributor by scoring 19 goals in 25 games for Roanoke (32-21-4). He has six goals in his past five games.
``I'm back on my game now, I feel,'' Strachan said. ``I finally have a lot of confidence. Manitoba is doing a little better now since their coaching change, so I understand how things are working out for me. We're in a dogfight down here for a playoff spot. Hopefully, I can contribute to that.''
Strachan's first two goals came in the second period to give the Express a 4-2 lead. Jablonski fed him from behind the net to give Roanoke the lead for good at 3:40, and Dubkov assisted him in the same fashion at 5:59.
``Wayne Strachan is an opportunistic goal-scorer,'' Anzalone said. ``If he's with Duby and Jabber, they muck things up enough and he can get some chances. He's like a shark swimming in and out of the holes out there.''
After Dayton (28-21-7) cut its deficit to one on a Steve Roberts goal, Strachan completed the hat trick by sending a drive through goalie Evgeny Ryabchikov's pads from the left circle to make it 5-3 with 16:20 left in the game.
That shot relegated Ryabchikov to the bench in favor of Will Clarke, who surrendered three more goals on 11 shots. After Dayton's Norm Dezainde sent a slap shot past Roanoke netminder Dave Gagnon, Express defenseman Doug Searle scored from the left circle to make it a two-goal game again at 6-4.
Roberts scored on a tip-in to make it 6-5 with 9:36 left, then Jablonski scored off a rebound 27 seconds later. Tim Christian finished it for Roanoke by stealing a clearing attempt by Clarke and burying it with 5:21 left.
Jablonski's goal was his 41st this season, two shy of the team record Jeff Jestadt established in 1993-94. It was his first goal in three games.
``We were trying to do too much,'' Jablonski said. ``I had been feeling kind of tired, so I was trying to play faster to make up for it. I was taking off too soon and getting too far ahead instead of coming across the blue line three-men-to-a-line like it should be. Tonight, Frank just said to slow down. It seemed to help.''
After falling behind 2-0 in the first 8:59, Roanoke scored twice - Ryan Equale netted a slap shot and Chris Lipsett tipped in a Jeff Loder pass - to tie it.
Gagnon turned aside 44 shots to keep the Bombers at bay.
``We came out flat, turned it up for a while, then rode Dave Gagnon,'' Anzalone said.
ICE CHIP: The Express signed goaltender Sylvain Careau to be Gagnon's back-up. Careau has Quebec Major Junior experience and has attended International Hockey League training camps with San Antonio and Quebec.
Dayton 2--1--2-5
Roanoke 2--2--4-8
First period-1, Dayton, Manganaro 20 (Sullivan, Emmons), 6:26. 2, Dayton, Schachle 8 (Manganaro), 8:59. 3, Roanoke, Equale 3, 12:37. 4, Roanoke, Lipsett 18 (Loder, Christian), 16:45. Penalties-Manganaro, Da, major-minor (fighting, roughing), 9:10; MacIsaac, Ro, major (fighting), 9:10.
Second period- 5, Roanoke, Strachan 17 (Jablonski, O'Dette), 3:40. 6, Roanoke, Strachan 18 (Dubkov, Jablonski), 5:59. 7, Dayton, Roberts 33 (Shields, Miller), 17:47. Penalties-Miller, Da (interference), 3:23; Downey, Da, major (fighting), 5:35; Brown, Ro, major (fighting), 5:35; Dezainde, Da, double-minor (roughing), 11:25; Peterson, Ro, double-minor (roughing), 11:25.
Third period-8, Roanoke, Strachan 19 (O'Dette, Gagnon), 3:40. 9, Dayton, Dezainde 8, 5:30. 10, Roanoke, Searle 4 (Dubkov, Strachan), 7:21. 11, Dayton, Roberts 34 (Downey, Gillis), 10:24. 12, Roanoke, Jablonski 41 (Dubkov), 10:51. 13, Roanoke, Christian 19, 14:49. Penalties-Dezainde, Da, major (fighting), 8:23; Stewart, Ro, major-minor (fighting, roughing), 8:23 .
Shots on goal-Dayton 13-17-19 49. Roanoke 8-9-14 31.
Power-play opportunities-Dayton 0-of-1. Roanoke 1-of-2.
Goalies-Dayton, Ryabchikov (20 shots-15 saves), 43:40; Clarke (11-8), 16:20. Roanoke, Gagnon W 29-15-4 (49-44).
Referee-Jim Combs. Linesmen-John Campbell, Kevin Lord.
A-4,880.
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN/Staff. Roanoke's Jeff Jablonski (15) andby CNBWayne Strachan celebrate one of their line's goals Tuesday night
during an 8-5 Express victory over the Dayton Bombers at the Roanoke
Civic Center. The line produced nine points. color.