ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 9, 1997 TAG: 9703110013
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HOCKEY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
It's been a season of hard-hitting ploys, power plays and penalties for the Roanoke Express.
The team on the ice hasn't been bad, either.
For about a year, Express owners have been distracted by a civil war to determine the future of Roanoke professional hockey. With John Gagnon selling his 50 percent share of the club to some of his partners, the ownership war appears to be over.
Now, the real work begins.
Other pressing issues were put on the back burner during the ownership squabble. Most notably, the effort to build an ice skating facility in Roanoke was pushed to the background. During Thursday's news conference to announce Gagnon's decision to sell his interest in the club, one fan asked if building a rink where the Express could practice would become a priority.
``If anything, that issue has moved to the forefront,'' said Joe Steffen, Express vice president and director of communications. ``John was supportive of that movement, too. It's time to go to work on that.''
While the entire original ownership group remains - except for Gagnon - last week's announcement still constitutes the dawning of a new era in Roanoke hockey. Gone is Gagnon, the most visible member of the group that brought the East Coast Hockey League expansion franchise to the Roanoke Civic Center in 1993 after the Vinton-based Roanoke Valley Rampage had failed.
The man who earned the nickname ``Big Daddy Gags'' for his outgoing style and deep pockets was named the ECHL's executive of the year, along with Express general manager and co-founder Pierre Paiement, in 1994.
Now, there are 10 owners - eight, really, since two married couples have one vote each on the team's board of directors - each of whom has an equal say in team matters.
``This is not a one-person show,'' Steffen said. ``We all have an equal voice in this.''
POSTSEASON PREVIEW: With 11 games remaining in the Express' regular-season schedule after this weekend, the ECHL playoff picture is coming into focus.
It is clear the Express would have a better first-round draw if it could pass Richmond and finish third in the East Division. If that happens, the Express most likely would play an opponent outside the division, possibly the Dayton Bombers from the North.
If the Express stays in fourth or fifth, it likely will draw Hampton Roads or South Carolina. Both are much tougher assignments.
``We're playing to move up, but we can't really worry about who we might play,'' said Jeff Jablonski, Roanoke's leading scorer. ``We've played everybody and beaten everybody in our division. ... We need to try to get back on pace and peak again. There's no reason we would want to duck anybody. You might as well go against the best team in the division. If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best.''
The playoff format is as follows: The 16-team field will comprise the top five teams in each division and one wild-card team. The wild card will be the team with the most points that is not among the top five teams in any division.
The teams will play a best-of-five series within their own division. The seeding for the division with the wild-card team will be first place vs. wild card, second vs. fifth, third vs. fourth. The seeding for the other two divisions will be first vs. fifth and second vs. fourth. The third-place squads from those two divisions will meet in the first round.
The second round also will be played within the division. The first-round winners of the divisions that began with five teams will meet in a best-of-five series. The winner of the series matching third seeds will join the division that began with six teams. That division will have four teams in the second round.
The four second-round winners will be reseeded for the semifinals. The winners will play for the Kelly (formerly Riley) Cup.
MOOSE CALL: Wayne Strachan showed how you play your way into a promotion. He came to Roanoke from the International Hockey League in December as a frustrated hockey player who couldn't understand why he had been traded from the Long Beach (Calif.) Ice Dogs to the Manitoba Moose and why he subsequently had been sent to Roanoke.
After moping for a while, Strachan decided the best way to earn a promotion was to dedicate himself to playing his best hockey for the Express. In 25 games, he had 19 goals and 13 assists, which put him on pace to score more than 50 goals if he played an entire season.
``I can't worry about getting called up,'' Strachan said last week. ``If I get the chance to move up, great. If not, I'll try to help this team make the playoffs.''
He said that after scoring three goals in an 8-5 victory over Dayton on Tuesday. Two days later, Strachan was recalled by Manitoba.
``Wayne Strachan showed that, before you think about tomorrow, you've got to play hard today,'' Anzalone said.
PUCKS IN THE 'NET: The Roanoke Express home page is up and running on the Internet. Team information, schedules and profiles are available at www.roanokeexpress.com. NOTE: please see microfilm for statistics.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS THE ROANOKE TIMES. Center Wayneby CNBStrachan, recalled Thursday by Manitoba of the IHL, had 19 goals and
13 assists in 25 games.