ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 TAG: 9703250076
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: EXPRESS NOTES
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. THE ROANOKE TIMES
MEMO: NOTE: STory originally said game was on Friday.
Duane Harmer knew he had to be more forward-thinking about his role with the Roanoke Express.
After four Roanoke players got the call from higher leagues in the past month, Harmer was asked to do more than just play defense by head coach Frank Anzalone. He was also asked to provide some offense from a forward spot.
Harmer spent some time at right wing over the weekend and helped Roanoke pick up four points in three games. He scored two goals - doubling his season total - and added four assists as the Express pulled into a third-place tie in the East Coast Hockey League's East Division.
Harmer's contributions were especially welcome after defenseman Michael Smith was called up by the American Hockey League's Saint John Flames last week. The extra offense boosted a team that also saw forwards Wayne Strachan, Jeff Cowan and Eric Landry promoted in recent weeks.
``When you lose some of the top guys, it's up to us plumbers to pick us up a little,'' Harmer said.
Harmer certainly removed whatever had clogged the pipes. Through 65 games, the second-year defenseman from Mitchell, Ontario, had scored just two goals. He matched that output in back-to-back games against Richmond and South Carolina.
``I've had lots of chances but haven't been getting any breaks,'' he said. ``With Michael Smith gone, I've had to pick up the puck more and be a little more offensive-minded.''
That was especially true Sunday, when he scored on a power play to force a 5-all tie with the South Carolina Stingrays, who eventually beat the Express 6-5 in a shootout. He also made two pinpoint passes across the ice to set up Jeff Jablonski and Tim Christian for goals.
``Duane Harmer played an outstanding hockey game,'' said Anzalone. ``He showed talent, desire, drive. You can talk about effort, he showed it.''
He did most of that work as a blue-liner. Saturday, in the 3-2 victory over Richmond, he gave the Express some much-needed muscle on the wing and scored his first goal in 18 games.
Moving to forward ``is more of a mental change,'' Harmer said. ``You have to think a lot more about your skating. You have to want to score goals. I love this time of year. It's time to step it up a little bit.''
PRE-GAME HAZARDS, PART 1: It was fitting that the South Carolina Stingrays put in overtime in its shootout victory over the Express on Sunday since the squad arrived late to work.
After losing to Charlotte on Saturday, the Stingrays boarded a bus for the overnight trip to Roanoke. Head coach Rick Vaive and most of his players fell asleep as the bus traveled north on Interstate 95. When Vaive awoke around 6:30 Sunday morning, he didn't recognize the strip of highway or the scenery rolling past his window.
``I thought, `I don't remember any two-lane road into Roanoke,''' he said later.
That's because the bus was trundling down U.S. 58 about 40 miles outside of Norfolk. The driver had misread the travel itinerary and was heading for Hampton Roads. He realized his mistake before Vaive awoke, but the team was still about four hours from Roanoke.
``We came back on 58, then had to get on 95 to [Interstate] 64 to [I-]81 south,'' he said. ``We got in about 10 o'clock. It's been a long weekend for us. We can laugh about it now.''
PREGAME HAZARDS, PART 2: Sunday's game was scheduled to start at 3 p.m., but it was delayed about 15 minutes because of a snafu with the Express uniforms.
The Express was going to wear its Kroger-sponsored warm-up jerseys for the game until it was noticed just before the game that the jerseys didn't have the necessary straps to attach them to the pants.
Since the Stingrays had been instructed to wear white jerseys, the Express had to switch to its green road uniforms. Players also had to switch socks, lengthening the delay.
NEW GOALIE: Rookie goaltender Matt Carmichael made a solid impression on teammates with his play Friday night. Carmichael, who was playing junior hockey for North Bay of the Ontario Hockey League a week ago when he was plucked by the Express to fill the team's desperate need for a backup to Dave Gagnon, made 23 saves in a 3-2 win over Richmond in his pro debut.
Carmichael, 19, also impressed fellow players with his attitude. He didn't seem to play like a wide-eyed kid just out of juniors.
``He's kind of cocky,'' said Jablonski, Roanoke's star left wing. ``He's cocky in a good way. He's got a little edge on him. That's good.''
ICE CHIPS: Jablonski has scored 17 goals in the past 18 games. He has found the net in five straight games. ... The Express, which plays two of its final three regular-season games at home, is tied with Richmond for third place with 80 points and leads fifth-place Charlotte by six points. The Renegades have four games remaining. If the Express ties for either third or fourth place, the tie-breaker would go to the team that has the most victories. If the teams have the same number of wins, head-to-head records would be the next tiebreaker. ... Saint John update: Cowan has five goals and five assists in 19 games, Landry has a pair of goals in 12 games and Smith registered an assist in two weekend games.
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Harmerby CNB