ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 31, 1997 TAG: 9703310166
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RALEIGH, N.C.
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
Roanoke gave five of its top players a day off and lost to Raleigh. The Express begins the playoffs Wednesday at Hampton Roads.
The Roanoke Express left its best players at home and didn't show its best game on the ice in falling 6-5 to the Raleigh IceCaps in an East Coast Hockey League regular-season finale at Dorton Arena on Sunday.
With Roanoke's playoff matchup already established, Express coach Frank Anzalone gave five of his top regulars - Jeff Jablonski, Ilya Dubkov, Jeff Loder, Dave Stewart and goaltender Dave Gagnon - the night off.
Jablonski was even technically loaned to Saint John of the American Hockey League to make room for forward Eric Landry, who was sent to Roanoke from Saint John over the weekend. The Jablonski move was a paperwork maneuver - Jablonski will stay with with Roanoke, although the Express will have to make another move to trim its roster to 20 players before its first-round playoff series begins Wednesday at Hampton Roads.
The Express fell behind by four goals before nearly coming all the way back. Sean Brown, who had six goals before Sunday, scored twice and had two assists for Roanoke (38-26-6), the No.4 team in the ECHL East Division.
Raleigh (30-33-7), which finished sixth in the East, led 3-1 in the first period and took a 6-2 lead early in the third period on a goal by Rod Parmenter.
The Express came back with three goals in a span of 3:05 to make it 6-5. Brown scored at 14:12, Ryan Equale tallied at 15:50 and Matt O'Dette scored on a long drive with 2:53 remaining.
That was as close as the Express had been since the end of the first period, when Brown and Dan Tompkins scored to make it 3-2.
Roanoke pulled goalie Matt Carmichael in the final minute in favor of a sixth skater, but could not convert.
Roanoke's playoff matchup was settled Saturday when the Express lost 6-0 to Hampton Roads, the East's No2 team.
The best-of-five series begins Wednesday at the Norfolk Scope at 7:30 p.m. Game 2 will be Friday in Norfolk.
The series moves to the Roanoke Civic Center Saturday for Game 3 at 7:35 p.m. If Game 4 is necessary, it will be played Sunday in Roanoke at 6 p.m.
Game 5, if necessary, would be April 9 in Norfolk.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB