
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 29, 1990                   TAG: 9003290137
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

GREENSBORO, WINSTON-SALEM SQUARE OFF FOR ECHL CROWN

Needless to say, travel won't be a factor in the 1989-90 East Coast Hockey League championship series.

Winston-Salem and Greensboro, the ECHL's two North Carolina entries located only 25 miles apart on Interstate 40, begin the best-of-seven playoff finale tonight at the Winston-Salem Coliseum.

Game 2 will be played Saturday in Winston-Salem. The series then moves to the Greensboro Coliseum for Game 3 on Sunday and Game 4 on Wednesday, April 4.

Game 5, if necessary, will be played Friday, April 6, in Winston-Salem. Game 6, if necessary, is scheduled for Saturday, April 7, in Greensboro. If the series goes the limit, Game 7 is slated for Sunday, April 8, in Winston-Salem.

Greensboro has been a big surprise in postseason. The Monarchs finished fourth in the eight-team league's regular-season race with a 29-31 record.

But in the playoffs, coach Jeff Brubaker's club has pulled consecutive upsets, whipping Virginia 3-1 in a best-of-five first-round series and sweeping Erie 2-0 in a best-of-three second-round matchup.

Winston-Salem, which won a tiebreaker with Erie for the ECHL's regular-season crown, advanced to the finals by beating Nashville 4-1 in a best-of-seven series.

The Thunderbirds are shooting for their second straight ECHL title.

Winston-Salem and Greensboro met 12 times in the regular season, with each club winning six games. - Staff report

by CNB