Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 10, 1993 TAG: 9311100149
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In what coach Frank Anzalone labeled its worst effort of the season, the Express derailed before a crowd of 3,522 at the Roanoke Civic Center, losing 3-1 to the Charlotte Checkers in the East Coast Hockey League.
The loss was Roanoke's third in a row overall, but its first in four home games.
"We just never got going," Anzalone said. "Give Charlotte credit. They outworked us, did what they had to do to win. They deserved it."
The Express (4-6) got in trouble right off the bat, losing captain and enforcer Dave "Moose" Morissette to a game-misconduct penalty 2 minutes, 8 seconds into the game.
Morissette was tossed for instigating a fight with the Checkers' Jason Clarke, who had injured the Roanoke left wing with a slash Wednesday during a game in Charlotte.
"We knew it was coming," said Charlotte coach John Marks, whose 5-6 club won for the first time on the road.
"I read the paper today and told Jason that Morissette was going to fight him. I just told him not to do anything that would get our club in a negative situation. Unfortunately for Roanoke, it took Morissette out of the game. This game lasts 60 minutes, you know."
With Morissette gone, Anzalone was forced to juggle his line combinations, not to mention playing short-handed the rest of the night.
"Dave did what he thought was right," Anzalone said. "But the fans have to understand that fighting is of little value without the proper timing.
"Fact is, that's exactly what Charlotte wanted. It gave them the upper hand. We lose our muscle and Charlotte, even if Clarke had been tossed, still would have had more muscle than we do. We're just not not big enough to not play with a full complement of players."
Morissette, bent on revenge, said he never intended to get tossed.
"Clarke started yapping at me in warmups," said Morissette, who landed several big rights and scored Roanoke's only victory of the night. "I told him we were going first shift.
"He cheap-shotted me in Charlotte and I had to get even. I feel guilty about getting kicked out, but I had to do it. Like I said earlier, nobody is coming in here and pushing this team around."
With no Moose on the loose, the Checkers took control in the second period, breaking open a scoreless game with two goals - Dan Murphy's power-play score 27 seconds into the period and Clarke's stuff shot with 53 seconds left in the period.
Roanoke had 25 shots on goal in the first 40 minutes, but few were quality efforts.
"The second goal was the back-breaker," Anzalone said. "We weren't having a good night, and it's much harder to come from two down than it is one."
Charlotte, which moved past Roanoke into fifth place in the ECHL's East Division, put it away with 5:23 left in the game, when Gairin Smith scored on a wraparound shot during a power play. The manpower advantage was set up by a major slashing penalty called on Roanoke's Conrade Thomas.
"That was the final nail," Anzalone said.
Roanoke, which was averaging five goals a games, averted its first shutout when Jeff Jestadt beat Charlotte goalie Todd Hunter on a 15-foot wrist shot with 2:22 to play.
Jestadt's goal came on a Roanoke power play that had short-circuited all night, mustering precious few quality shots on goal.
"We rely on the Russians [Oleg Yashin, Lev Berdichevsky and Ilja Dubkov, the Express' top three goal-scorers] to be good on the power play and they had an off night," Anzalone said. "They were a little flat and being checked closely."
Things don't get any easier for the Express, which has lost five of its past six. Roanoke will attempt to snap a four-game road losing streak tonight in Richmond before heading to East-leading Raleigh on Friday.
"We just have to regroup and hopefully squeak one the next couple of games," Anzalone said.
\ ICE CHIPS: Yashin saw his nine-game point-scoring streak - the second-longest streak in the ECHL entering Tuesday's action - end. . . . Roanoke had not been held to fewer than three goals before Tuesday. . . . The Express' second-period woes continue. Charlotte's 2-0 advantage in the middle period extended Roanoke's second-period deficit this season to 23-10. . . . After the game in Raleigh, Roanoke gets the weekend off before gearing up for a three-game home stand Nov. 18-20. . . . ECHL Commissioner Pat Kelly and President Bud Gingher met Monday in Huntsville, Ala., with Blast owner Larry Revo to discuss the franchise's woes. Revo reportedly refused help from the league during the closed-door meeting. Kelly and Gingher also met with potential local investors who may be willing to buy the franchise from Revo. Charlotte 021-3 Roanoke 001-1
First period-None. Penalties-Morissette, Roa minor-major (instigating, fighting), 2:098; Morissette, Roa (game misconduct), 2:08; Clarke, Char major (fighting), 2:08; Meehan, Char (hooking), 10:06; Yashin, Roa (holding), 19:23.
Second period-1, Charlotte, Murphy 2 (Amodeo, Cleary), :27 (pp). 2, Charlotte, Clarke 1 (Lindsey, Murphy), 19:07. Penalties-Murphy, Char (holding), 7:26; Cleary, Char (hooking), 11:54; S. Berdnikov, Char (cross-checking), 13:19.
Third period-3, Charlotte, Smith 3 (Bashkirev), 14:37 (pp). 4, Roanoke, Jestadt 2 (Averill, Szabo), 17:38 (pp). Penalties-Barthe, Roa (tripping), 1:03; Dubkov, Roa (elbowing), 8:21; Thomas, Roa major (slashing), 12:19; Cleary, Char (cross-checking), 16:40; Jestadt, Roa (roughing), 19:21; Blad, Char (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:21.
Shots on goal-Charlotte 10-12-10-32. Roanoke 14-11-16-41.
Power-play opportunities-Charlotte 2 of 5. Roanoke 1 of 5.
Goalies-Charlotte, Hunter (41 shots-40 saves). Roanoke, Schoen (32-29).
Referee-Matt Dunne. Linesmen-John Horan, Grant Morley.
A-3,522.
by CNB