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

DATE: TUESDAY, December 21, 1993                   TAG: 9312210160
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: TOM STEADMAN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C.                                LENGTH: Medium

MONARCHS TOP EXPRESS IN SHOOTOUT

Rookie defenseman Chris Valicevic, just back from a stint in the American Hockey League, scored a shootout goal Monday night to give the Greensboro Monarchs a 6-5 victory over the Roanoke Express.

Greensboro, which entered the game atop the ECHL's East Division, but winless in its past four games, battled the Express through 60 minutes of regulation play and a scoreless five-minute overtime before Valicevic, Greensboro's sixth man in the shootout, beat goalie Jim Mill for the victory.

"The guys had to ask themselves some serious questions," said Jeff Brubaker, Greensboro's coach. "They had to take a long, hard look at themselves after the second period."

The Monarchs trailed 5-4 at that point, keeping the game close primarily because of Todd Tretter's two short-handed goals.

"By the end of the year, Tretter is going to be one of the best hockey players in this league," Brubaker said.

Greensboro was not at strength. Wing Dan Bylsma was called up to the AHL for the second time this season and Dean Bylsma, still nursing an injured leg, was hurting. And the Express had won the only previous meeting between the two teams this season, taking a 4-3 overtime decision Saturday in Roanoke.

Also missing, for most of the game, anyway, was fleet-skating Greensboro swingman Brendan Creagh, who took an early exit. Creagh drew a game-misconduct penalty at 10 minutes, 28 seconds of the first period for dropping his gloves with Roanoke's Gairin Smith. Smith, like Creagh, was tagged with a five-minute fighting penalty, but stayed in the game.

With 51 seconds gone in the thid period, Trevor Burgess pulled Greensboro into a 5-5 tie when he put the rebound of a Phil Berger shot past Mill.

Roanoke led 5-4 after two periods, on Michael Smith's goal with only 51 seconds left in the second period. Former Monarch Roger Larche picked up his second assist of the game on Smith's goal.

Tretter had pulled Greensboro into a 4-4 tie with his second short-handed goal of the game at the 14:45 mark. A goal by the Express' Tony Szabo at the 11:45 mark had given the Express a 4-3 lead.

Roanoke had taken a 1-0 lead on a power play with slightly more than four minutes gone in the first period. Lev Berdichevsky scored with a blast from the right wing.

by CNB