Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 13, 1994 TAG: 9403130062
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
After a four-game losing streak that had many around the ECHL, not to mention Roanoke, ready to bury it, the Express responded by going into Greensboro on Wednesday and scoring one of the unlikeliest wins of the season.
Although it has handled the Monarchs in Roanoke, the 4-3 victory was the Express' first in Greensboro. Moreover, it marked only the third time in 30 games this season that a visiting team won in regulation in the Monarchs' building.
After Greensboro scored twice to wipe out a 3-1 third-period Roanoke lead, the Express won on Gairin Smith's goal with 2 minutes and 19 seconds to play. Talk about unlikely sources. Smith hadn't scored a goal since Feb. 4 in Huntington, a span covering 15 games.
"Considering the timing, the fact we were were slumping, coming off three straight home losses and such, it was the biggest win of the season," said Pierre Paiement, the Express' general manager. "I don't think a lot of people gave us much chance going down to Greensboro.
"Maybe the guys sorta felt that way, too, and didn't feel a lot of pressure because everybody thought they'd lose. But they went in there and hustled, and [goaltender] Paul Cohen played a great game.
"What they did really showed a lot of character. After losing four in a row and then winning in Greensboro, I think somebody should automatically put us in the playoffs."
While it doesn't quite work that way, the improbable win kept Roanoke (33-27-3) in control of its own playoff destiny. To overhaul the Express and steal the ECHL's last playoff berth, the Richmond Renegades still require a lot of outside help. If Roanoke hadn't gotten two points in Greensboro, Richmond would have been six points down, instead of eight, with three games in hand.
`What a big game," Paiement said. "I'm sure Richmond never figured we'd win down there."
Why should they have? Nobody else did.
\ ALL-STAR TEAM: Goaltender Cory Cadden, a main cog in Knoxville's resurgence this season, was the leading vote-getter on the 1993-94 postseason ECHL All-Star team announced this week.
Cadden, who entered Friday's play with a 25-7-4 record and 3.10 goals-against average, received 122 points in balloting among ECHL coaches and one media representative from each of the league's 19 cities.
The other first-teamers: Birmingham center Joe Flanagan (114 points), Greensboro right wing Phil Berger (107), Wheeling left wing Darren Schwartz (45), Dayton defenseman Tom Nemeth (91) and Columbus defenseman Joe Cook (67).
The second team consists of Hampton Roads goalie Mark Michaud, Greensboro center Dan Gravelle, Richmond right wing Darren Colbourne, Toledo left wing Rick Judson and Birmingham defensemen Dave Craivich and Paul Marshall.
Roanoke was one of 10 clubs not represented on the teams.
\ MOOSE CAMP: Captain Dave "Moose" Morissette, in conjunction with the Express, will conduct a hockey school from Aug. 23-28 at the Roanoke Civic Center.
The weeklong camp will be open to boys and girls, ages 7-18. Out-of-town participants will be provided accommodations. The enrollment cap is 200 students.
The camp agenda includes segments on power skating, skill training, off-ice conditioning requirements and three hours of daily on-ice instruction. Each participant will receive one-on-one video session training from a member of the Express staff.
The cost is $200, $250 for out-of-town participants requiring room and board. A $100 deposit is required. For further information, contact Tim Woodburn or Pierre Paiement at (703) 989-GOAL.
\ SHORT-HANDED STORY: Express forward Jeff Jestadt scored his seventh short-handed goal of the season in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Birmingham, tying him for the ECHL lead with Nashville's Stanislaw Tkach.
Jestadt and Tkach already have matched the league record for short-handed goals in a season, held by three players, including Jack Williams of last season's Roanoke Valley Rampage.
Conversely, Roanoke has allowed an ECHL-high 20 short-handed scores, nearly double the other 18 clubs' average yield of 11.2.
\ ICE CHIPS: Goalie Andrei Mezin, signed Tuesday by the Express when Dan Ryder was called up by Kansas City of the International Hockey League, had a 13-12-3 record and 4.02 goals-against average, including three shutouts, with the Brockville Braves of the Central Ontario Junior A League. Mezin, 19, is expected to be used exclusively as a backup behind Cohen, who shared starting duties with Ryder. . . . The San Jose Sharks may not have helped Roanoke much this season, but they sure have helped themselves. After going 11-71-2 last season, San Jose was 25-30-13 heading into Saturday's game in Calgary. The Sharks are on a pace to record the biggest single-season improvement in NHL history. . . . Adirondack must be second-guessing its signing of former Roanoke star Lev Berdichevsky. Since signing an American Hockey League contract on Feb. 14, Berdichevsky has no goals and one assist and is minus-11. The Russian forward had four goals, two assists and was plus-12 in five games before signing with the Red Wings.
by CNB