Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 18, 1995 TAG: 9511200116
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
What likely will be remembered about the Roanoke Express' 5-2 loss Friday to the South Carolina Stingrays are the fireworks and fisticuffs, the comeback attempt and the empty-net goals.
All that hullabaloo occurred in the waning moments. The point at which the East Coast Hockey League game was decided came much earlier.
The Stingrays scored three goals in a span of 10 minutes, 56 seconds in the first period and took a 3-1 lead that goaltender Sean Gauthier made stand up.
It was a game that ended with the Stingrays scoring two empty-net goals in the final 1:26 and Roanoke's Jason Clarke duking it out with South Carolina's Marc Tardif, the culprit who notched the first empty-net tally to give the Stingrays a 4-2 lead and put matters at rest before 6,631 customers at the Roanoke Civic Center.
``Every night, it's an eight- or nine-minute stretch where we give up three goals,'' said Express coach Frank Anzalone. ``Quite frankly, I'm at a loss for words. I don't know what we're going to do to make other teams stop coming at us during those eight minutes. ... Hopefully, everyone will gain something from this experience.''
The loss spoiled the return of goalie Daniel Berthiaume to Roanoke. The former NHL netminder, who re-signed with the Express this week after starting the season with the Detroit Vipers in the International League, made 26 saves, but he wasn't on the ice for South Carolina's last two scores.
That's when Anzalone pulled him in favor of a sixth attacker. Express wing Jeff Jestadt got a solid chance in front of the net, but the Express never fully controlled the rebound and Tardif swatted the puck from near his blue line down the ice and into the empty net.
``Our guy passed it right to their player,'' said Anzalone. ``Right to him. We probably could have scored.''
This all happened after the Express had pulled to 3-2 on the power play when Dave Holum deflected Duane Harmer's drive past Gauthier with 10:58 to play.
In suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season, Roanoke (8-8) got some quality chances against Gauthier, but the former member of the Canadian Olympic Team made 34 saves.
``It seems that we're getting opportunities and not putting them in the net,'' said Jestadt. ``Their goalie was hot, but we still should have beaten him.''
That was the last goal for Roanoke, which statistically dominated the Stingrays over the final two periods by outshooting them 31-20, including a 20-5 advantage in a scoreless second period. But South Carolina got a pair of power-play goals from Mike Ross and Kevin Knopp - against an Express team ranked last in the league in penalty-killing - and Justin Duberman took a rebound off the endboards and beat Berthiaume on the doorstep, as the Stingrays took a 3-1 lead after a period.
South Carolina's big break came in the second, when they withstood three straight penalties that gave Roanoke 1:33 of a two-man advantage.
``Special teams are so important these days,'' said Stingrays coach Rick Vaive, whose team has won three straight. ``A lot more penalties are being called this year, so special teams are key. We stopped them five-on-three and had a couple of power-play scores. That comes from a combination of goaltending and playing gutsy.''
Tim Christian gave the Express a 1-0 lead by knocking home a rebound at 3:35. Michael Smith sprang Jestadt on a breakaway with a pinpoint pass that split two defenders. Gauthier denied Jestadt's backhand but Christian, who had a two-point night, punched in the rebound.
The Express will try to end its two-game skid tonight against Birmingham at 7:30 p.m. in the civic center.
ICE CHIPS: Craig Herr became the fifth captain in the Express' three-year history, following Dave Stewart, Michael Smith, Pat Ferschweiler and Dave ``Moose'' Morissette. ... The Roanoke Valley Hockey Boosters named goalie Matt DelGuidice the Express defensive player of the month and right wing Jason Clarke the team's offensive player of the month.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB