Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 19, 1995 TAG: 9511210007
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In the week before the Roanoke Express opened camp Oct.2, it appeared the East Coast Hockey League team would have a lot of new faces. The youth movement was on.
Now, a month into the season, the Express has 10 players on its roster who played on last season's team. That's the most experience a Roanoke hockey team has had in years. Usually, five or six players come back for another season.
Daniel Berthiaume was the latest player to find his way back to Roanoke. When the goalie re-signed with the Express after beginning the season with the International Hockey League's Detroit Vipers, he became the third player to favor the Express over another league.
First, ECHL All-Star defenseman Michael Smith, who had a tryout with the IHL's Milwaukee Admirals, returned for a third season in Roanoke rather than join the Madison (Wis.) Monsters of the Colonial Hockey League.
Then, just a few days before training camp began, defenseman Dave Stewart ripped up his contract with the IHL's Indianapolis Ice - literally - before coming back to the Express. Craig Herr was supposed to have a job in Huntsville, Ala., but he's back in Roanoke giving professional hockey another try.
Those guys joined original Express players Jeff Jestadt, Ilya Dubkov and Chris Potter and second-year Roanokers Jason Clarke, Jon Larson and Marty Schriner - all of whom are back playing for coach Frank Anzalone.
``The guys like it here,'' said Express general manager Pierre Paiement, a man who settled in Roanoke after playing for the Roanoke Valley Rebels back in the 1970s. ``If they didn't like the coach, they wouldn't be back. If they didn't like the city or the organization, they wouldn't be back. I played here myself. I know it's a beautiful town. People are very cordial.
``When a guy like Daniel leaves one of the best organizations in the IHL, that tells you something. He saw that in a big city, you lose the warmness and closeness you have here.''
That closeness is something that is unique about minor-league hockey. Unlike fans of minor-league baseball, who rarely see the same players from year to year, minor-league hockey fans get to know players and pick their favorites.
Having familiar faces back can pique fan interest. Fans have learned to love Clarke's pugilistic skills, Berthiaume's flashy goaltending and the scoring of Herr and Jestadt. Fans already knew them when they stepped on the ice this season.
Of course, new blood can be good for a hockey team. More players back means less opportunity for the ``youth movement'' Anzalone predicted during the summer. Nevertheless, there are rookies such as Dave Holum and Tim Christian who could be part of the next wave of Express players to stick around for a few years.
WHEELS FALL OFF: The proposed ECHL roller hockey league will not get rolling in 1996. Owners from the East Division had talked about forming a league that would play during the summer as a way to keep the established Roller Hockey International from putting teams in ECHL locales such as Charlotte, N.C.; Norfolk; and Richmond.
After considering the costs, some owners decided there were better ways to spend their money during the summer. Start-up costs would have been at least $350,000.
Other owners had other reasons. With the Canadian Football League's Shreveport (La.) Pirates moving to Norfolk and playing during the summer, roller hockey would have been a tough sell for Hampton Roads Admirals owner Blake Cullen.
THE PATIENCE OF JOBE: Johnstown's Trevor Jobe put on a show while breaking the league's all-time scoring mark Nov.10 by netting a hat trick and an assist in a 7-6 loss to Wheeling. The four-point night gave Jobe 533 points, breaking Phil Berger's record of 529.
Jobe now holds most of the ECHL's offensive records. Coming into this week's games, he holds league records for goals in a career (277), goals in a season (85, in 1993-94), points in a season (161, in 1993-94) and points in a game (10).
EXPANSION TALK: Two weeks after awarding a franchise to Trenton, N.J., for the 1997-98 season, the ECHL still is talking about expansion.
The league has at least seven cities under consideration, including Philadelphia, which already has Eric Lindros and the NHL's Flyers, but is interested in adding a developmental professional team.
The league also is evaluating proposals from potential ownership groups in Wilmington, Del.; Baton Rouge, La.; Pensacola, Fla.; Memphis, Tenn.; Savannah, Ga.; and Evansville, Ind.
League president Richard Adams, whose home is in New Jersey, has indicated the league will continue to look at opportunities to expand in the Northeast.
AROUND THE ECHL: Two former ECHL players made an impact in the NHL during the past week. Alex Hicks, a defenseman who played for the Toledo Storm, had two goals and an assist in his debut with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on Wednesday; and Scott Bailey, a goalie who played for Johnstown and Charlotte, made 32 saves in his first NHL game with the Boston Bruins, a 2-2 tie with the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Bailey is the 48th former ECHL player to make it to the NHL. ... Tornadoes ripped through the Tallahassee area Nov.11 and caused severe damage to the Leon County Civic Center, home of the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks. High winds left a 50-foot hole in the roof of the building, forcing the Tiger Sharks to postpone their game against the Nashville Knights on Thursday. Repairs were made in time to play Friday's game against the Charlotte Checkers.
by CNB