Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 26, 1995 TAG: 9511280001
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Holum has speedskated to the front of a talented group of Roanoke Express rookies this season. Now, the flashy center looks like one of the team's elder statesmen on the ice.
``I'm a `ham-and-egger,''' Holum said. ``I'm pretty fast, I guess, but I have to work hard out there.''
Although he's less than 6 feet tall standing on skates - he's 5-9 without them - Holum is 170 pounds of grit.
A multisport athlete in high school, Holum was talented enough to play any one of three sports in college - hockey, football or tennis.
His speed more than compensated for his lack of height on the gridiron. A wide receiver, Holum ran the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.
He could cover a tennis court, too. He advanced to the state semifinal round in high school doubles as a senior in Minnesota.
He was good enough to have played either football or tennis at the Division III level. His real love, though, was hockey. His decision was as easy as making an empty-netter from a faceoff circle. He played hockey at St.Cloud (Minn.) State.
``I'm a hockey player all the way,'' he said. ``There was really no decision to make.''
He flies on skates, too. His speed has helped him anchor a line that has featured a rotating cast of wings. Most recently, he has centered a line with third-year pro Jeff Jestadt and fellow rookie Tim Christian.
Christian, who was scratched from the lineup several times during the first couple of weeks of his professional career, is another rookie who is fast becoming a mainstay for the Express. His six goals lead all Express rookies. Holum's 14 points top all first-year players.
Whereas Holum has contributed since the first days of training camp, Christian and fellow rookie Mike Stacchi were brought along more methodically by Express coach Frank Anzalone.
Now, both guys are fighting for - and getting - ice time.
Rookie forward Louis-Phillipe Charbonneau - who prefers to be called ``Louis'' or ``L.P.'' - has begun to impress fans with his physical play since coming to the Express from the Cornwall Aces of the American Hockey League. Anzalone said Charbonneau could be even better if he improves his concentration on the ice.
One of the team's best rookies isn't even playing. Brian Gallentine appeared to be coming into his own as a scorer and speedster before suffering a severe injury to his right eye after getting hit with a high stick from Wheeling's Brock Woods.
Gallentine is on the 60-day injured reserve list, and his future is uncertain.
The Express could use another burner like Gallentine, but so far Anzalone has few complaints about his rookie class.
``The rookies have not been a problem this year,'' he said.
GOOD GOALIES: Anzalone was quick not to place blame on the shoulders of goalie Matt DelGuidice when the Express blew a two-goal lead in the second period before rallying to beat Hampton Roads 6-5 in a shootout on Thursday. DelGuidice surrendered a pair of goals in the opening 2:29 of the second period and was relieved by Daniel Berthiaume, who gave up two goals the rest of the way but stopped all five Admirals shooters to win the shootout.
``I wasn't happy about having to pull Matt DelGuidice,'' Anzalone said. ``The team let him down. Matt got flat only after the team got flat.''
The message here is the Express has two quality netminders in Berthiaume and DelGuidice. It's a luxury any coach would love to have.
OFFICIAL REPRIMAND: Hampton Roads' Rod Taylor may have received more than a game misconduct when he deliberately shot the puck in the direction of referee Paul Mariconda in Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Express. The Admirals player may be suspended for a whopping 20 games.
Rule 67, Category I of the ECHL rule book states: ``Any player who ... deliberately applies physical force in any way against an official with an intent to injure ... shall be automatically suspended for not less than 20 games.''
Taylor did not play against the Express in Thursday's game, another shootout loss, but it is unclear if Rule 67 applies in this incident.
STARS COME OUT: On Friday, fans in Birmingham got to mingle with celebrities from two sports that have been known to pique the interest of Alabamans - football and auto racing.
The Bulls brought out the stars as part of their fund-raiser to aid Travis Roy, the Boston University hockey player who was paralyzed from the neck down after crashing headfirst into the boards 11 seconds into his first college game.
NASCAR legend Bobby Allison and Winston Cup driver Hut Stricklin were on hand to sign autographs, as was broadcaster Eli Gold, the radio voice of NASCAR and University of Alabama sports. Former Crimson Tide football players Bobby Humphrey, Joey Jones, Phillip Doyle and Roger Schultz were on hand, as were Matt Dunnigan of the CFL's Birmingham Barracudas and former Auburn great and NFL player Joe Cribbs.
MECHANICS ON BOARD: Hampton Roads got a big assist from a couple of players on a recent road trip. The assist didn't come on the ice; it came on the pavement.
Following the Admirals' game at Charlotte on Nov.7, the team bus blew a radiator hose just outside Emporia - leaving the team stuck in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. A Virginia state trooper told the team it might be as long as 12 hours before a mechanic could fix the bus.
Fortunately, the Admirals had two mechanics on board - forward Aaron Downey and defenseman Jason MacIntyre.
``They both work on diesel engines,'' said John Brophy, the Admirals' coach. ``They rolled up their sleeves, got under the bus and went to work.''
The players fixed the hose and got a lift to Emporia from the state trooper. Within two hours, the bus was rolling again.
AROUND THE ECHL: Richmond's Dmitri Pankov had back-to-back hat tricks Nov.17 and 18 to earn league player of the week honors. ... Roanoke, which led the league with 10 overtime losses last season, is one of three teams without a shootout loss. Hampton Roads leads the ECHL with seven overtime losses this season and has lost 13 consecutive overtime games dating to last season.
by CNB