ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 16, 1995 TAG: 9512180059
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
THE ROANOKE EXPRESS has its work cut out to stay in the ECHL playoff hunt.
Perhaps it will come to pass that the East Division won't be the best in the East Coast Hockey League. It is arguable that the North Division and its trifecta of talented Ohio teams will lay claim to owning the ECHL's best players.
That will hardly matter, though, when the East teams strap it on against each other. It may not matter come Riley Cup playoff time, either.
``This is the toughest points division,'' said Frank Anzalone, head coach of the Roanoke Express. ``I'm not saying it's the best division. The North may have more talent, but the games in this division are so tough, night in, night out.''
With only 10 points separating the top four teams in the East, the battle for playoff spots should be spirited over the final three months of the season. Tonight, the Express will try to gain ground on East-leading Richmond when the Renegades visit the Roanoke Civic Center at 7:30 p.m.
The game is the second of a three-game weekend for the Express, which played at Hampton Roads on Friday and hosts Tallahassee on Sunday at 3 p.m. It's a grueling stretch, a harbinger of the East Division battles that lie ahead. The Express plays 31 of its final 44 games against East Division competition. Only six non-division foes will visit the civic center the rest of the season.
While North Division leader Toledo has one more win than does Richmond (19-18), both teams have 40 points. The Renegades have beaten the Storm head-to-head this season.
More evidence that the East may be the best:
Richmond and Hampton Roads each has just three regulation losses, a league low. Heading into Friday's game against the Charlotte Checkers, the Renegades hadn't lost in regulation since Nov.12.
The Checkers are the hottest team in the league and are gaining ground on the Express. Charlotte is 14-3-3 since an 0-5 start and is 8-1-1 in its past 10 games. ``Charlotte's right on our tail,'' said Anzalone, whose team was just two points ahead of the Checkers and had lost to them 4-1 on Dec.9. ``I know they were really pumped the last time they played us.''
Charlotte and Richmond have beaten Toledo, a team many believe to be a Riley Cup favorite.
Since the top five teams in each division make the playoffs, East teams are already making moves to make sure they stay in the hunt. South Carolina, which was moved to the East after winning the South Division last year, traded goalie Eric Raymond and defenseman Tom Menicci to Huntington for defenseman Jared Bednar and winger Dan Fournel. Both acquisitions should make the Stingrays tougher.
Raleigh, which has a 4-15-4 record and is buried in last place in the East, received five new players last week from various affiliations and connections.
``I'm very surprised that Raleigh's not in it,'' said Anzalone. ``I hope they don't get in it. The division's tough enough as it is.
``When we play these [East Division] teams like Richmond and Hampton Roads, it's like the team that lost the last game has the edge. The biggest thing for us is to keep that mental edge, because we're going to keep seeing these teams.''
LENGTH: Medium: 67 linesby CNB