ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 13, 1996 TAG: 9601140014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
ROANOKE WITHSTANDS an IceCaps assault and newcomer Karry Biette pays dividends in a 4-1 victory.
Had the Roanoke Express' victory Friday night been the premiere of one of those ballyhooed, mega-blockbuster action pictures churned out by a Hollywood studio, the audience would have snored through a totally bland conclusion.
That's just the way the Express wanted it.
Playing against a team it has watched make more comebacks than John Travolta, the Express extinguished the Raleigh IceCaps 4-1 before 4,116 spectators at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Even though the final score was settled with five minutes left in the second period on Jeff Jablonski's wraparound goal, the final 61/2 minutes of the third period may have been the most telling portion of the game.
The Express killed off more than six minutes of an IceCaps 6-on-5 advantage after Raleigh coach Kurt Kleinendorst pulled goalie Sonny Mignacca at the 13:23 mark of the third period. The Express didn't notch an empty-netter, but it cleared the puck when it had to, won eight of 10 faceoffs and, most importantly, didn't allow a goal.
If the IceCaps score there, ``It's a game again,'' said Express coach Frank Anzalone.
Was this the same Express team that had blown more leads in recent weeks than a dim-witted detective? Was this the same Roanoke Express that had been duped by the IceCaps four times in the past three seasons when they pulled the goalie to erase Express leads?
No, not really. Just ask Jeff Jestadt and Jason Clarke, two guys who played on a line centered by newcomer Karry Biette, who was acquired from Erie in a trade this week. Biette endeared himself to his teammates by scoring the game-winning goal - a slapshot on a power play that made it 2-0 at 11:37 of the first period.
The Biette-Jestadt-Clarke line accounted for two of Roanoke's four goals.
``It's like I've played with him right from the pond,'' said Clarke, who made it 3-0 with a rebound goal at 15:07 of the first.
Biette, one of three players acquired this week, seemed to jump-start a team that had struggled offensively while winning only four of its past 15 games. Chris Potter, who had two assists, also sparked Roanoke (21-19-1) by playing well on two lines, as he assisted Dave Holum's goal that made it 1-0 at 9:40 of the first and kept the puck alive for Jablonski to score his team-leading 28th goal in the second.
``Potter was having a good night, so I thought he might help a line that wasn't jumping,'' said Anzalone. As for Biette, ``He was an excellent junior hockey player. He might resurge here. Erie didn't want to give him up. He just wasn't producing as well for them as they wanted.''
Biette, a 22-year-old first-year pro, said he was a bit disappointed to learn of the trade. ``It was the first trade of my career,'' he said. ``Then, when I thought about Roanoke really wanting me, I was excited about it.''
The IceCaps got on the board with a power-play goal from Darren Colbourne, the fourth-leading goal scorer in ECHL history, to make it 3-1 at 4:20 of the second. That would be it for Raleigh (6-23-7), the team with the ECHL's worst record, as Express goalie Daniel Berthiaume stopped 36 shots.
Tonight, the Express will try to win back-to-back games for the first time since a four-game winning streak ended Dec.8 when Dayton comes to town for a 7:30 game.
``Tonight was just one game,'' said Potter. ""It doesn't make a whole season. But it's a start.''
ICE CHIPS: Former Express wing Brian Gallentine, who sustained a career-ending eye injury on Oct.29, will be a special guest at tonight's game. Special edition game programs will be on sale, with part of the proceeds going toward a fund to assist with the remainder of Gallentine's education at Western Michigan University. Gallentine will sign autographs after the game.
Express president John Gagnon went out of his way on Friday to inform media folks covering the game that the Express has no intentions of trading Ilya Dubkov or Jeff Jestadt. ``I couldn't believe it when I heard that rumor,'' said Gagnon.
Jon Larson, who was traded to Raleigh by the Express this week, made his IceCaps debut Friday night by playing against his former teammates.
Raleigh -0--1--0-1
Roanoke -3--1--0-4
First period - 1, Roanoke, Holum 9 (Potter, Herr), 9:40; 2, Roanoke, Biette 1 (Smith, Harmer), 11:37, pp; 3, Roanoke, Clarke 16 (Gibson, Stewart), 15:07. Penalties - Mignacca, Ra (slashing), 10:49; Clarke, Ro (roughing), 19:00.
Second period - 4, Raleigh, Colbourne 3 (Rosenblatt, Balkovec), 4:20, pp; 5, Roanoke, Jablonski 28 (Potter, Dubkov), 15:00. Penalties - Gibson, Ro (tripping), 2:54; Potter, Ro (unsportsmanlike), 12:05; Stevens, Ra (slashing), 12:05; Clarke, Ro (misconduct), 12:05; Willner, Ra (misconduct), 12:05.
Third period - No goals. Penalties - None.
Shots on goal - Raleigh 11-12-14 37. Roanoke 11-6-8 25.
Power-play opportunities - Raleigh 1 of 2. Roanoke 1 of 1.
Goalies - Raleigh, Mignacca L 1-1-1 (25 shots-21 saves). Roanoke, Berthiaume W 12-7-0 (37-36).
Referee - Steeve LeMay. Linesmen - John Bernard, Grant Morley.
A - 4,116.
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. Roanoke's Dave Holum (left)by CNBis tied up by Raleigh's Steve Potvin while both chase the puck
during action Friday night. color.
RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER