ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601150103
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
This Karry Biette sure learns how to win over friends quickly. Daniel Berthiaume, on the other hand, always has known that shutting down opponents in shootouts will endear you to the home crowd.
Biette, who was playing for the Erie Panthers just five days ago, knocked in the winning goal in the fifth round of an overtime shootout, lifting the Roanoke Express to a 3-2 victory the Dayton Bombers on Saturday night in an East Coast Hockey League game at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Shootout victories are old hat for Berthiaume, who is 7-0 in games decided after regulation. Game-winning goals are becoming a habit for Biette, who notched his second winner in as many nights for the Express, which won back-to-back games for the first time since a four-game winning streak ended Dec.8
``It's great the way things are working out,'' said Biette, who was picked up along with defenseman Wade Gibson in a trade with Erie. ``I couldn't have scripted it any better.''
Once Chris Potter tied the score at 2 with 6:53 left in regulation, the stage was set for Berthiaume, who finished with 39 saves. He stopped the first three Dayton shooters he faced and Jason Clarke scored in the third round for Roanoke (22-19-1), which is tied for the league low with one shootout loss.
Nick Poole beat Berthiaume in the fourth round to tie the shootout score, then Biette won it by sweeping a backhand through the split pads of Dayton goalie Brian Renfrew, who has the lowest goals-against average in the league (2.66).
``When we were down 2-1, I was hoping for just one more goal [to tie] so we could get to a shootout,'' said Berthiaume, a nine-year NHL netminder. ``I'm pretty confident in shootouts.''
Despite his shootout performance, Berthiaume's best work came in regulation, especially the first period, when he registered 20 saves to keep the game scoreless.
``Daniel was great,'' said Frank Anzalone, the Express' coach. ``He was great and he was smart. Even in the shootout, he was smart and poised. We had an NHL goalie in net, that's all there is to it.''
The Express just as easily could have won - or lost - in regulation. The third period was rife with offensive opportunities for Roanoke, and when Dayton (16-16-5) notched a shorthanded goal to go ahead 2-1 when Kevin Brown knocked home his own rebound with 14:07 to play, it appeared the Express had squandered one opportunity too many.
Roanoke had four open shots early in the period, but couldn't get one on goal. Renfrew stopped Tim Christian from close range on a power play just before Brown's goal. Jeff Jestadt and Biette were denied on partial breakaways.
Then, trailing 2-1 with about six minutes left, Gibson sprang Potter with an outlet pass as Dayton was in a line change. Potter's open shot was blocked, but the puck bounced right back to Potter, then rolled across the goal line.
``When [Gibson] got me the puck, I said, `I'm taking it to the net,''' said Potter, who played on two different lines for the second night in a row. ``The puck must've bounced off me and just trickled in.''
The Bombers squeezed off the first 11 shots of the game and outshot the Express 20-5 in the first period, but failed to put the puck in the net.
ICE CHIPS: Brian Gallentine, the rookie forward who received a career-ending eye injury on Oct.29, was at the game signing autographs. Gallentine, who was hit with the blade of a stick in his right eye, will probably never regain more than 10 percent of the vision in the injured eye. The Express is selling a special program featuring Gallentine and is donating part of the proceeds toward the remainder of his education at Western Michigan University. ... Rookie right wing Tim Christian, Roanoke's only ECHL All-Star selection, left the ice with a bruised knee in the third period, an injury believed to be minor. ... Jeff Jablonski was named the team's offensive player of the month for December, when he scored 18 goals. Berthiaume, who shut out South Carolina 3-0 on Dec.8, was the defensive player of the month.
LENGTH: Medium: 74 linesby CNB