ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601160011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HOCKEY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
Frank Anzalone was sitting rink-side in Hillsborough, N.C., one afternoon this past October when he heard the hockey team he coached had been picked to win its division by The Hockey News.
Anzalone was stunned by the news. His team was just completing its training camp and final cuts hadn't been made.
``How can they do that?'' Anzalone asked. ``They don't even know what we have. I don't even know what we have, yet.'' Halfway through the 1995-96 East Coast Hockey League season, not only is the Roanoke Express fighting to stay in the upper half of the rugged East Division, the team looks quite different from the team that broke training camp three months ago.
Rewind to then: The goaltending was going to be split between Matt DelGuidice and Mike Parson; center Marty Schriner was expected to have a breakthrough season; Brian Gallentine looked like the most exciting rookie.
That was before goalie Daniel Berthiaume returned to the Express, before Schriner got off to a slow start and opted for retirement and before Gallentine suffered a career-ending eye injury less than three weeks into the season.
That also was before Craig Herr missed eight games with a back injury that still is affecting his play and before Jason Clarke suffered knee and elbow injuries that have forced him to miss games.
Truth be told, it would have been difficult for the Express to have stayed close to the powerful Richmond Renegades, who appear bent on repeating as Riley Cup champions. Still, everyone else in the division was within reach, despite a three-week slump that left the Express in fourth place.
``We're not a great team,'' Anzalone has said more than once. ``We're a good team that, when we work hard, can beat some great teams.'' This team underwent its first major changes of the season this past week. Three players were traded and another - defenseman Michael Smith - contemplated leaving Roanoke to play professionally in England.
Smith's decision to stay left Roanoke's defensive unit intact. Anzalone hopes center Karry Biette, acquired in a trade with Erie, can give the Express the scoring punch it desperately needs.
The rush of personnel moves should come as no surprise to fans who have watched the Express for the past three seasons. Even last season, the team that began the schedule looked drastically different from the team that finished with a loss to Richmond in the second round of the playoffs.
In training camp 1994, Dave Gagnon was the goalie, Oleg Yashin was the scorer and expectations were high for Robin Bouchard and Steve Tepper.
By April, Berthiaume was the man between the pipes, Yashin, Bouchard and Tepper were long gone, Herr had been picked up from Tallahassee and Tony Szabo had found his way back to Roanoke after a brief stint in Scotland.
Those moves seemed to help the Express turn things around after a January slump that sent them to, coincidentally, fourth place.
``There's still time,'' said Roanoke captain Dave Stewart. ``It takes awhile to learn tendencies of new guys. It'll take awhile to come together. We'll carry on.'' AROUND THE ECHL: Richmond set a league record this month by playing its 16th consecutive game without losing in regulation. Heading into the weekend, the Renegades' five regulation losses were the fewest in the ECHL. ... Hampton Roads continues to stay close to the top of the East Division despite losing players to its affiliates. This past week, left wing Trevor Halverson was loaned to Portland (Ore.) of the American Hockey League.
Charlotte's Manon Rheaume, who made the trip to Roanoke with the Checkers for Wednesday's game, hasn't appeared in goal in an ECHL game this season, but has been signed as an emergency backup on a couple of occasions. Rheaume, who three years ago became the first woman to play professional hockey, has spent her time in North Carolina running roller hockey camps.
LENGTH: Medium: 71 linesby CNB