ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 11, 1996 TAG: 9602120080
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
The Roanoke Express and the Richmond Renegades could trim about three hours off their games if only they would just start with a shootout.
Then again, you would lose three periods of heart-stopping hockey by doing that.
After skating dead-even with the East Coast Hockey League's top team, the Express again bested the Renegades in a shootout, this time by a 4-3 count before a sellout crowd at the Roanoke Civic Center on Saturday night.
The Express has beaten the Renegades four out of nine times this season, with all the victories coming by shootout. Roanoke (28-21-2) is 10-2 in shootouts this season, 6-0 at home, with three of those home wins coming over the Renegades. Express goalie Daniel Berthiaume has all the shootout wins over Richmond and improved his shootout record to 9-0 this season.
``Nine, 10, 20 ... how many do you want?'' Berthiaume exclaimed after stopping all four shooters he faced Saturday. ``You gotta give these guys credit. They work so hard whenever we play Richmond.''
Roanoke, which has won three in a row and eight of 11 heading into today's game with Charlotte at 3 p.m. at the civic center, got goals from Ilya Dubkov and Jason Clarke in the shootout, with both players beating Richmond goalie Aaron Israel through the pads. Dubkov's counted as the game-winner, since it gave the Express a margin that Richmond never topped in the shootout.
In succession, Berthiaume stopped Kurt Mallett, Scott Gruhl and Greg Hadden, then - after Clarke had given the Express a 2-0 lead in round three - he sprawled to stop Dmitri Pankov's shot to seal it.
``If you can just let Daniel Berthiaume do his thing in shootouts, you'll usually come out on top,'' Express coach Frank Anzalone said. ``The tough thing about shootouts is that they don't use them in the playoffs. You just go to overtime. Richmond is tough for us to beat in regulation. It seems the only way to beat Richmond is in a shootout.''
Richmond (35-6-11) is 26-3-11 in its past 40 games. If the playoffs began today, the Express and Renegades would meet.
``These [Roanoke] guys just play for shootouts,'' Richmond coach Roy Sommer said. ``If you play like that in the playoffs, you're going to lose.''
Roanoke took a 3-2 lead with a three-goal second period that featured some rough-housing late in the period. Six major penalties, two minors, one 10-minute misconduct and one game misconduct were called - all in the final 1:15 of the period.
The Express had just taken the lead when Chris Tschupp scored his first goal in a Roanoke uniform by tipping a Tim Christian right-point drive through the legs of Israel at 18:10. Then the fun began.
Clarke and Richmond's Trevor Senn started the blood boiling and bloodletting 35 seconds later with a fight in the Express zone. Eleven seconds after that, Roanoke's Craig Herr appeared to get the better of Jay Murphy in a scrape.
Then, 20 seconds later, Richmond's Mike Harding was handed a game misconduct for going after Dubkov, who was given five minutes for fighting even though he was jumped and never dropped his gloves. Harding also was penalized for instigating.
The scuffling wasn't over. With 19 seconds left, Richmond's Brian Goudie was given a 10-minute misconduct - but no minor - for playing rough with Jeff Jestadt. The Express never took advantage of its 5-on-4 advantage because Karry Biette was called for high-sticking, then the Express bench got a delay of game penalty when Dave Stewart skated over to talk to Anzalone as the teams were set for a faceoff with 17 seconds left.
After that call, a crimson-faced Anzalone had an animated discussion with referee Chris Cozzan.
``I didn't think I deserved the bench minor,'' Anzalone said. ``I thought Goudie should have gotten a minor, in my opinion. I wanted Stewie to ask him.''
Twenty-nine seconds into the third, Pankov scored a power-play goal to tie it at 3. Both teams had their chances - Richmond's Mike Morin hit a post and Clarke shot high over an open net - but neither scored.
``That was as physical a game as we've played in a month,'' Sommer said. ``They were the ones at home, and we outplayed them.''
Steve Carpenter put Richmond ahead 1-0 with a power-play goal through traffic at 6:41.
The Express came back with a pair of power-play goals. The first came when Jeff Jablonski corralled a bouncing puck between the circles and shot high over Israel at 7:26. The second came when Chris Potter lifted a rebound to make it 2-1 at 13:39.
Gruhl tied it with an open left-point blast that skipped just under Berthiaume's catching glove at 16:30. The goal gave the 36-year-old Gruhl 1,600 points in his 16-year pro career.
ICE CHIPS: Anzalone said Matt DelGuidice will probably start in goal today for the Express. ...
The Renegades were without defenseman Darren Wetherill, who was called up by Orlando of the International Hockey League on Friday, giving Richmond five players currently on recall.
Fans are invited to bring their skates and skate with the players after today's game.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for statistics.
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. 1. Roanoke's Chris Tschupp (right)by CNBchecks Richmond's Greg Hadden into the boards Saturday at the
Roanoke Civic Center. color. 2. Roanoke and Richmond players gather
around the Renegades' net in an attempt to control the puck. The
Express won 4-3 in a shootout Saturday at the Roanoke Civic Center.
3. Roanoke's Karry Biette (16) attempts to control the puck against
Richmond on Saturday at the Roanoke Civic Center.