ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 19, 1996 TAG: 9602200043
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: NORTH CHARLESTON, S. C.
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
SOUTH CAROLINA GOALTENDER Jason Saal stuffs Roanoke in handing the Express a 4-1 setback.
Paul Rushforth scored two goals and goaltender Jason Saal turned aside 22 of 23 Roanoke shots, including two breakaways, as the South Carolina Stingrays ended the Express' five-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory on Saturday.
Stingrays defenseman Jared Bednar got around Express defenseman Wade Gibson at the Roanoke blue line, and his centering feed went off the skate of Rushforth past Roanoke goalie Daniel Berthiaume on the stick side at 15:07 for the only goal of the first period.
Minutes after Roanoke's Jeff Jablonski was denied by the glove hand of Saal, Jablonski converted a Chris Potter cross-crease pass after Potter drove backhand in behind the Stingrays cage at 6:58 of the second period, to tie the score at 1.
Stingrays forward Dan Fournel scored what proved to be the game-winning goal a little more than two minutes later, as he followed his own missed slap shot off the end board and deflected a backhander over Berthiaume at 6:58 for a 2-1 lead.
The Stingrays sealed the verdict in the third period, as Justin Duberman beat Berthiaume on a breakaway after stealing a Tim Hanley clearing attempt at the blue line at 5:37 of the third period for a 3-1 lead.
Rushforth added an empty net goal at 17:31, just 12 seconds after the Express goaltender was pulled.
Saal made no less than four spectacular saves for the Stingrays, including three glove saves on point-blank drives by Ilya Dubkov in the first period and on Dave Stewart and Jablonski's breakaway in the second.
Craig Herr had a shorthanded breakaway from the red line in the final minute of the second period but was denied by the right pad of Saal as Herr's low backhand hugged the ice.
South Carolina (29-16-7) won for the third time in seven meetings this season with the Express (30-22-2).
ICE CHIPS: For the second consecutive game, the Express scratched wings Chris Tschupp and Mike Stacchi. ... Roanoke defenseman Duane Harmer was given a game-misconduct penalty for verbally abusing referee Terry Koharski while Harmer was sitting in the penalty box in the third period.
see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 51 linesby CNB