ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 21, 1996 TAG: 9602210065
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
ROANOKE'S MICHAEL SMITH breaks Columbus' spirit with 100-foot goal in first period.
How fortuitous for the Roanoke Express that its 4-2 victory over the Columbus Chill was televised.
Because if not for instant replay, no one would have believed Michael Smith's 100-foot shot in the first period.
A second look at Karry Biette's 150-foot, fungo-swing empty-netter demands a double-take, as does Matt DelGuidice's highlight-reel glove save of a slap shot in the second period.
In fact, if anyone has a tape of that save, send it to DelGuidice. He never saw the shot the first time, or so he says.
He didn't miss much, though, as he stopped 24 of 26 shots and tossed a shutout over the final two periods to lead Roanoke (31-22-2) to its seventh straight home game and move the Express into fourth place in the East Coast Hockey League's East Division.
``The guys were focused tonight,'' said DelGuidice, who won his fourth straight start.
Even when he was not focused, DelGuidice (11-7-2) was sharp, especially in the second and third periods. He made two outstanding saves on the Chill's second-period power play, including a short-hop glove snag of a long Beau Bilek slap shot.
Or so he was told.
``I didn't see it,'' said DelGuidice. ``I heard the shot, I looked left and the puck went in my glove on the right.''
After surrendering two goals in the first period, including Gary Coupal's shot off a draw with six seconds left in the period, Columbus (27-25-5) did not reach the twine again.
``Matt made five or six exceptional saves,'' Express coach Frank Anzalone said. ``You want a goalie to make 100 percent of the saves he's supposed to and 90 percent of the saves he's not supposed to. Matt came ready to play.''
It helps when you score some goals you're not supposed to. That's what Smith did when he got the puck from Dave Stewart and put a dump-in on goal from the left side that somehow slipped through the skates of Columbus goalie Will Clarke to make it 2-1 Roanoke at 15:22 of the first.
``That's the second one this year like that,'' Smith said. ``I didn't know [it had gone in] until I saw Stewie put his stick up. I was heading off the ice.''
There are game-winning goals, then there are goals that win games. Even though Ilya Dubkov's rebound goal that made it 3-1 late in the first was the official game-winner, Smith's was the real back breaker.
``You just roll your eyes after something like that,'' Columbus coach Moe Mantha said.
Biette's goal provided the finale with 25 seconds left in the game. After Mantha pulled Clarke for a sixth skater, the Express nearly scored an empty-netter on a breakaway by Jeff Jestadt, who was hauled down from behind before he could shoot.
Seconds later, Stewart cleared the puck to Biette, who took a cut at a belt-high fastball and sent a line drive from his own zone into the Columbus goal. It was a swing that would make Tony Gwynn envious, but it was clearly unschooled.
``There's no baseball in Canada,'' Biette said.
Don't tell that to the Toronto Blue Jays or to Chill goalie Clarke, who flashed leather like his baseball namesake in the final two periods. He stopped 16 straight shots in the final 40 minutes.
The Express had scored 4:20 into the game when Craig Herr re-directed Dan Murphy's point shot on the power play. The Chill tied it at 1 when Jamie Spencer swiped Smith's pass in the Express zone, skated in and beat DelGuidice gloveside at 10:29.
Smith atoned for that mistake with his uncanny goal five minutes later. Dubkov scored, then Coupal got the Chill as close as it would get when he went top-shelf after a faceoff with just six seconds showing.
DelGuidice closed the door after that, turning aside the last 17 shots he saw.
Or didn't see, for that matter.
``I'm telling you,'' he said. ``I never saw it. You're taught to get low and just put the glove out. That's what I did.''
ICE CHIPS: The Express is 24-0 when scoring four goals or more. ... The Express moved ahead of Hampton Roads in the standings. Roanoke is in fourth with 64 points. Charlotte is in second with 68, and South Carolina has 67. Richmond is running away with the division with 89 points. ... Former Express defenseman Stephane Desjardins, who was traded to Nashville for DelGuidice in the preseason and later traded to Columbus, assisted on the Chill's second goal.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WAYNE DEEL/Staff. 1. Roanoke's Tim Christian (center)by CNBspeeds toward Columbus goalie Will Clarke on Tuesday. Christian did
not score on the play, but the Express won 4-2. color. 2. Roanoke's
Tim Christian gets stuffed by Columbus goalie Will Clarke (right).