ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 3, 1996 TAG: 9611050026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, S.C.
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
ROANOKE'S TWO-GAME winning streak ends against the South Carolina Stingrays.
Center Dave Seitz scored a pair of goals, including an empty-netter with 37 seconds remaining Saturday, to give the South Carolina Stingrays a 5-3 victory over the Roanoke Express in an East Coast Hockey League game.
Roanoke had a two-game winning streak stopped.
The Express (3-5-1) continues its six-game road trip today with a stopover at the Richmond Coliseum to face the Richmond Renegades.
South Carolina goes to 5-0-1 on the season and joins Louisiana as the only teams remaining in the ECHL without a loss.
Seitz collected the game's first goal, beating Roanoke goaltender Dave Gagnon at the 4:59 mark of the first period. The Express answered quickly when center Bobby Brown netted his fifth goal of the season, tying the score.
South Carolina tacked on a pair of goals from Scott Boston and Dan Fournell in the final four minutes of the opening period to take a 3-1 lead. The Stingrays finished the first 20 minutes with a 12-8 shot advantage.
Following a scoreless second period, the Stingrays looked as if they would seal the game when Mike Ross scored on a shorthanded breakaway at the 5:20 mark of the third.
Roanoke refused to give in, climbing back into the contest on goals scored within 2 minutes, 12 seconds of each other, narrowing the deficit to 4-3 with 6:24 to play. Tim Christian scored his third goal of the season at the 11:24 mark, beating Stingrays goalie Taras Lendzyk. Express left winger Jeff Jablonski then cut the Stingray lead to one by stuffing a wraparound goal under Lendzyk's blocker pad.
Lendzyk finished with 28 saves, including several key stops against an aggressive Roanoke offense in the final minutes of play.
Gagnon, who sat out Friday's 3-0 Express victory over the defending Riley Cup champion Charlotte Checkers with an injured knee, recorded 23 saves on 27 shots.
LENGTH: Short : 45 linesby CNB