Roanoke Express Weekly

March 22, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Roanoke Express News Release


ROANOKE, VA – The Roanoke Express moved closer to a playoff spot in the Southern Division with an impressive 3-0-1 record this past week. Roanoke is 6-0-2 in its last eight games to move within one point of a playoff spot. Roanoke enters this week with a record of 32-26-8, (72 pts., 5th place in Southern Division).

LAST WEEK'S ACTION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2004 vs. ALASKA 2-1 Shootout Loss

The Express opened the week by gaining a point in the standings with a shootout loss against the Alaska Aces on Wednesday night at the Roanoke Civic Center. The low-scoring affair began with the Express notching the first goal 9:17 into the opening period. Carl Mallette extended his points scoring streak to 11 straight games with his 23rd goal of the season from Rick Kowalsky and Kevin Bergin. The lead held up until 5:22 of the second period when former NHLer Kimbi Daniels notched his 19th goal of the year for Alaska to tie the game.

The score remained 1-1 throughout the remainder of regulation, forcing the contest to overtime. Neither team scored in the five-minute overtime period, sending the game to a shootout, for the second straight game. In the shootout session, Alaska scored on their first two shots against Express goaltender Jason Wolfe, and Roanoke failed to score on all four of its attempts against Aces netminder Lance Mayes. Wolfe stopped the final two shooters for Alaska. Overall, Wolfe finished the night with 29 saves in regulation and overtime, and saw his record go to 13-16-3 with the tie.

The tie for Roanoke meant the Express finished the year 2-1-1 vs. the new west coast teams.

FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2004 vs. COLUMBIA 4-3 Shootout Win

Roanoke and Columbia met for the fifth and final time this season on Friday night at the Roanoke Civic Center, and the Express finished a the season series with a 4-3 shootout victory over their Southern Division rival.

In another spirited game between the teams, the Express jumped out to the lead 15:38 into the opening period. Shaun Fisher notched his first goal in a Roanoke uniform with a power play goal that deflected off Columbia forward Paul Cabana's stick and into the net. The lead held up until 2:51 of the second period when Cabana notched his 28th goal of the season while the Inferno was shorthanded. The Inferno then grabbed their only lead of the night at 15:45 of the second frame on Tim Smith's 30th goal of the season. The Express shifted the momentum back in their favor with just 1:02 remaining in the second period, when Dan Carlson tipped home a pass from Rick Kowalsky to tie the game at two heading into the third period.

In the final period, the Express took a 3-2 advantage on a shorthanded goal of their own by Kowalsky at 7:18. Clinging to a one-goal lead, the Inferno tied the game with just 2:12 left in regulation. This sent the Express to its third consecutive overtime game. As with the previous two, neither team scored in overtime, sending the game to a shootout. In the shootout, neither team scored in the first two rounds, but Carlson got Roanoke on the board in round three. Columbia quickly tied the shootout in round four when Smith beat Express goalie David Belitski in the upper right corner. Andrew McPherson gave the Express a two-goal advantage in round four beating Inferno goaltender Doug Teskey. Down to their final attempt, the Inferno saw Cabana rifle the puck over the net, giving Roanoke the win.

Belitski made a total of 39 saves on the night, and stopped four of five shooters against him in the shootout to pick up the win, bringing his record to 17-10-5. The win in the shootout gave the Express a

7-5 record in such contests. The victory also gave Roanoke an impressive 4-1-0 record vs. the Inferno this year to finish the season series. Incidentally, three of Roanoke's four wins in the season series came in shootouts.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2004 vs. SOUTH CAROLINA 4-2 Win

Roanoke continued its climb toward a playoff spot on Saturday night at the Roundhouse against another Southern Division rival. The Express earned a 4-2 win over the South Carolina Stingrays to move two points closer to fourth place.

The fifth and final meeting of the year between the two teams wasn't without plenty of intensity. Just three seconds into the game Rob Snowball for Roanoke and Robin Gomez for South Carolina fought at center ice. The Stingrays then opened the scoring just 58 seconds into the game to take the early lead. The lead was short-lived however. Carl Mallette collected his 24th goal of the season at 1:29 of the period to tie the game. The point moved Mallette's scoring streak to 13 straight games. Just one minute later Rick Kowalsky notched his 28th goal of the season to give the Express a lead they would not relinquish.

The scoring settled down, but the hard-hitting action didn't as the game moved into the second period. Bryan Perez put Roanoke up by two goals with a power play tally at 5:03 of the middle period. South Carolina followed that with an even strength goal at 9:06 of the second period to draw to within one. The Express remained on top 3-2 throughout the remainder of the second and most of the third period. The high-flying action continued throughout the third period with both teams having quality chances. Late in the third period, Roanoke was whistled for a penalty giving the Stingrays a power play in the closing two minutes of regulation. With South Carolina goaltender Kirk Daubenspeck pulled for the extra attacker, the Stingrays looked to tie the game. However, it was Roanoke that would score in the closing moments. Dan Carlson collected the shorthanded-empty net goal with one second remaining in the game to seal the victory.

David Belitski improved to 6-0-1 in his last seven starts with the win. Belitski stopped 32 South Carolina shots to raise his overall record to 18-10-5. With the win, the Express finished the season series against the Stingrays with a 3-1-1 record.

SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2004 at AUGUSTA 5-3 Win

Roanoke wrapped up its perfect weekend with a hard-fought 5-3 victory over the Augusta Lynx on Sunday afternoon at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center. The win was Roanoke's first at the ARCCC this season after two previous losses.

After a wild, but scoreless first period, the Lynx opened the scoring midway through the second frame. Louis Goulet tallied a shorthanded goal for Augusta at 8:51 of the period. However, while still on the same power play, the Express tied the game just 26 seconds later when Carl Mallette jammed home a rebound. Mallette notched his 25th goal of the year and moved his points scoring streak to 14 straight games. Just 46 seconds after Mallette's tally, Blair Stayzer collected his 9th goal of the season to put Roanoke up 2-1. The Express extended its lead to two with a shorthanded goal by Bryan Perez at 16:47 of the second period.

Trailing by two going into the third period, Augusta closed the gap to one at 5:52 of the period on a goal by Todd Bennett. With the intensity of the game picking up the game's final five minutes saw a flurry of goals by both teams. First it was Dan Carney for the Express giving Roanoke a 4-2 lead at 15:19. The Lynx answered back, scoring with just 58 seconds left in the game to close the score to 4-3. With the goaltender pulled for the extra attacker, Andrew Oke slipped home an empty net tally to seal the victory.

The high octane contest saw both goaltenders stand tall through the night. Jason Wolfe made 33 saves in net for Roanoke to earn the win, and raise his record to 14-16-3. Will Hamele made several big saves in the first period, and overall stopped 40 of 44 Express shots in goal for Augusta. The loss knocked Hamele's record to 2-7-0. The win for Roanoke evened the season series a two wins apiece, with one game remaining between the clubs.

UPCOMING GAMES

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2004 vs. GREENVILLE 7:00 p.m.

Roanoke plays the first of three games remaining on the schedule against division rival Greenville on Wednesday at the Roanoke Civic Center. The game is a make-up game from Jan. 27 when inclement weather forced the postponement of the regularly scheduled contest. Overall the Express and Grrrowl are meeting for the fourth time this season. Roanoke currently holds a 2-1-0 record in the season series. The two teams haven't faced eachother since Dec. 14. The Express won the first meeting 4-1 on Oct. 31 at the BI-LO Center in Greenville, SC. The Grrrowl returned the favor, winning 6-3 at the Roanoke Civic Center on Nov. 27, and the Express won the last contest between the teams 4-1 in Greenville. The Grrrowl roster features two former Express players from this season, forward Jeremy Kyte and defenseman Steve Burgess. Greenville enters this week's action with the lowest point total in the ECHL of 33. Their record is 14-47-5 (33 pts., 8th Southern Division). Roanoke is 5-1-1 all-time vs. Greenville.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2004, vs. FLORIDA 7:30 p.m.

The Express takes on Southern Division rival Florida on Friday night at the Roanoke Civic Center. The game is the fourth and final meeting on the regular season between the two teams. Roanoke holds a 1-2-0 record vs. the Everblades this season. The Express won the first meeting of the year 7-5 on Nov. 28 at the Roundhouse. The Everblades swept a back-to-back series in Florida on Jan. 16-17, winning 4-2 and 6-2. The Everblades begin this week just four points ahead of Roanoke with a record of 33-24-10 (76 pts., 2nd Southern Division). The Express is

2-4-0 all-time vs. Florida.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2004 at GREENVILLE 7:05 p.m.

Roanoke and Greenville meet for the fifth of six times on Saturday night. The game is the third and final between the two at the BI-LO Center, where the Express has won both previous meetings.

SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2004 vs AUGUSTA 4:00 p.m.

The Express closes out a busy weekend with its fifth and final game of the season against the Augusta Lynx on Sunday afternoon at the Roanoke Civic Center. Roanoke is 2-2-0 vs. Augusta this season, and is 1-0-0 at the Roundhouse against them. The Express won the first meeting of the season 5-1 at the Roanoke Civic Center on Nov. 7. Augusta responded by winning the next two games in the season series by scores of 4-2 and 5-1 both at the Augusts-Richmond County Civic Center. The Express won the most recent match-up 5-3 on Mar. 21 in Augusta. The Lynx enter this week with a record of 29-29-7 (65 pts., 6th Central Division). Roanoke holds an all-time record of 29-18-6 vs. Augusta.

NEWS & NOTES

On the Short End of Things?: The Express had scored just three shorthanded goals over the first 63 games of the 2003-2004 season. However the team has tallied three shorthanded goals in the last three games, scoring one in each. The total of six goals moved Roanoke from tied for last in the league with the fewest, to tied for 25th in the league. The overall league leaders are Pensacola and Charlotte, both with 14.

Streaking!: Express forward Carl Mallette is currently riding a 14-game point scoring streak. The streak began on Feb. 17 vs. Greensboro when he collected a goal and an assist. It is the second longest current streak in the league, and overall is the third longest in the league. Former NHLer Mark Pederson of San Diego holds the longest streak in the league this year with a 20-game streak, from Dec. 28-Feb.7.

Home Sweet Home: Heading into the final two weeks of the season, the Roanoke Civic Center has been a comfortable place for the Express. Overall this year, the Express is 20-8-3 at the Roundhouse. However since Roanoke returned from its season-long 10-game road trip on Feb. 17, the Express is 8-1-1 at home, and is unbeaten in regulation at home in its last eight games (7-0-1). The good news for Roanoke, five of its six games left on the schedule are at home.

Who's Hot: Defenseman Shaun Fisher has picked up points in three straight games (1g, 2a)...forward Bryan Perez has three points in his last three games (1g, 2a)...forward Carl Mallette has picked up points in 14 straight games (10g, 10a) and in 15 of the first 17 games he has played in with Roanoke (11g, 11a)...forward Dan Carlson has notched points in three straight games (2g, 4a)...forward Rick Kowalsky has scored points in five of the last six games (4g, 3a)...goaltender Jason Wolfe is 4-2-1 in his last seven starts with a 2.10 GAA, and .945 save percentage...goalie David Belitski is 6-0-1 in his last seven starts with a 2.09 GAA and .938 save percentage.

League Leaders: Express captain Rick Kowalsky is 17th among ECHL scorers with 67 points (28g, 39a)...goaltender David Belitski is 3rd among ECHL netminders is shootout save percentage with a .824 mark... forward Carl Mallette is 4th among rookie scorers with 63 points (25g, 38a) and is 4th among ECHL rookies with 38 assists...defenseman Duncan Dalmao is seventh in scoring among ECHL defenseman with 48 points (6g, 42a). His 42 assists ranks 5th among ECHL defenseman, and Dalmao is also 4th among defenseman with 23 power play assists, and 4th with 27 power play points.

In The Division: Roanoke is 19-9-5 against its Southern Division opponents this season. 43 of their 72 points have come against divisional opponents.

How Is He Doing?: Shawn Limpright remains on call-up to the American Hockey League. Limpright has skated in 33 games with the Syracuse Crunch, picking up seven goals and five assists, while collecting 59 penalty minutes, and holds a plus-10 rating.

UPCOMING PRACTICE AND GAME SCHEDULE

Monday, March 22 OFF

Tuesday, March 23 10:00 a.m. practice @ The Roanoke Civic Center

Wednesday, March 24 10:00 a.m. pre-game skate @ The Roanoke Civic Center

7:00 p.m. GAME vs. Greenville @ The Roanoke Civic Center

Thursday, March 25 10:20 a.m. practice @ The Roanoke Civic Center

Friday, March 26 10:00 a.m. pre-game skate @ The Roanoke Civic Center

7:30 p.m. GAME vs. Florida @ The Roanoke Civic Center

Saturday, March 27 10:00 a.m. pre-game skate @ The Roanoke Civic Center

7:05 p.m. GAME vs. Greenville @ The BI-LO Center

Sunday, March 28 4:00 p.m. GAME vs. Augusta @ The Roanoke Civic Center

(All practice times and locations are subject to change)

ALL EXPRESS GAMES ARE BROADCAST LIVE ON THE 3WR RADIO NETWORK, 910 AM IN ROANOKE AND 990 AM IN BLACKSBURG. ALL GAMES ARE LIVE ON THE INTERNET AT www.wcqv.com.



ECHL Stories from March 22, 2004


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