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14-606: The Icebreakers 34-28-8 record was good for 76 points and third place in the Northeast Division, 15 points behind the division leading Roanoke Express . Seeded 6th in the playoffs and matched up against the #3 ranked Toledo Storm , they would be swept three games to none. Chris Nilan would win the John Brophy Award as the league's top coach. Derek Clancey would lead the team in assists with 77, and in points with 105. John Cardwell would score 40 goals while Brad Domonsky led

28-682: A chain of convenience stores named Lancer Mart. The roof of the LancerLot collapsed as a result of heavy snowfall during the Blizzard of 1993 resulting in hockey moving back to the Roanoke Civic Center. The Express proved to be a success both on the ice and in drawing more fans than previous hockey teams in the Roanoke Valley . During the mid to late 1990s, some crowds nearly filled the over 9,000 seat civic center. In 1995–1996, average attendance

42-613: A playoff run, the franchise was plagued by a severe lack of publicity in the community and a near total lack of coverage by area newspapers. The team moved to become the Jackson Bandits after their second season. This American ice hockey team-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a sports team in Maryland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Roanoke Express Black, Red, White (later) The Roanoke Express were

56-684: A professional minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL from 1993 until 2004. Home games were played at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia . Roanoke Valley's first minor league ice hockey team, called the Salem Rebels, played its inaugural season at the Salem Civic Center in the 1967–1968 season with Jim Jago as team captain. The first season had some sparse crowds of less than 1,000 in

70-526: The Detroit Red Wings during the 1990–91 season , posting a record of 0–1–0 and goals against average of 10.27. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1990 to 2001, was spent in various minor leagues. Gagnon came up from the Windsor, Ontario Junior B team before joining Colgate University in 1987. Dave was guarding the net when the university was in the 1990 NCAA championship game. In 1990 and 1991 he

84-565: The MDA , in which area firefighters would go up against area law enforcement. In the late 2000s, the "Roanoke Express" name was revived for a youth hockey team. It was eventually absorbed into the Dawgs' youth team. Dave Gagnon David Anthony Gagnon (born October 31, 1967) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender . Dave played 2 games in the National Hockey League with

98-799: The UHL : the Roanoke Valley Vipers . This team folded after just one season. Then, in 2016, the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs formed in the SPHL . The Dawgs have made numerous references to the Express, including retiring the number of Terence Tootoo , who had committed suicide not long after his sole season in Roanoke. The Berglund Center tried to keep hockey alive in Roanoke by hosting Virginia Tech 's games, as well as through an annual "Guns 'n' Hoses" game to benefit

112-599: The 2nd-seeded Columbus Chill (who won the Northwest Division) in the first round of the playoffs. Their first playoff win in team history took place on April 8, which evened the series at one game apiece. They defeated the Chill 3–2 in overtime of Game 4 to take the series 3–1. Their next opponents were the top ranked Roanoke Express , who took the series against the Icebreakers in four games. The final game in franchise history

126-661: The 4,848-seat arena. Over the next few years, the team developed a fanbase and a number of games were sold out. In 1971, the team moved to the newly built Roanoke Civic Center near downtown Roanoke and were renamed the Roanoke Valley Rebels. For most of the 1980s and early 1990s, various teams such as the Virginia Lancers and Roanoke Valley Rampage played in a custom built facility called the LancerLot in Vinton . The Virginia Lancers were owned by Henry Brabham, who also owned

140-440: The early 2000s, the novelty of hockey in the Roanoke Civic Center had worn off and the team's inability to advance deep into the playoffs led to a frustrated fanbase and sagging attendance. Turmoil in management and ownership contributed to bad press for the team and less effective marketing than in the team's early years. The Express folded after the 2003–2004 season. In 2005, Roanoke tried to field another hockey team, this time in

154-401: The team with 244 penalty minutes. Mike Tamburro played 25 games in net, and managed a 16-6-1 record with a 2.68 GAA and two shutouts. The team drew an average of 2,650 fans, third-worst in the league. For their second season, they improved their point total by three points. Their record was 34-25-11, however they would drop to fourth place in the tough Northeast Division. Seeded 7th, they played

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168-509: Was 5,679. The team's hard-nosed style of play reflected their coach, Frank Anzalone, who later coached the ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs . The Express typically had outstanding goalkeeping with Daniel Berthiaume and Dave Gagnon . The team continued to be successful, and in fact reached new heights, after Anzalone left for the Lowell Lock Monsters and was replaced by Scott Gordon. However, by

182-523: Was played April 24, 1999. Derek Clancey had another season finishing with a team high of 79 points, while Denny Felsner paced the team with 29 goals. L.P Charbonneau had 271 PIM. Mike Tamburro finished with a 19-11-2 record with a 2.45 GAA average. Attendance would slip to 2,347 fans, once again third-worst. Home games were played at a converted equestrian facility known as The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Despite occasional sellouts and

196-509: Was traded three times, but enjoyed success with Hampton Roads of ECHL , when he was named as co-MVP. Gagnon spent most of his later years with the Roanoke Express where he often shared goaltending duties with Daniel Berthiaume . The Red Wings signed him as a free agent in the summer of 1990. Gagnon played eleven more seasons in various minor leagues, being named playoff MVP twice in 1991 and 1994. This biographical article relating to

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