Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Cotton Kings crown 'Rays in first meeting

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Friday, November 12, 1999

Cotton Kings crown 'Rays in first meeting
Expansion franchise remains hot, skates to 7-5 victory over Corpus Christi
By Mark Button
Caller-Times

Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times

Coprus Christi netminder Eddy Skazyk (31) reaches for a loose puck Thursday in the IceRays' first game against the expansion Lubbock Cotton Kings.

Behind a four-goal third period, the Lubbock Cotton Kings defeated the IceRays, 7-5, Thursday night in their only trip to Corpus Christi this season.
   Lubbock, the Western Professional Hockey League's only expansion team, got three assists and one goal from left wing Darcy McCarthy to hand Corpus Christi its second straight loss.
   Leading the WPHL Western Division, Lubbock improved to 9-2-1 and increased its league-leading road winning streak to four games.
   "I like this arena," Lubbock coach Alan May said. "I think it's the best home-ice advantage in the league. It took us 10 minutes into the first period before we had half our bearings."
   Kurt Wickenheiser scored twice in the IceRays' loss and Brad Wingfield scored a pair of power-play goals before being ejected with a game misconduct penalty in the second period. The IceRays fell to 8-4-2 and goalie Eddy Skazyk fell to 5-2-1.
   "They have good team," IceRays forward Dustin McArthur said. "We have to keep a special eye on a couple of their players and if we don't, they score. And they did, that's about it."
   One of those players McArthur spoke of is Mark Green, the league leader in goals scored. Green's power-play goal midway through the third period - his 13th of the year - gave the Cotton Kings a 5-4 lead, one they would not relinquish.
   "That was a huge, huge goal," McCarthy said.
   Another player the IceRays did not watch closely enough was Mike Legg, who scored two goals. Meanwhile, Lubbock goalie Cory Cadden saw his way to a 33-save night and his fifth victory in eight games.
   Lubbock took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission behind goals by Bobby Brown and Legg. Legg's goal, his sixth, came on a rebound from a shot that sent Skazyk sprawling head-first to the ice and out of position for Legg's forehand effort.
   Sandwiched between the Lubbock goals, Wingfield scored his first of the game, set up by Jody Praznik's lead-leading 14th assist.
   Wingfield went top-shelf on Cadden for his second goal of the game and fifth of the year, which tied the game, 2-2, 7:40 into the second period.
   Less than a minute later, Wingfield fought Lubbock's Jeff Corbett, who pulled Wingfield's jersey over his head during the tilt. A flurry of right hands dropped Corbett, but Wingfield received a game misconduct for not having his jersey properly fastened to his waist. The penalty resulted in an automatic ejection, halting any attempt at a Wingfield hat trick.
   Corpus Christi took its first lead 5:15 after Wingfield's ejection - at the 13:26 mark of the second period - when Alain Savage got his eighth of the year. But the IceRays' 3-2 lead lasted all of four minutes.
   Cotton Kings forward Kyle Reeves' eighth goal knotted the game at 3-3, with 2:18 to play in the second period. The tie score the held through the remainder of period.
   Legg's second goal - this one came directly off a faceoff to Skazyk's left - re-established the Cotton Kings lead, 4-3, 4:41 into the third period. The IceRays' third power-play goal tied the game again, 4-4. Wickenheiser was the beneficiary of a no-look pass from Geoff Bumstead, as he slammed home his eighth.
   Just 1:06 later, Green scored his 13th on a Lubbock power play to give the Cotton Kings a 5-4 lead. Green's goal mirrored Legg's second in that it occurred directly following a faceoff to Skazyk's left side.
   "What we try to do every game is to get a goal off a faceoff," May said. "We've only failed twice. There's no secret formula to how it happens; it's just concentration."
   Lubbock extended its lead to 6-4 with 11:10 to play on a Shawn Redmond goal.
   Wickenheiser's second goal pulled Corpus Christi to within a goal, 6-5, before McCarthy sealed the game with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
   IceCubes
   A FANS LEAVE IN PROTEST: Midway through the third period a group of fans in the west end began chanting the chant IceRays management has forbidden. Several fans were ushered out amid howls and boos from most others in the area, then dozens of fans got to their feet and marched out in apparent protest, hollering "Gestapo," at the IceRays representatives. After about 10 minutes, it appeared at least 50 fans either left in protest or were ejected.

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