Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Young IceRays forwards step to the front in 5-3 exhibition victory over Lake Charles

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Wednesday, October 6, 1999

Young IceRays forwards step to the front in 5-3 exhibition victory over Lake Charles
Rookies Hoiness and Kersey make case for roster spots by combining for five points
By Mark Button
Caller-Times

Associated Press

Corpus Christi's Geoff Bumstead (98) lands a right on Lake Charles' Shawn Skiehar Tuesday in the IceRays' 5-3 exhibition victory over the Ice Pirates.

Taylor Hall's job just got a lot tougher.
   Already stacked with a training camp full of veteran forwards, two rookies made a major impact in Tuesday's 5-3 victory over Lake Charles in Game 2 of the two-game Caller-Times Best of the Best exhibition series. The IceRays outscored the Ice Pirates, 10-9, in the two games and won the series trophy.
   Rookies Brent Hoiness and Jade Kersey caught Hall's eye by combining for three goals, two assists and one nasty game misconduct penalty. Hoiness, who played in nine games for the IceRays last season (one in which he scored a game-winner), had a four-point night with a pair of goals and assists.
   Kersey scored the game's first goal before being ejected from the game for roughing and instigating a fight.
   "It's always nice to get the first one out of the way," Kersey said. "Hopefully, Taylor liked what he saw. I'm sure we'll sit down at some point after the game and see where it goes from here. I felt like I had a solid first period; it was unfortunate that I couldn't finish the game, but sometimes you lose your composure on the ice."
   Coincidentally, Kersey and Hoiness were best friends at Brown University: Hoiness graduated in May of 1998 and Kersey graduated five months ago.
   Hall has 15 forwards attending the team's two-week training camp, not including last year's Western Professional Hockey League Most Valuable Player Chris Robertson and newly signed Tobin Praznik. Hall has said he will keep either 10 or 11 forwards on the regular-season roster, which means rookies like Hoiness and Kersey face an uphill battle to make the team. Hall said he will make his first cuts today.
   Kersey scored his goal at 8:31 of the first period, a rebound goal off a Miles Van Tassel slapshot from the point. Kersey was then tossed from the game early in the second when he instigated a fight with Lake Charles' Petre Strohonsky, who did not see Kersey coming.
   Hoiness, in a Robertson-like effort, patrolled the entire ice with reckless abandon, scoring in both the first and second periods while adding assists in both periods as well. Another young forward looking to make a point in camp, Roger Lewis, scored a goal and had an assist. Lewis is looking for more of an offensive role with the IceRays -- he played effectively on the checking line for the better part of last year -- and Tuesday's effort mirrored the offensive potential Lewis has shown Hall during camp.
   Lewis, along side linemates Kersey and Hoiness, produced 16 points in the three IceRays' intrasquad scrimmages last week. Lewis scored four goals and had three assists in the scrimmages. Veteran defenseman Greg MacEachern passed out two assists in his IceRays debut, and rookie goaltender Eddy Skazyk turned away 31 of 33 shots before being giving way to fellow rookie goalie Shawn Grenier.
   ICECUBES
   ALL-TIME SERIES: Counting exhibition and playoff contests, the IceRays are 3-5-1 against Lake Charles.
   TOBIN SIGNS: The IceRays announced the signing of forward Tobin Praznik, younger brother to defenseman Jody Praznik, Thursday afternoon. Tobin Praznik scored 26 goals and recorded 25 assists in 106 games with Lake Superior State. He was the final forward released by the Manitoba Moose of the International Hockey League.
   IN THE BLOOD: Rookie forward Jason Pellerin is the younger brother of Scott Pellerin, a left wing for the St. Louis Blues of the NHL. In this his third year with the Blues, Scott Pellerin also spent parts of three years with the New Jersey Devils. In 186 NHL games, He has recorded 28 goals and 43 assists.
   NEW TRAINER: The IceRays hired Jennifer Lawton as the team's athletic trainer. Originally from Arlington, Lawton graduated from Oklahoma State University, where she worked with the football team for four years. This is her first experience with hockey.

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