Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Harper gets his wish, heads to Tupelo

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Wednesday, September 8, 1999

Harper gets his wish, heads to Tupelo
IceRays to get two players later in return
By Mark Button
Caller-Times

Late Tuesday afternoon, the worst team in the Western Professional Hockey League last year traded for one the best players in the league.
   Terms were met, papers were signed, fax machines hummed and by late Tuesday, Regan Harper, a two-time All Star defenseman, became a player/assistant coach for the Tupelo T-Rex, a team that finished last season with a WPHL-worst 20-45-4 record.
   Back on April 25, Harper announced that he would not return to Corpus Christi (40-23-6 last season, fourth-best in the WPHL) for its second season of minor-league hockey.
   IceRays coach Taylor Hall will receive "future considerations" in return for the two-time WPHL All Star, which means Hall traded one player for two in return. For the first selection, Hall will pick one Tupelo player from a list of seven (the T-Rex provide the list) during the season. Once the 1999-2000 playoffs have concluded, Hall will then select a second player, this time from a list of 13 provided by Tupelo.
   "In April, it looked like we needed Regan Harper a lot more," Hall said. "But I basically don't have a spot for him now. Players have to decide where they are going to go. I can't wait around. I have to recruit a team to put on the ice, and like I've said before, I only want players who want to be here."
   Harper, who has already moved to Tupelo, said he was happy for the opportunity to play for first-year Tupelo coach George Dupont, whom Harper played with for two years from 1996-98 in Oklahoma City and Albuquerque, N.M.
   "They flew me down here in July, and I was impressed with the city, the facility, the management and the owners," Harper said. "It felt like a good fit.
   "I have no hard feelings for Corpus Christi at all. I wish them all the best this year."
   Hall said acquiring the two players at separate times made the deal nice for the IceRays.
   "When the player doesn't want to come back, you always run risk of him leaving to another league and then you get nothing in return. I'm actually happy that he wanted to play in this league. I think we'll get some good players out of the deal."
   Outside of a few WPHL "trading freeze" dates - Dec. 22-26 - Hall will get to pick up someone from Tupelo, which is expected to be much better this season.
   "Taylor's pretty much in the driver's seat if we have a good team," Dupont said. "But adding Regan gives us immediate legitimacy. I think he's the best defenseman in the league, period." Hall said the player the IceRays pick up after the season will probably be the more talented of the two, but the one acquired during the year (Hall must give seven days' notice before picking the player) may be a more important player.
   "You never know what's going to happen. There are injuries and a lot can happen. There might just be a time when we need a certain type of player."
   Harper scored eight goals and assisted on 18 others for the IceRays last year, and was a +34 (the total point differential between teams while Harper was on the ice).
   The IceRays were 3-0-0 against Tupelo last season, winning, 2-1, at home against the T-Rex on Dec. 19.
   Immediately following that win, IceRays spiraled to a 2-10 stretch that ended on Jan. 26 in, of all places, Tupelo. A 3-1 IceRays victory sent Corpus Christi on a spree that saw it storm into the playoffs, winning 19 of its final 26 games, including a 8-3 victory at Tupelo on Feb. 20.
   Staff writer Mark Button can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at buttonm@caller.com.

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