Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Netminder carries CC in 4-0 win

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Saturday, April 1, 2000

Netminder carries CC in 4-0 win

By Mark Button
Caller-Times

Special to the Caller-Times

Corpus Christi's Dustin McArthur (left) battles El Paso's Marc Labelle for a loose puck in the IceRays' win Friday.

EL PASO - Next stop, New Mexico.
   The Corpus Christi IceRays won their first playoff series Friday night by defeating El Paso, 4-0, in Game 3 of the Western Professional Hockey League first-round series.
   Playing his second game in as many nights and his third of the three-game series, IceRays goalie Eddy Skazyk played what was perhaps his best game of the season. Skazyk gave Corpus Christi its first shutout of the season, turning away all 38 El Paso shots. "I joked around with Eddy before the game and said in passing, 'Hey why don't you get a shutout tonight?'" IceRays coach Taylor Hall said. "Eddy was great, but it was a team commitment defensively.
   "I told the team before the game that either way the game went, it would be a night they would remember. Either they would come together or they would fall apart. This feels great. I feel like a proud papa." While Skazyk (2-1) anchored the team defensive effort, IceRays forward Layne Roland supplied the offense, scoring twice. Now Corpus Christi will try to steal Game 1 of its WPHL quarterfinal series against New Mexico, the top-seeded team in the Western Bracket. That series, a best-of-five-games affair, begins today at 8:05 p.m. in Santa Fe. The Scorpions are unable to host games on their home ice at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque because of a scheduling conflict.
   Game 2 will also be played in Santa Fe, scheduled for Monday night.
   Corpus Christi will host Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and Friday at Memorial Coliseum.
   The second-round series pits Hall, who also scored his first playoff series victory Friday, against New Mexico coach Tony Martino, who played goalie for Hall in 1996-97 when Hall was the head coach of the Scorpions.
   "It's been a lot of year since he played for me," Hall said. "But I'm sure he wants to beat me as much as we want to beat him."
   Skazyk and El Paso goalie Todd Laurin set the tone for a slow-paced, defensive game early Friday by taking turns making big stops.
   After Skazyk stopped Blake Sheane on a point-blank effort early in the first period, Laurin robbed IceRays forward Tobin Praznik. Praznik was staring at an empty net from the left side of the Buzzards' crease because Laurin had made two saves on the right side. The puck came Praznik's way and he put a backhander directly at the net, but Laurin dove across the crease and snatched the puck out of the air for the save.
   A minute later, Skazyk stopped Martin Menard on a breakaway to preserve the 0-0 score.
   IceRays forward Andy Ross put an end to the scoreless tie 9:31 into the first period.
   Corpus Christi took a 1-0 lead for the first time in the series when Ross beat Laurin high with an unassisted backhanded shot. Ross' goal, his second of the playoffs, concluded the scoring in the first period. "It really didn't seem like playoff hockey in the first two games," Ross said. "But today was playoff hockey and the shutout was just another candle in the cake."
   Skazyk continued to look impressive in the second period, snagging a bullet of a slapshot from Menard midway though the period.
   In contrast to Thursday night when the two teams combined for 21 power plays, referee Ron Morgan was very conservative with his whistle Friday. The first penalty-coincidental high-sticking minors-came with 8:07 to play in the second period.
   While El Paso struggled to put together quality scoring chances, Corpus Christi added to its lead late in the second period. IceRays forward Layne Roland banged home a rebound to give his team a 2-0 lead with 4:14 to play in the second period.
   An elbowing penalty by Kurt Wickenheiser gave El Paso the first power play with 34 seconds to play in the second period, but the Buzzards could not crack Skazyk before the second intermission. The IceRays killed the remaining 1:26 on the El Paso power play at the start of the third period and concentrated on defense and killing the clock for the rest of the game.
   The IceRays did not register a shot on goal in the third period 15 minutes had expired.
   Roland put an explanation point on the victory with this second goal, scored with 3:25 to play.
   With 2:35 to play, the Buzzards pulled Laurin for the sixth skater. The plan backfired when Wickenheiser scored an empty-net goal with 1:35 to play.
   El Paso 0 0 0 -- 0
   Corpus Christi 1 1 2 -- 4
   FIRST PERIOD -- 1, Corpus Christi, Andy Ross (unassisted), 9:31. PENALTIES-none.
   SECOND PERIOD -- 2, Corpus Christi, Lanye Roland (J. Praznik), 15:46. PENALTIES-Rees, EP (high-sticking), 11:53; Wingfield, CC (high-sticking), 11:53; Wickenheiser, CC (elbowing), 19:26.
   THIRD PERIOD -- 3, Corpus Christi, Roland (McArthur, T. Praznik), 16:35. 4, Corpus Christi, Kurt Wickenheiser (T. Praznik, Bumstead), 18:25, (empty net). PENALTIES-none.
   SHOTS ON GOAL-El Paso 8-10-18 38 Corpus Christi 15-11-7 33. GOALIES-El Paso, Todd Laurin (1-2-0). Corpus Christi, Eddy Skazyk (2-1-0). A -- 2,221. REFEREE-Ron Morgan.



Staff writer Mark Button can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at buttonm@caller.com

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