Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Scorpions put IceRays on the brink of elimination, 5-3

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Friday, April 7, 2000

Scorpions put IceRays on the brink of elimination, 5-3
New Mexico beats Corpus Christi with aggressive play
By Mark Button
Caller-Times

John Kennedy/Caller-Times

IceRays left wing (47) battles with Dough Wood of the Scorpions in the first period of New Mexico's 5-3 win Thursday.

New Mexico beat Corpus Christi at its own game Thursday night.
   IceRays coach Taylor Hall said Wednesday he wanted his team to be more aggressive and physical against the Scorpions in Game 3 of the Western Professional Hockey League President's Cup quarterfinals.
   New Mexico welcomed the challenge.
   The Scorpions, who have three players at least 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, matched the IceRays' physical intensity and won the game, 5-3.
   As the game ended, fans at Memorial Coliseum showed their displeasure by tossing empty beer cups at the New Mexico players and thier coach, Tony Martino.
   New Mexico leads the series, 2-1, and could advance to the league semifinals with a victory in tonight's Game 4, scheduled for a 7:05 p.m.
   All season, Corpus Christi - for which only forward Andy Ross measures at least 6-3 though several players eclipse 200 pounds - made a living by intimidating opponents with viscous hits and unrelenting physical play. But the Scorpions, the top-seeded team in the Western Bracket, made a better living doing the same thing this year.
   When it had to, New Mexico maintained its composure and let the IceRays retaliate, which resulted in Corpus Christi penalties.
   After the IceRays took an early 2-0 lead, New Mexico scored four straight goals to take control of the game.
   Scorpions forward Jeff Goldie broke a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal 1:46 in the third period.
   With two seconds to play in the second period, Corpus Christi's Brad Wingfield was whistled for a hooking penalty, which carried over to the third period. Goldie took the shot from IceRays goalie Eddy Skazyk's right and got a lucky bounce as the puck ricocheted off Skazyk and into the net.
   New Mexico scored its fourth straight goal to take a 4-2 lead 3:36 later on a Nick Forbes goal.
   Corpus Christi finally ended the New Mexico scoring string 11:08 into the third period. Cory Johnson beat New Mexico goalie Luciano Carravagio to put the IceRays within a goal of the Scorpions, 4-3.
   A slashing penalty on Corpus Christi's Dennis Shiryeav led to a New Mexico power-play goal that put the Scorpions up by two goals, 5-3, with 5:02 to play.
   While on a power play, Hall pulled Skazyk for a six-on-four advantage with 2:08 to play in the game.
   The IceRays failed to score, however, and face an elimination game tonight.
   Right from the start of the first period, the sparks flew early and often.
   Both teams came out trying to establish physical momentum, which translated to plenty of hits, a few punches and a host of penalties.
   On the IceRays' first power play, Tobin Praznik made the Scorpions pay with his fourth goal of the playoffs 1:16 into the man advantage. Before New Mexico could shake off the goal, Wingfield scored with a waist-high wrist shot that blew by Carravaggio 20 seconds after Praznik's goal. Corpus Christi's 2-0 lead would not make it to the intermission, however.
   Scorpions forward Peter Ambroziak sneaked a shot by Skazyk 4:52 into the game as Ambroziak was being pulled to the ice by an IceRays defender.
   After the early scoring, both teams settled into the game and played end-to-end hockey with less physical play.
   That did not last either.
   As the first period wound down, the hitting picked up, as did the game's pace.
   Bodies continued to fly in the second period as the IceRays and Scorpions resumed their physical play.
   Wingfield took back-to-back two-minute penalties for cross-checking and roughing before New Mexico's Derek Crawford, who started the season with Corpus Christi, received a 10-minute misconduct penalty for a flagrant elbow to the Wickenheiser's head.
   New Mexico scored the lone goal in the second period, tying the game, 2-2, on Todd Marcellus' first playoff goal.
   Still, Skazyk came up big time and again in the second 20 minutes, turning away 14 shots, several of which came at point-blank range.

   New Mexico 1 1 3 - 5
   Corpus Christi 2 0 1 - 3
   FIRST PERIOD - 1, Corpus Christi, Tobin Praznik (Vandenberghe, Olsen), 3:03, (pp). 2, Corpus Christi, Brad Wingfield (Hoiness, Shiryaev), 3:23. 3, New Mexico, Peter Ambroziak (Marcellus, Goldie), 4:52. PENALTIES - Olsen, CC (obstruction cross-checking), 0:47; Bumstead, CC (roughing), 1:45; Quinnell, CC (roughing), 1:45; Glover, NM (hooking, roughing), 1:45; Murphy, NM (roughing), 1:45; Shiryeav, CC (charging), 11:32; Vandenberghe, CC (obstruction hooking), 16:07; Olsen, CC (slashing), 16:33; Ambroziak, NM (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:33.
   SECOND PERIOD - 4, New Mexico, Todd Marcellus (Lavoie), 15:32. PENALTIES - Wingfield, CC (cross-checking), 0:27; Wingfield, CC (roughing), 5:31; Crawford, NM (elbowing, 10-min. misconduct), 9:11; Wingfield, CC (hooking), 19:58.
   THIRD PERIOD - 5, New Mexico, Doug Wood (Goldie, Van Tighem), 1:46 (pp). 6, New Mexico, Nick Forbes (Glover, Murphy), 5:22. 7, Corpus Christi, Cory Johnson (Quinnell, Vandenberghe), 11:08. 8, New Mexico, Randy Murphy (Glover, Forbes), 14:52, (pp). PENALTIES - Lavoie, NM (slashing), 5:45; Wingfield, CC (roughing dbl. minor), 8:39; Hoiness, CC (roughing dbl. minor, 10-min. misconduct), 8:39; Van Tighem, NM (roughing dbl. minor), 8:39; Marcellus, NM (roughing dbl. minor), 8:39; Ambroziak, NM (roughing dbl. minor, 10-min. misconduct), 8:39; Shiryeav, CC ()slashing), 14:29; Goldie, NM (hooking), 16:52.
   SHOTS ON GOAL - New Mexico 14-15-8 37. Corpus Christi 11-9-18 38. GOALIES - Corpus Christi, Eddy Skazyk (2-3). New Mexico, Luciano Caravaggio (2-1). REFEREE - Scott Hughes.


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

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