Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Close losses hurt more for struggling IceRays

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Friday, December 8, 2000

Close losses hurt more for struggling IceRays
Corpus Christi team will face rival Austin, which leads WPHL Eastern division, 15-6-2
By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times
Taylor Hall and the Corpus Christi IceRays know what it means to be close.
   Of the team's 13 losses, five have been by just one goal, and two others by two goals. A shootout loss earlier in the season also is reflected in the IceRays' 13-13-1 record.
   As the season nears the halfway point, close has come to describe more than just Corpus Christi's play in the Western Professional Hockey League.
   While the IceRays continue to hover in fifth place with 27 points in the WPHL Eastern Division, the top spot in the standings remains within striking distance. Austin leads the Eastern Division with a 15-6-2 record, just five points ahead of Corpus Christi.
   The parity goes far beyond the IceRays and Ice Bats.
   Eleven of the 14 teams in the WPHL have records of .500 or better, including seven of the eight clubs in the Eastern Division. Lubbock holds first place in the Western Division with 28 points, but New Mexico, Odessa and Amarillo share second place, all with 26 points.
   "There are so many good teams that it's going to be close every night," Hall said. "We play each other so many times that it's important to come out and play every night. The big thing is that we have to be ready to go out there and commit ourselves to playing hard all 60 minutes."
   Corpus Christi's next four games are home-and-home matchups against Fort Worth and Austin. The IceRays are 7-5-1 at home this season, but have won just one of their last three at Memorial Coliseum.
   The IceRays host the Brahmas tonight.
   "You can't afford to waste any games, especially at home," Hall said. "We have to make sure we come out ready to play. Of course our goal is to win every game, but that's not always going to happen."
   Corpus Christi has been hot and cold this season. The IceRays opened the season with three straight wins before losing their next five in a row. Midway through November the team put together a string of four wins, only to break with a three-game losing streak.
   The IceRays have lost eight times to the three teams below them in the Eastern Division standings, Lake Charles, Central Texas and Fort Worth.
   Hall just wants to avoid falling into another losing slump, especially with the first-place Ice Bats coming to Corpus Christi next week.
   "With a couple bad bounces and key injuries, it's easy to lose a whole pile in a row," Hall said. "We know we can beat any team, but we have to stick to our game plan. If we don't our chances of winning are not very good."


Staff writer Javier Becerra can be reached at 886-3734 or by e-mail at becerraj@caller.com

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