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Friday, March 10, 2000
Postseason in IceRays' crosshairs
Corpus Christi's magic number 61/2 for playoffs
By Mark Button
Caller-Times
The IceRays' magic number is 61/2.
It may sound weird, but it's true.
Any combination of Corpus Christi wins and Fort Worth losses totaling 61/2 (shootout losses count as a half a point in this formula) will ensure the IceRays of a berth in the 1999-2000 Western Professional Hockey League playoffs.
It's complicated, but the picture will become clearer each day:
Twelve of the 16 WPHL teams will qualify for the postseason, and Fort Worth, losers of seven of its last 10 games, is ranked 13th in the league.
The Brahmas (27-29-4) have 58 points and if they win all 10 of their remaining regular-season games, they would finish with 78.
After its 5-3 victory against Alexandria Wednesday, Corpus Christi (29-22-8) has 66 points.
To finish ahead of the Brahmas (at 79 points), the IceRays need at least seven wins, or seven Fort Worth losses.
Also, since shootout losses still count as one point in the standings (wins count as two), the IceRays could still lose one shootout and still get in, as long as they win at least six games.
The Brahmas and IceRays have four games left against each other, including Corpus Christi's regular-season finale March 26. The IceRays have a total of 12 games left, starting with a 7:05 p.m. tilt today against Lubbock at Memorial Coliseum.
Tonight's game will feature the league's top two goal scorers in Corpus Christi's Kurt Wickenheiser and Lubbock's Kyle Reeves.
"We have to keep an eye on Reeves, because he can definitely put the puck in the net," IceRays defenseman Darryl Olsen said. "As for Wicker, he's the hardest working guy on our team. How does he score all those goals? He works hard.
"I think some of the guys need to take a look at him and learn something," he said. "If we're going to do anything in the playoffs, we need a lot of the younger guys to be working as hard as he does."
IceRays coach Taylor Hall said knowing his team's magic number can be good and bad.
"Obviously, we want to make the playoffs and the sooner we make it is better for me," he said. "But just because we make it, it doesn't mean we need to quit playing. We need to be playing our best hockey when the playoffs start."
One thing Corpus Christi won't have to worry about is rust forming during a first-round bye. Last season, the IceRays finished with the league's fourth-best record and earned a bye in the opening round of the playoffs. The result was a sluggish start in Game 1 of the WPHL quarterfinals series against Lake Charles.
Corpus Christi lost the first game of that five-game series and never recovered. The IceRays lost the series, three games to one.
"I'm looking forward to not having a bye," Hall said. "If you're a good enough team, you're going to win in the first round anyway. If you lose, then you shouldn't have been there anyway.
"This way, we can get a jump on the teams in the second round."
Staff writer Mark Button can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at buttonm@caller.com
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