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Wednesday, November 29, 2000

Bumstead ready to return to home ice
IceRays' forward hasn't played in Memorial Coliseum for 22 days due to injury
By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times

Associated Press

IceRays forward Geoff Bumstead is expected to make his first home-ice appearance today after recovering from an injury.

It's been 22 days since Geoff Bumstead last wore a home uniform for the Corpus Christi IceRays.
   Sidelined by a groin injury for five games, Bumstead rejoined the team a week ago, one game into a five-game road trip that took the IceRays from Central Texas to Fort Worth to Monroe and finally Tupelo.
   Bumstead helped the IceRays' end a three-game skid last Sunday with two assists in a 4-3 win over the T-Rex. The assists earned Bumstead his 300th and 301st career points, and helped salvage a win, which provided the team a little relief during the 16-hour bus ride back home.
   As the 5-foot-10, 221-pound forward prepares to make his return to Memorial Coliseum tonight against Central Texas (9-7-3), Bumstead's next assist will be in helping the IceRays develop some stability.
   "What we need to do is find a level of consistency with our play," said Bumstead, who is also Corpus Christi's all-time points leader with 203, in 153 games. "We'll win two and then lose three. When you're not playing on a steady level, it's easy to have three or four bad nights in a row."
   IceRays coach Taylor Hall agreed.
   "We'll be good for four or five games, then bad for four or five," Hall said.
   Corpus Christi went 4-1 without Bumstead, winning four straight games before a 6-1 loss to Central Texas in Belton on Nov. 18. Aside from the Stampede's six-goal onslaught, the IceRays have held opponents to no more than three goals in their last seven games.
   "We're not giving up many goals or quality scoring chances," Bumstead said. "We're maybe second or third in the league in goals against, but we're last in goals scored (55). It's like a reversal of last year."
   Hall blames his team's performance on an overall lack of offense.
   "Our defense has been very strong, and when we play our system, we can shut any team down," Hall said. "At the same time, we're also struggling offensively. We can hold a team to three goals or under, but we're not scoring enough to win. I think if we continue to be as solid as we have been defensively, good things are going to come out of it."
   With 21 points, Corpus Christi (10-11-1) enters tonight's game tied with Central Texas for fifth place in the Western Professional Hockey League Eastern Division standings.
   Only seven points separate the IceRays from the first-place Austin Ice Bats. Bumstead said Corpus Christi's place in the league standings is more than enough to spark its offense.
   "When you're sitting around .500 that's a good sign that you might not make the playoffs," he said. "We're taking it as a wake-up call."

FAMILIAR FOES: Although Corpus Christi has already played Fort Worth four times this season, the IceRays are going to be seeing a lot more of the Brahmas in the coming weeks. Three of the IceRays' next seven games are against the Brahmas, the first being Saturday in Fort Worth. The teams will play a home-and-home series starting Dec. 8 at Memorial Coliseum. The season series is tied, 2-2.

OFFENSIVE DEFENSEMEN: Tseplis' scored his seventh goal this season last Sunday against Tupelo, tying him with Jaime Hearn for the team lead for goals by a defenseman. Tseplis and Hearn are tied for second in the WPHL in the same category with Monroe's Jason Smith. Tupelo's Brian McKinlay leads the league in goals by a defenseman with eight.

SUNDAY SUCCESS: Last Sunday's victory over the T-Rex improved the IceRays' all-time record on Sunday to 15-3-3. This season Corpus Christi is 2-0 on Sunday, with both wins coming against Tupelo. The IceRays have won five straight Sunday games dating back to last season, the last Sunday defeat being a 5-3 loss to Austin on Feb. 20, 1999.

INJURY REPORT: Forward Dustin McArthur, who missed the last four game with a broken nose, is listed as day-to-day. Jody Praznik is back on the 21-day injured reserve list with a new release date scheduled for Dec. 16. Praznik is still recovering from reconstructive surgery after a puck fractured his skull just above his left eye in a game against Austin on Nov. 1.



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

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