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Tuesday, April 3, 2001
Getting the puck in the net is 'Rays big problem
Despite outshooting T-Rex, Corpus Christi isn't outscoring them
By Lee Goddard
Caller-Times
The problem facing the Corpus Christi IceRays isn't getting the puck on net. It's getting the puck in net.
The IceRays have dominated aspects of their series against the Tupelo T-Rex, namely outshooting the T-Rex in each game, and by a wide margin overall.
But, while taking a total of 112 shots as opposed to the 71 attempted by Tupelo, the IceRays still find themselves trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven first round series, and must play all the remaining games at Tupelo.
"Mentally, we're ready to go," IceRays coach Taylor Hall said. "We've been a pretty strong road team this year, and our backs are going to be against the wall and we'll be on the road for the rest of the playoffs now.
"This weekend, we played three games in three nights. That's the way it's going to be next weekend, so anything can happen."
What needs to happen for the IceRays to even - and perhaps eventually win - the series is breaking through against Tupelo goalie Stu Dunn. After a first game when Corpus Christi fired 39 shots on goal, converting three against Roby Gropp and four against Dunn in a 7-3 victory, the offense has tapered off.
Since that first-game explosion, the IceRays have still been getting the opportunities, but can't get them in net. Thirty-nine shots on Saturday equaled one goal in a 7-1 defeat, while 34 attempts on Sunday were converted into three scores in a 4-3 loss.
Blame Dunn, IceRays players said.
"He's got a lot of confidence now," said winger Tobin Praznik, who had two great scoring chances turned away by Dunn in Sunday's game. "Maybe their goaltending let them down in the first game, but Stu Dunn's come ready to play. He's shut the door on us. We've been getting the opportunities, but we haven't buried them. That's been the key so far in this series."
Dunn was easily the difference in Game Three, in which the IceRays jumped out to a 1-0 lead. And, while Tupelo moved ahead 4-1 on the basis of a three-goal spurt in four minutes of the second period, the IceRays staged a two-goal, final-period rally on Dunn before falling 4-3.
But, almost anytime the IceRays threatened, Dunn was there to stop the puck. Aside from stopping Praznik twice in the first, Dunn came up huge at the end of the second, stuffing Brad Wingfield on a breakaway and then stoning a follow by Alex Kholomeyev.
Still, despite Dunn's dominance in the past two games, the IceRays remain unshaken. While the team let a good chance to move ahead in the series slip away on Sunday, Hall saw positives in that game.
"I think on Saturday, we weren't in it at all," Hall said. "(Sunday), though, we started off great. We had some opportunities to score goals at key times and didn't get them. I think, when it was 1-0, if we'd made it 2-0, it would have made a big difference.
"So a combination of (Sunday's) game and Friday's game is what we need to take to Tupelo for the remainder of the series," he said. "We're going to get prepared (today) and Wednesday, and psyche ourselves up for the rest of the series."
Psyching themselves up for a series they feel they should be leading.
"There's no reason we shouldn't be winning right now," Praznik said. "In the games, we've been playing well enough, but they're just ending up on top."
, Staff writer Lee Goddard can be reached at 886-3613 or goddardl@caller.com
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