Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - T-Rex continue domination of IceRays in win

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Saturday, April 7, 2001
T-Rex continue domination of IceRays in win
Tupelo picks up third straight playoff win with 5-2 victory
By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times
TUPELO, Miss. - Corpus Christi may have dominated Tupelo during the regular season.
   The postseason, however, has belonged to the T-Rex.
   Tupelo erupted for four goals in the third period to post a 5-2 win Friday night in Game 4 of the Western Professional Hockey League Eastern Division playoffs at the BancorpSouth Center.
   The T-Rex have won three straight after losing the first game, and are just one win away from ending the best-of-seven series.
   Tonight's Game 5 starts at 7:07 today, with the final two games set for Sunday and Tuesday, if needed.
   The winner of the series will face Bossier-Shreveport in the Eastern Division finals.
   Tupelo trailed, 2-1, entering the third period, but goals by Regan Harper and Dave Szabo gave the T-Rex a one-goal lead three minutes into the period.
   Jason Firth, the league's regular-season scoring champion, continued his rampage of the IceRays with his fourth postseason goal at 14:32.
   Barry McKinlay capped the victory with an empty-net goal with three minutes left to play.
   Twice within the first two minutes, Tupelo set up on offense behind the Corpus Christi net. Passes were sent into the slot each time, but the IceRays kept the puck from reaching its target in front of the crease.
   A slap shot from the right circle drew Corpus Christi goalie Eddy Skazyk out from in front of the net. The puck deflected out to the left, giving Firth a wide-open shot which sailed just to the right of the goal.
   Corpus Christi nearly scored on a similar play, but Jeff Paluseo's rebound shot was stopped by Tupelo netminder Stu Dunn on a diving play.
   A tripping penalty on IceRays forward Cory Evans at the 7:50 mark of the first period gave Tupelo the first power play of the game. Corpus Christi cleared the puck after the draw, but Tupelo quickly pushed the puck back up the ice. Twice more, the IceRays sent the puck back across the ice without allowing a shot by the T-Rex.
   At 11:23, Tupelo's Ryan Rintoul was called for slashing. The IceRays managed just two shots on goal during the penalty.
   As the T-Rex worked on clearing the puck, Jeff Mancini got past two Corpus Christi defenders for a one-on-one opportunity against Skazyk. Mancini's first shot was slapped away by Skazyk, but it was sent right back at Mancini, who scored easily off the rebound.
   Two seconds remained on Corpus Christi's power play when Mancini scored, his first of the postseason. The shorthanded goal gave Tupelo a 1-0 lead at the 13:22 mark of the first period.
   Just as the period reached the 18-minute mark, Corpus Christi's Tobin Praznik had the puck on a breakaway in the Tupelo zone. Praznik faked once, and saw his shot deflected by Dunn.
   An unsportsmanlike penalty on Dave Ambler before the opening draw of the second period gave Corpus Christi a man advantage for the first two minutes. The IceRays controlled the puck in the Tupelo zone for nearly all the penalty time, but couldn't get positioning inside for open shots.
   Corpus Christi spent much of the first five minutes of the second period on offense, and at one point took five straight shots at Dunn. None found their mark, missing wide or by way of Dunn's staunch play in front of the net.
   A slashing penalty on Tupelo's Brant Blackned at 14:33 put Corpus Christi on its third mad advantage of the second period. Five seconds into the penalty, Layne Roland sneaked the puck past Dunn to tie the game, 1-1.
   Less than three minutes later, Alex Kholomeyev scored his second goal of the playoffs to give the IceRays a 2-1 lead.
   After being held scoreless in the second period, Tupelo's offense responded with two goals within a span of 20 seconds to reclaim the lead, and post the victory.
   Regan Harper scored the first goal unassisted at the 3:06 of the second period to tie the score at 2-2. Twenty seconds later, a goal by Dave Szabo put the T-Rex up by one goal.
   T-REX 5, ICERAYS 2
   Corpus Christi 0 2 0-2
   Tupelo 1 0 4-5
   First period - 1, Tupelo, Mancini 1 (Beausoleil) 13:22. Penalties - Rintoul, Tupelo (slashing) 1:49; Quinnell, CC (high sticking), 1:49; Evans, CC (tripping) 7:50; Rintoul, Tupelo (slashing) 11:23; Powers, Tupelo (roughing) 13:41; Butler, Tupelo (roughing) 13:41; M. Van Horlick, CC (elbowing) 13:41; Dumoulin, CC (roughing) 13:41.
   Second period - 2, CC, Roland 2 (Kholomeyev, Quinnell) 14:38; 3, CC, Kholomeyev 2 (Roland, Wickenheiser) 17:21. Penalties - Ambler, Tupelo (unsportsmanlike conduct) :00; Stewart, Tupelo (slashing) 3:50; Shiryaev, CC (cross checking) 9:12; Blackned, Tupelo (slashing) 14:33; Stewart, Tupelo (slashing) 15:20; Dumoulin, CC (slashing) 15:20.
   Third period - 4, Tupelo, Harper 1 (unassisted) 3:06; 5, Tupelo, Szabo (J. Van Volsen, Stacey) 3:26; 6, Tupelo, Firth 4 (Blackned, McKinlay) 14:32; 7, Tupelo, McKinlay 2 (J. Van Volsen) 16:37. Penalties - Powers, Tupelo (roughing) 4:10; M. Van Horlick, CC (roughing) 4:10.
   Shots on goal - Corpus Christi 11-15-7-33; Tupelo 10-15-8-33. Power-play opportunities - Corpus Christi 0 of 4; Tupelo 0 of 2. Goalies - Corpus Christi, Skazyk 9-15-4 (32 shots-28 saves); Tupelo, Dunn 11-13-7 (33-31). Referee - Matt Biolota. Linesmen - Dan O'Neil, Dave Pfohl. A - 2,584.

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