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Sunday, April 8, 2001
IceRays close out season
T-Rex finish off C.C. in a sound 6-3 win
By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times
TUPELO, Miss. - The Corpus Christi IceRays knew their season would eventually come to an end.
Saturday night it became a reality.
Tupelo ended Corpus Christi's run in the Western Professional Hockey League playoffs with a 6-3 win in Game 5 of the best-of-7 series at the BancorpSouth Center. The victory sends the T-Rex into the Eastern Division finals where they will face champion Bossier-Shreveport.
Corpus Christi took a 2-1 lead after the first period on two goals by Kurt Wickenheiser. Tupelo’s Luc Beausoleil tied the game late in the second period, and the score remained 2-2 entering the third.
Barry McKinlay’s goal at 7:47 of the third gave Tupelo the lead. Corpus Christi tied the score again at 11:19 on a goal by David Bourque.
Tupelo’s Brant Blackned scored the game-winning goal at 14:30 on a wrap-around from the right side of the net. Jason Firth and Regan Harper each added empty-net goals to end the night.
Tupelo won the opening draw and immediately unleashed its offense at the IceRays. After weathering a small barrage that produced no shots on goal, Corpus Christi took control of the puck and worked it into the T-Rex zone.
As the play moved to the other end of the ice, defenseman Shawn Frappier fell to the ice next to the IceRays’ goal after a slash by Dave Ambler. The delayed penalty gave Corpus Christi a power play 41 seconds into the game, and the IceRays were able to capitalize.
Following the face-off in the Tupelo zone, the IceRays worked the puck around looking for room to shoot. Defenseman Jamie Hearn held the puck at the blue line and found Wickenheiser open on the right side of the goal. A quick touch by Wickenheiser sent the puck into the net, which ended the power play after just 12 seconds and gave Corpus Christi a 1-0 lead.
Tupelo’s offense wouldn’t remain quiet for long. At 7:36 of the first period, Joe Van Volsen converted a pass from younger brother Mike Van Volsen to tie the score, 1-1.
What had already been a physical series became even more brutal during the first period of Saturday’s game. Heated tempers resulted in a series of penalties, most during the second half of the period.
Amidst all the penalties, Corpus Christi remained on the attack. Wickenheiser, who earlier in the period was charged with a double minor for high sticking, stole the puck in the Tupelo zone and notched his second goal of the game at 13:21 of the first period.
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© 2001,
a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.
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