Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com

Marketplace \| Services \| Contact Us \| Community \| Arts & Entertainment \| Local Guides

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Sunday, April 15, 2001
A cool change
After an up-and-down year, the IceRays look forward to an infusion of youth
By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times

Thomas Wells
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

Eddy Skazyk and the IceRays are looking to put this season behind them and look ahead to next year, already starting to get rosters ready.

Taylor Hall has lived in Corpus Christi for the last four years, and after each season, the IceRays head coach is always left wondering if the novelty of ice hockey will ever wear off.
   It hasn't melted away just yet.
   Last week, the IceRays completed their third season in the Western Professional Hockey League, ending it with its third straight playoff appearance.
   "This is just a great place to be. The people make it that way," Hall said. "With all the support we get, we're pretty fortunate. It pushes us that much harder to drive to get a winning team."
   This season, the IceRays' drive was full of twists and turns, including a long climb to the postseason.
   "We went through a lot as a team, a bunch of ups and downs," defenseman Shawn Frappier said. "I think we had the personnel to go all the way. We just caught a team that was better than us. We fought through a lot of adversity. That was pretty much how the whole season went, but I think we fared out OK."
   Corpus Christi ended its season April 7 with a 6-3 loss to Tupelo in Game 5 of a best-of-seven playoff series. It was Corpus Christi's earliest exit since being eliminated in the first round in its inaugural season.
   Though the season just ended, Hall has already begun the task of piecing together next year's roster.
   While the IceRays will likely include several veterans to provide experience, Hall also will be looking to benefit from a strong crop of younger players.
   "The way all the leagues are changing, I think you're going to see a few more young guys," Hall said. "Some vets will be back, but we'll be looking to the younger players just as much to help build upon our successes."
   Of the 20 players listed on Corpus Christi's playoff roster, 10 were newcomers to the IceRays.
   Three of the 10 - defenseman Byron Pool, forward Jeff Paluseo and goaltender Brad Erbsland - were rookies. The remaining seven had at least two years of experience before signing with Corpus Christi.
   "They've all had at least a year under their belt with us. Some have been playing the game a little longer than others, but I think all players get that much better every year," said Hall, who wouldn't speculate on who might be returning next season. "There's also some good kids in juniors and in college that are coming up, so it's important to concentrate on them early on."
   For Frappier, it was his first season with the IceRays and fifth overall. Whether the team is comprised of veterans or rookies, he said the key is having a good corps of players with which to work with.
   "To have a good team, you need a good nucleus. Just like a bomb, if you have a good nucleus you can build around it," Frappier said.
   The IceRays captured the WPHL Central Division title last year, but struggled to claim the fourth and final playoff spot as members of the Eastern Division this season. Corpus Christi opened the year with three straight wins, but then lost nine of its next 11 games.
   The hot-and-cold trend kept the IceRays hovering at the .500 mark until a mid-season resurgence helped the team secure a spot in the playoffs. Corpus Christi finished the regular season 38-28-4, two wins more than last season, a finish Hall said could have been better.
   "There weren't necessarily more ups than downs or the other way around. The thing was that when we were down, we were pretty down," Hall said. "Once we got going after Christmas, we were pretty good. In the second half of the season, we were one of best teams in the league. It would've been nice to stretch that out the whole season."
   Corpus Christi went 18-17-2 through the first three months of the season. The IceRays were shut out five times and labored to remain at .500.
   Frappier said doubt was a huge component in the team's struggles early in the season.
   "There was a lot of doubt in some minds as to how well the team could do," Frappier said. "Once you start doubting yourself and the people you're with, that's when the trouble starts. You can have a bunch of muckers with not even one in the top 10 in scoring, but if they believe, that's all it takes."
   The IceRays held a players-only meeting in December to discuss the team's ailments and to talk about solutions.
   "Once we laid all our problems out and started playing for ourselves, that's when we started playing our best," Frappier said. "We play because it's fun, but at some point during the season, we lost track of that. We were too hard on ourselves and too worried about things we can't control. But we can control the way we play, and when we got to that point it turned the season around."
   The IceRays compiled a 20-11-2 mark in the second half of the season and avoided being shut out. During that time, Corpus Christi had its longest winning streak of the year (five games), and moved to 10 games above .500.
   Things then began to wilt toward the end.
   Corpus Christi hit a skid the last week of the season, going 1-2-1 over its last four games. But with the help of two season-ending losses by Monroe, the IceRays were able to sneak past the Moccasins and into the playoffs.
   Though Hall was glad to be in the playoffs, he was not pleased about having to rely on another team losing.
   "I was disappointed with the way we finished," Hall said. "We didn't respond the way I thought we were going to. But considering how tough it was during the season, I was happy just to make the playoffs."
   Kurt Wickenheiser said having to fight for the division's final playoff spot was a departure from the IceRays' performance last season.
   "This year we persevered very well," Wickenheiser said. "We weren't even looking at playoffs early in the year. Last season we were always in the hunt. This year we were a ways away and had to battle back."
   Scheduling conflicts with Tupelo's arena moved the first three games of the series to Corpus Christi. The IceRays bullied their way to a 7-3 win in Game 1, but lost the next three, including the last two in Tupelo.
   Hall said a low level of commitment proved to be too much to overcome.
   "We certainly had our chances," Hall said. "We had a great opportunity with three of the first playoff games at home, but we let it slip through our fingers. All we can do now is look ahead to the future. There's nothing we can do about the past."

Contact Javier Becerra at 886-3734 or becerraj@caller.com

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]

SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND

[an error occurred while processing this directive]