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Tuesday, March 6, 2001
Hall makes mark
IceRays coach sets league record for wins
By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times

Hall

Taylor Hall is not one to dwell on the past, especially with his Corpus Christi IceRays battling for a spot in the Western Professional Hockey League playoffs.
   Although Saturday's win over Monroe gave the IceRays a four-point cushion over the Moccasins for the fourth and final playoff position in the Eastern Division, the victory is now a moot point for Hall.
   To Hall - who became the winningest coach in WPHL history in the 4-3 shootout win over Monroe - the significance of that victory is meaningless at this point in the season.
   "When you look back at what you have done and also at what you have to do, I think you lose a step," Hall said. "I try to approach each new day with a new task in mind and to try to do the best job I can to help our hockey club win.
   "The last two years, we've had good teams but weren't good in the playoffs. This year we can go somewhere. That's the focus now."
   Of immediate focus is the third-place Austin Ice Pirates, who play the IceRays at Memorial Coliseum on Thursday.
   In just his fourth year as a head coach in the WPHL, Hall has compiled a record of 152-94-20. Hall's 152nd win in 266 games surpassed the previous record held by Todd Brost.
   Brost, the former El Paso coach, earned his 151st win in 271 games with the Buzzards. Brost spent five seasons with El Paso before leaving last year to coach the Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals of the United Hockey League.
   Hall, 37, who began his coaching stint in the WPHL with New Mexico, went 42-20-2 with the Scorpions during the league's first season.
   After spending more than a year in Corpus Christi promoting the arrival of ice hockey, Hall led the IceRays to a 41-26-3 record and playoff appearance. Last season, Corpus Christi won 36 games to give Hall 119 victories after just three years as a coach.
   The native of Regina, Saskatchewan said he knew he likely would set the record this season, and did so with the IceRays' 33rd win. Hall said support from both the IceRays organization and the community has led to much of the team's success.
   "It's a thrill coming to work every day," said Hall, who scored seven goals in 34 games with the Vancouver Canucks from 1983-87. "It's easy to win games with a lot of support for what I've been trying to do here as coach. We have a great ownership group, and if things go bad, they're there to back you up."
   With an average crowd of more than 3,500 per home game, Hall said the fans also deserve some credit.
   "It's great interacting with people that have grown to love hockey," Hall said. "I've been to a lot of places, and these are the best fans I've ever seen. It pushes me and our team to be successful."
   Success for the IceRays could mean the difference between a third consecutive playoff appearance, or an early vacation.
   While Tupelo, Bossier-Shreveport and Austin battle for the top three spots in the Eastern Division, Hall is still concerned with wins only if they help the IceRays into the postseason.
   "It was nice, but it's certainly not going to help us make the playoffs," Hall said. "At the end of the day, it's all about the team. I've been fortunate enough to coach some great teams, but what they did in the past doesn't matter now. Setting the record is pretty neat, but we've got more important things to do."


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

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