Friday, Nov. 13, 1998
IceRays skate past Central Texas in shootout, 5-4
Corpus Christi goalie Caprice comes through with clutch stops
By MARK BUTTON
Caller-Times
It wasn't the easiest way to break a three-game losing streak, but the IceRays will certainly take it.
Corpus Christi battled back from a two-goal, third-period deficit - all after two of the team's top defensemen had been ejected - to net a 5-4 overtime shootout victory over Central Texas in a Western Professional Hockey League game Thursday at Memorial Coliseum.
Corpus Christi entered the game short on blue-liners, as team captain Jody Praznik and Shaun Peet were sidelined with injuries along with forward Tyler Boucher.
A messy first-period melee led to early exits for Corpus Christi defensemen Phil Valk and Don Martin, and forced IceRays coach Taylor Hall to platoon forwards Mike Tomlinson and Lorne Toews into defensive shifts for much of the night.
Late goals by Corpus Christi's Dave Shute and Bob Quinell forced the shootout, where IceRays goalie Frank Caprice stopped four shots - two of which were kick-saves - to seal the team's 10th victory in 16 games. Corpus Christi is 10-5-1 and leads the WPHL Central Divison. Central Texas, losers of seven straight, fell to 4-7-2.
Corpus Christi's Chris Robertson and Geoff Bumstead scored overtime goals. Bumstead got the game-winner.
"After our defensemen were thrown out with the first-period fighting, Taylor asked me to play defense, so I did," said Tomlinson, who assisted on two goals. "I'll do anything to help the team win."
Quinell's 50-foot slap shot that found its way past Central Texas goalie Nando Wieser with just 1 minute, 32 seconds to play in regulation put the IceRays in a position to win.
"I took so many shots, one was bound to get through there sooner or later," said Quinell, who is now the league's top-scoring defenseman. "On the one that did get through, I used a defenseman as a screen. I don't think the goalie ever saw it."
Maybe not, but Central Texas coach Glen Williamson had seen enough. The coach pulled Wieser after regulation and inserted back-up goalie Jason Carey.
"That was an unorthodox move," said Quinell, who has four goals and nine assists.
With 14:08 to play and Corpus Christi trailing by two goals, Shute lit the lamp on a secondary breakaway to bring the IceRays within a goal of Central Texas at 4-3. After taking a feed from Tomlinson, Shute sped up the right-wing boards, away from a Stampede defender and gave Wieser two dekes before firing a wrister into the upper-right corner of the net.
After 68 penalty minutes, four ejections and only one goal in the first period, the second period featured an end to the fighting which gave way to a scoring onslaught.
The Stampede exploded for four second-period goals and took a 4-2 lead into the second intermission. Midway through the second, Central Texas forwards Josh Boni and Gerald Tallaire scored within a minute of each other to give the Stampede a 2-1 lead.
The IceRays answered 17 seconds later with a Robertson goal to tie the game, 2-2, before Central Texas' Gary Coupal and Jamie Pegg each put a puck past Caprice, digging the two-goal hole for Corpus Christi.
"After the first period, we got into more of a flow," said Robertson, who improved his league-leading points total to 26. "Mike Tomlinson was doing a great job back on defense, and we all knew we had to help out. That really put us in the right mind set to go out and win the game."
The IceRays scored the only first-period goal with 2:48 to play before the intermission. Brad Wingfield controlled a pass into the slot from Bumstead and slid a backhanded shot past Wieser. Robertson also assisted on the goal. The score marked the 13th time in 16 games that the IceRays jumped to a 1-0 lead.
Wingfield's goal capped the hard-hitting, turbulent first period. Valk and Martin were early exits from the contest, as each received game misconducts a little more than five minutes into the first period.
The incident began after a Central Texas player took a late whack at Shute, who retaliated with a high-stick. A melee ensued, and when it was all sorted out, Valk and Martin were ejected, as was Central Texas defenseman Keith Bland.
