Corpus Christi Online - / Not-so-special teams fail IceRays in 4-2 loss to Waco

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Sunday, Nov. 29, 1998
Not-so-special teams fail IceRays in 4-2 loss to Waco
From staff reports

   WACO - It was not a special night for the Corpus Christi IceRays.
   On a day after a frustrating loss in Shreveport Friday night, the IceRays found a way to lose their third straight game Saturday night.
   The Waco Wizards spotted the IceRays a 2-0 lead in the first period - the first time in four games the Ice Rays have led in the 20 minutes - and then scored three special teams goals to beat Corpus Christi, 4-2, at the Heart O' Texas Coliseum.
   The loss dropped the IceRays to 13-8-1, but they still lead the Central Division of the Western Professional Hockey league with 27 points. Waco improved to 12-4-2 and moved within a point of the IceRays in second place. Corpus Christi plays at New Mexico Tuesday before returning home Friday to play Fort Worth at Memorial Coliseum.
   The best news out of the game was that an injury to right wing Roger Lewis was not as serious as it appeared. Lewis was taken off the ice on a stretcher in the first period after he was run into the boards on a hit from behind. He was taken to a local hospital for observation where it was determind he had suffered no serious injuries.
   Corpus Christi took a 2-0 lead in the first on goals by Mike Tomlinson, off and assist from Craig Coxe and Pavel Evstigneev.
   Following the early lead, the IceRays again were victimized by their special teams play. Eric Preston grabbed a loose puck in the IceRays end and fired it past goalie Scott Barber at 17 minutes, 50 seconds, while Corpus Christi was on a power play. The goal was the fourth short-handed goal of the season for the Wizards, their second against the IceRays.
   That play ruined what had been a dominating period of play by Corpus Christi and it may have set the tone for the rest of the game for Waco. The Wizards drew even at 2:17 of the second period when Bill Wright turned on the light on a power-play goal with assists from Per Sveder and Neal Martin.
   With 12 minutes left in the period, Lorne Toews had a goal disallowed for Corpus Christi on a scramble in front of the puck when the referee blew the whistle after he lost sight of the puck in the pile of humanity in front of the goal.
   Martin put the Wizards ahead on another power play goal at 18:21 of the second period on assists from Randy Holmes and Dave MacIntyre and it stayed that way until the final minute of play in the game when the IceRays gift-wrapped a goal for Waco. Barber had started toward the Corpus Christi bench, apparently unaware that play hadn't been stopped and Wright flipped the puck in the net on an assist from Chad Michalchuk.
   The goal was charged to Barber since he was on the ice at the time.

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