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Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998
IceRays race to early 4-0 lead, down Wizards, 6-3
By MARK BUTTON
Staff Writer

   No head coach, no star player and no intensity through two periods gave the Waco Wizards little chance of scoring their fourth victory against the Corpus Christi IceRays Friday night at Memorial Coliseum.
   Playing without the services of their inspirational leader -- head coach Todd Lalonde -- and leading scorer Tony Cimellaro, Waco went from hapless to helpless as Corpus Christi blitzed the Wizards early and held on to record a 6-3 victory.
   With the win, the IceRays (16-10-1, 33 points) remained in sole possession of the Western Professional Hockey League Central Division. Waco remained in second place with a 14-9-2 record.
   Corpus Christi did all its damage in the first two periods, staking a 6-1 lead behind a lopsided shots-on-goal count of 40-18.
   "Everyone was pumped tonight because of the first-place situation," Corpus Christi's Lorne Toews said. "We came out harder than usual in the first and I think we caught them off guard.
   "Once you have a start like that, you know you're friggin' golden for the night."
   Appearing uninterested in the contest through 40 minutes, Waco woke up in the third. The Wizards put two pucks past IceRays goalie Scott Barber in the third and Waco outshot Corpus Christi in the final period, 16-11.
   But it wasn't enough as Corpus Christi wasn' ready to let loose its stronghold of the Central Division.
   Corpus Christi still trails Waco in the head-to-head series, 3-2, but the IceRays, winners of back-to-back games, improved to 10-4-1 against divisional rivals.
   The IceRays have been alone atop the WPHL Central Division for 53 straight days (since Oct. 20) and they have had at least a share of the top spot in the Central since Oct. 15.
   "Since the start of the season, our goal was to stay in first place all year because the first-place team gets a first-round bye in the playoffs," IceRay Geoff Bumstead said.
   Lalonde missed his fourth consecutive game behind the Waco bench as he was recovering from a serious groin injury suffered during a Nov. 22 game against Lake Charles. The coach incurred internal bleeding when a errant slap shot struck the coach in the groin. Player/coach Cimellaro (12 goals, 19 assists) has taken off his skates and taken over for Lalonde during his absence.
   "After Todd got hurt, we played the first game without a coach," Cimellaro said. "The league didn't like that and we felt it would be better if we had someone behind the bench."
   The first two periods saw the melancholic Wizards avoid checks and turn away from potential fisticuffs as they looked uninterested in taking the divisional lead. Corpus Christi forged a 4-0 lead after one period and a 6-1 advantage after 40 minutes of play.
   "Todd's a great motivational speaker. We miss him but it's not an excuse," Waco's Neal Martin said. "We've showed that we can win without him him, but it'll be nice when we get him back, though."
   Third-period goals by Waco forwards Chad Michalchuk and Eric Preston spoiled the Corpus Christi blowout. Barber, playing his seventh straight game in net for the IceRays, improved his record to 6-6.
   After rallying for three third-period goals to defeat Central Texas Thursday, Corpus Christi continued its torrid offensive play in the first period against Waco. The Wizards looked to be intimidated as the Corpus Christi forwards Dave Shute, Mike Dick and Tyler Boucher all found the back of the net in the first, as did rookie defenseman Bob Quinnell.
   Shute's goal was his 11th, Dick got his second since joining the team on Nov. 20 and Boucher lit the lamp for the third time. Quinnell's goal, a power-play goal, was his fifth.
   The IceRays outshot the Wizards in the first period, 21-8.
   Vadim Sharapov and Toews added Corpus Christi goals in the second period. Sharapov, Toews, Shute and Dick each recorded a goal and an assist in the game.
   IceCubes
   RECORD BREAKING: Friday's game was the 14th paid sellout for the IceRays in as many games this year. The 14 sellouts guarantee at least a tie for the WPHL record for sellouts in a season, though it is not clear what the mark for the old record is. Early in October, league officials led the Corpus Christi staff to believe the record was indeed 14 games, set by Austin last season.
   According to league media relations director Steve Cherwonak, however, the IceRays actually broke the record on Nov. 14 against Waco with the IceRays' 11th sellout.
   "From what I have, the old record for most sellouts in a season was 10, set by Odessa last season," Cherwonak said Thursday.
   Either way, Corpus Christi has sold out every home game this season, and with the WPHL's smallest arena, the IceRays will establish the new record at season's end.
   Staff Writer Mark Button can be reached at 886-3613, through e-mail at buttonm@scripps.com or on the internet at www. caller.com.

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