Corpus Christi Online - / IceRays hang on to best Alexandria in away-game shootout, 6-5

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Monday, Dec. 14, 1998
IceRays hang on to best Alexandria in away-game shootout, 6-5
Corpus Christi rallies in third period to force tiebreaker
From staff and correspondent reports

   ALEXANDRIA - Squandering leads has become a trend for the IceRays on the road this season.
   Fortunately for Corpus Christi, no lead was safe during its Western Professional Hockey League game against the Alexandria Warthogs Sunday afternoon.
   The IceRays scored twice in the waning minutes Sunday to knot the game at 5 and then held off the Warthogs, 6-5, in a shootout in Alexandria.
   Corpus Christi atoned after blowing a 3-1 second-period advantage to extend its win streak to three games.
   The late-game heroics enabled the IceRays (17-10-1, 35 points) to expand their lead in the Central Division standings over second place Waco and Fort Worth, both of which are tied with 30 points. The Warthogs fell to 7-16-5 with 19 points in the Eastern Division.
   "Our team is amazing when we want to turn it on," IceRays coach Taylor Hall said. "It was great to see us score those goals in the last two minutes, but from a coach's standpoint, it's not the way that you want to win hockey games."
   Trailing 5-3 with a little more than two minutes to play, Corpus Christi winger Roger Lewis sneaked a slap shot past Warthogs goalie Benoit Thibert to cut the deficit to one.
   IceRays center Chris Robertson tied the game at 5 with his 16th goal of the season nearly a minute later, on a wrap-around shot.
   "It's about time I scored," Roberston said. "I've had chances, but the puck hasn't been going in lately. I was happy to win one for the guys."
   Dave Shute and Robertson were the IceRays' first two shooters in the shootout, and both scored. IceRays goalie Scott Barber allowed Kevin Plaquin's goal in the shootout but denied the final four shooters, including a diving save on Jeff Petruic's shot to end it.
   "I felt I could have played better during the game," Barber said, "but I knew we could score on them and once we did (in the shootout), I felt confident I could shut them down."
   The IceRays took a 2-1 lead with 1:39 left in the first period when Lorne Toews tipped in his 12th goal of the season.
   IceRays winger Brad Wingfield scored his second goal of the game and seventh of the season early in the second period to give Corpus Christi a brief 3-1 advantage.
   Jay Mazur and Petruic scored for Alexandria just minutes later, however, to tie the game at 3.
   Warthogs center Eric Weichselbaumer scored early in the third period to give his team the lead and Alexandria's Brent Scott scored later in the period to make it 5-3.

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