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Friday, Dec. 18, 1998
Three's a crowd in IceRays' nets
Veteran Matt DelGuidice gives Corpus Christi a third experienced goaltender
By MARK BUTTON
Staff Writer

   Matt DelGuidice doesn't consider himself a hired gun.
   Facts, however, are facts.
   Fact one: The Corpus Christi IceRays No. 1 goalie, 17-year veteran Frank Caprice, hasn't been activated for more than month because of a second-degree sprain in his right knee. Caprice will remain on the team's injured reserve list until Dec. 26 and even then it is unclear when the former Vancouver Canuck will be ready to start in goal again.
   Fact two: At this point in his three-year career, Scott Barber, the team's No. 2 goalie who has performed admirably in Caprice's absence, is most comfortable in a back-up role. Barber took off his skates last season in order to finish school and earn a degree in marketing from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., and this season, Barber was looking for a goaltending job in which he could play behind a veteran and "get his groove back."
   Fact three: IceRays coach Taylor Hall knows about facts one and two, and he said on more than one occasion that he was looking for a veteran goalie to come in and help the team.
    "I'm just not sure that we've been as solid between the pipes as we could be," said Hall, whose club is 17-10-1. "We have had too many games where we have out shot teams by wide margins only to win by a goal or two.
   "We've been getting the job done, but I wanted to see if we could be even better."
   Enter DelGuidice (pronounced del-JU-diss).
   The eight-year veteran doesn't see himself as a gun for hire because he wants to play his way into Corpus Christi's No. 1 goalie job. A hired gun is a temporary job, he said. DelGuidice is looking for something more permanent.
   If Caprice's injury keeps him sidelined for the season or prevents him from making a comeback at 100 percent, the job could be DelGuidice's to lose. If Caprice gets healthy, there will be a showdown for the starting goalie job.
   Still, there's no bad blood between the men behind the masks.
   "He's been playing a long time and so have I," DelGuidice said. "We're both professionals, and we talked about this (Wednesday). We both know whoever is playing well is the one who will be in there."
   Whether Caprice makes his comeback and DelGuidice moves on or the opposite happens, one thing is clear: the man they call "The Juice" has plenty of firepower between the pipes.
   Last week, Hall acquired DelGuidice from the Monroe Moccasins where DelGuidice had compiled a 5-3 record. Monroe had two No. 1. goalies in DelGuidice and Andre Racicot, who won a Stanley Cup backing up Patrick Roy for the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Moccasins coach Rob Bremner knew he had to let one of his two high-priced netminders go - but not to just anyone.
   "To be honest, Taylor didn't call me. I called him," Bremner said. "I could go with either (DelGuidice or Racicot) on any given night, they're both that good. But Matt deserves to be a No. 1 goalie somewhere in this league and I preferred that he went to a team outside of our division. We only have to play Corpus three times."
   DelGuidice also has He has NHL experience - he posted a 2-5 record in 10 games with the Boston Bruins in 1991-92.
   "He's good veteran goaltender," Hall said. "When you need a big save, he makes it. He's been around long time and he's very calm and relaxed out there, the kind of guy you like to have heading into the playoffs."
   Hall said DelGuidice will start in goal both tonight at Fort Worth (7:35 p.m. start) and Saturday when the Western Professional Hockey League Central Division-leading IceRays host Tupleo in a 7:05 p.m. game.
   "If Matt performs well, he has a chance to be the No. 1 goalie," Hall said.
   Caprice and Barber have both been professional about the deal. Barber cited his desire to knock the rust off his game in a No. 2 role from the start and Caprice has been around long enough to know that the sport is a business and things like this happen.
   In 14 games this year, Barber is 7-6 with a 3.47 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. Caprice has played 12 games and sports 8-3-1 record with a 3.27 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage.
   "If Matt comes in, plays well and takes my job, well, that's okay," the 36-year-old Caprice said. "I just want to get healthy. I only have about one more year to play hockey and I want to play. The last thing I want to do is leave Corpus Christi, but I don't want to sit out either."
   Hall, who played with Caprice in the NHL in the mid-1980s, said he wanted Caprice back and healthy. But a coach has to win hockey games and when your best goalie is injured, something has to give, Hall said.
   "I want to count on Frankie coming back," Hall said. "But you can't count on anything until everybody's healthy."
   All of this makes rookie goalie Jason Genik the odd-man out. Genik, who recorded a shutout in his second professional start, has a 2-1 record. Once one of Corpus Christi's four injured players comes off the injured reserve list, chances are Genik will be released.

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