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Thursday, Nov. 5, 1998
From Russia with goals
Pavel Evstigneev and Vadim Sharapov, both form Russia, are leading the WPHL in goals and points on a line with Craig Coxe but they may not be around for long
By MARK BUTTON
Staff Writer

   For two guys who would really rather be somewhere else, Pavel Evstigneev and Vadim Sharapov are making a home for themselves in Corpus Christi.
   Both are forwards who grew up in Moscow, Russia, and came to the IceRays through Corpus Christi's affiliation agreement with the Las Vegas Thunder. The Thunder play in the International Hockey League, just a step away from the NHL. Evstigneev, Sharapov and forward Lorne Toews are all under contract with Las Vegas.
   The three forwards were sent to Corpus Christi from the IHL team after training camp, but they expect to be called up before the regular season ends in March.
   Known around the Western Professional Hockey League as "The Russian Connection," Evstigneev and Sharapov have greatly contributed to Corpus Christi's Central Division-leading 8-3 record. Twenty five-year-old Evstigneev leads the league in goals with 13. Sharapov, 20, has matched his age in points, just two behind league-leader and fellow IceRay Chris Robertson's 22 points.
   Teammates say Evstigneev possesses pure natural talent, a strong wrist shot, and the ability to place himself in the right spot at the right time for goals. Sharapov plays a grinding offensive game, not afraid to put his body or stick on opponents. IceRays coach Taylor Hall thinks both players are capable of playing hockey at a level higher than the WPHL.
   "That's why they are dominating like they are," said Hall, whose club entertains Austin today in a 7:05 p.m. game at Memorial Coliseum. "If you are playing at the top of this league, you're going to get a shot to move up."
   When will Evstigneev and Sharapov get the call?
   No one knows for sure, but here's a clue: Las Vegas general manager Bob Strumm will be in attendance for the IceRays' home game against Waco on Nov. 10.
   "You can't go at their pace and stay at this level," Toews said of his Russian teammates. "I'm sure Las Vegas is taking a good look at Sharpie and I'm sure a lot of teams are looking at Pavel."
   The two Russians play on the same line, live together, eat together, and as strangers in a strange place, Evstigneev and Sharapov are learning about South Texas together.
   Their experiences to this point, however, are quite different.

Coming to America

    The Russians are smiling.
   "We just switched to MCI," Sharapov said with a grin. "Forty-five cents a minute!"
   Most Americans wouldn't find the rate to be a steal, but when all your phone calls are to Moscow, anything less than a dollar a minute is great, Sharapov said.
   "If you don't sign up with anybody, it's like $2.15 a minute," he said.
   The younger of the two, Sharapov speaks English very well. He made his first trip to the States six years ago when he played for the Red Army, a large Russian elite program broken down into age-grouped teams. Sharapov traveled through the northern U.S. and Canada 2-3 months a year for four years before signing up with the Erie (Pa.) Otters of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 1996.
   "My first impression of America was New York," Sharapov said. "All these tall buildings. I loved it. I've seen everything from New York to San Francisco, but this is the first time I've checked out the South."
   Sharapov said while he waits for the call from Las Vegas, he is falling in love with Corpus Christi. Not a fan of winter, the 20-year-old relishes the easy access to the beach his new temporary home affords.
   "It's only 20 minutes away," he said. "And I hate snow. You have all these heavy clothes, warm clothes. It's just a waste of money."
   Evstigneev speaks less English and is in America for the first time. But he, like Sharapov, knows that to get to the NHL, one must pay some dues in the North American minor leagues.
   For Evstigneev, the transition hasn't been easy.
   "Before I left home, it was really sad," said Evstigneev, an only child. "My parents told me good luck."
   Evstigneev struggles to communicate with Americans and calls home two or three times a week.
   "He's mature, so he's handling it all pretty well," Sharapov said of Evstigneev. "I think the hardest thing for Pavel has been learning the language. He needs to speak it if he wants to go out and hook up the girls."

Explosive ingredients

   One of hockey's many traditions is naming lines, made up by the three forwards who play simultaneously. Some people are calling the IceRays second line -- Evstigneev, Sharapov and NHL veteran Craig Coxe -- the Molotov Cocktail line.
   The trio has been explosive, accounting for more points, 55, than any other line in the WPHL. The Arkansas GlacierCats' "Assembly Line" of Jarret Whidden, Ryan Pawluck and Tim Findlay have combined for 51 points.
   "It's a blessing for them to play with Coxe," Robertson said. "He can teach them a lot. Not just on the ice, either. He can really help them with preparation and the mentality of the game."
   A 15-year veteran, Coxe played in the NHL for six years as an enforcer. Born in Chula Vista, Calif., Coxe is about as American as one can get. He's Johnny Lunchpail: A hard-working, blue-collar type.
   "We get along great," Coxe said. "The main difference is they don't speak English as well as I do. I don't care where they come from, we have a great chemistry going. I've played with and against Europeans a lot so I know how they play. It's been a great line."
   The 34-year-old Coxe leads the league with 15 assists.
   "When I was their age, I was nowhere near their skill level, and I was playing in the NHL," Coxe said. "I was playing a different role, though. I think I can teach them about patience, and give them some wisdom on the part of the game that's played in the mind."

Thunder on the horizon

   Prior to Wednesday's game against Michigan, the Las Vegas Thunder were 2-6-1 on the year. The record is the worst in the IHL, already six games and 11 points behind Southwest Division leader Long Beach.
   It is unfamiliar territory for Las Vegas.
   During the last five years, the Thunder have won 229 regular-season games. That's six more than the two-time defending NHL champion Detroit Red Wings during the same span. This season has been the Thunder's slowest start in the team's six-year history.
   For Evstigneev, Sharapov and possibly Toews, that means the call could come sooner than expected. For the IceRays, that could mean trouble.
   "I definitely want to get down there and get a look at them," Strumm said of Evstigneev and Sharapov from a hotel in Detroit. "Our club has struggled. So if we make a couple of adjustments, they're going to be the two guys who are going get the first opportunity."
   Las Vegas currently has eight NHL players on its roster, including Pittsburgh's Petr Nedved, the second overall selection in the 1990 NHL draft.
   "I was hoping to make the (Las Vegas) team." Sharapov said, "But what can you do? You're not going to send Nedved down here. So they sent me here and told me to try my best here, and we'll see when we can pull you up."
   One might think all this talk about the Russians leaving would make Hall nervous, but it does not.
   "I really want guys to move up," Hall said. "That's the essence of this league; we're a developmental league. Pavel and Vadim deserve a chance."
   So far, only one player has gone from the WPHL to the NHL. Dave Morrisette, a left winger, played five games for Austin in 1996. Last year, Morrisette played five games for the Montreal Canadiens.
   Both Russians believe they have a legitimate shot at the NHL, but they also have been listening Coxe's teachings on patience.
   "This is just the start," Evstigneev said.
   IceCubes

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