Corpus Christi Online - / 'Rays lose on the road again, 4-3

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Monday, Jan. 4, 1999
'Rays lose on the road again, 4-3
Ice Bats hold off Corpus Christi in shootout
From staff and correspondent reports

   AUSTIN - Seemingly left for dead Sunday afternoon, the IceRays nearly experienced a road revival in Austin.
   Corpus Christi overcame a one-goal third period deficit Sunday afternoon, but eventually fell to the Austin Ice Bats in a shootout, 4-3 during Western Professional Hockey League action.
   Corpus Christi has just one victory in its last 10 road games and has prevailed once in its last six outings. The Ice Bats (14-18-5, 33 points) snapped a four-game winless streak with the victory.
   The IceRays (19-13-4, 42 points) earned a point with the shootout loss and held a one-point edge against second-place Fort Worth in the Central Division standings pending Sunday night's game for the Brahmas (19-15-3, 41 points) in El Paso.
   IceRays center Mike Tomlinson's scored his seventh goal of the season nearly midway into the third period and tied the game at 3. Tomlinson - who scored goals in two consecutive games - received a pass from teammate Chris Robertson, who was able to make the play after retrieving a deflected shot.
   The IceRays were stonewalled, however, by Ice Bats goalie David Lemanowicz in the shootout. Lemanowicz denied all four IceRays shooters in the shootout and finished with 34 saves.
   Austin's Jeff Greenlaw and Mark Zacharias flipped shots above IceRays goalie Scott Barber during the shootout to hand the IceRays their second shootout loss in the last four games.
   The IceRays opened the scoring 7:55 into the first period, when Robertson netted his 20th goal of the season on a power play.
   Austin tied the score a little more than four minutes later, when Ice Bats winger Mike Jackson stuffed home a rebound past Barber, who finished with 26 saves.
   Austin received goals from Kelly Smart and David Moore (on a power play) in a 2-minute, seven-second span of the second period to forge ahead 3-1.
   The IceRays responded 15 seconds later, however, as defenseman Bob Quinnell took in a nice pass from winger Dave Shute and beat Lemanowicz for his seventh goal of the season. Quinnell's goal pulled the IceRays within 3-2, before Tomlinson's third-period heroics forced the shootout.

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