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Saturday, Feb. 6, 1999
IceRays silence the Rattlers
C.C. breaks out of scoring slump, stays atop Central
By MARK BUTTON
Staff Writer

   Never underestimate the importance of a little quality rest.
   Playing its first game in five days after lacing up for six in a single week, Corpus Christi crushed Amarillo, 8-0, in a Western Professional Hockey League game Friday night at Memorial Coliseum.
Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times
Corpus Christi IceRays Chris Robertson goes in for a shot on goal against Amarillo goalie Adam Lord in the first half of Friday night's game.

   Winners of four of its last five contests, Corpus Christi improved to 25-18-5. The IceRays will stay in first place in the WPHL Central Division with their 55 points as they host Fort Worth today in a 7:05 p.m. contest. Amarillo has lost three straight and fell to 23-21-3.
   "Especially after that long road trip, rest was something we needed," said IceRays center Chris Robertson, who passed out three assists. "We were definitely ready to go tonight."
   For the IceRays, scoring goals had been a bit of a puzzle of late, as they averaged a 2.1 goals a game in their previous seven while firing 72 more shots than did their opponents.
   For a night at least, Corpus Christi found the solution and players said the key was not changing a thing.
   "Things just started bouncing our way," said defenseman Phil Valk, who recorded four assists. "It was the same old story. We outworked an opponent, outshot them and outplayed them. The only difference was that we started getting the bounces. Once one went in, we got another and another."
   And another and so on until the game mercifully ended for Amarillo.
   IceRays forwards Lorne Toews and Vadim Sharapov each scored twice, raising their season totals to 26 and 17, respectively. Brad Wingfield recorded a goal and an assist. Tyler Boucher scored two and assisted on Wingfield's goal.
   Even defensive specialist Shaun Peet got in on the offensive onslaught, recording his sixth assist of the year for his parents, who were in attendance for the first time at the Igloo.
   The IceRays' victory was their first against a WPHL Western Division foe since Nov. 20, 1998, a stretch of nine games.
   Jason Genik, the IceRays' hot shot rookie goalie, stopped 22 shots en route to his second shutout victory and improved to 6-1-1. Amarillo has gone 120 minutes without a goal.
   A scoreless game through 30 minutes, Corpus Christi finally solved Rattlers goalie Adam Lord and broke the game open with three second-period goals.
   Toews gave the IceRays a 1-0 lead when he put the blade of his stick on a flip pass from Robertson, sending the puck up and over Lord's left shoulder and just under the crossbar for the goal, 10 minutes, 34 seconds into the second period.
   The lead increased to 3-0 late in the period, as Wingfield and Sharapov scored goals within one minute of each other. Wingfield redirected a Valk slap shot for his ninth at the 18:27 mark, and Sharapov found the back of the net 59 seconds later.
   Boucher, Toews, Sharapov, Dave Shute and Mike Tomlinson all scored in the third period.

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