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Friday, Jan. 15, 1999
The Old Gang's back for IceRays' second half run
By MARK BUTTON
Staff Writer

   The Corpus Christi IceRays will begin the second half of their season the same way they started the first: healthy.
   With forward Craig Coxe and goalie Frank Caprice off the injured reserve list and back in uniform, the team has not been as healhty as it is today since the first week of the 1998-99 Western Professional Hockey League season.
   "Being able to put the lineup on the ice that I want to instead of mixing and matching is going to be really nice," Corpus Christi coach Taylor Hall said. "I'm not looking for any miracles in the first week, though; it's going to take a little while for some of the guys to dust off the cobwebs."
   Players who missed significant time with injuries in the first half include Coxe, Caprice, Jody Praznik, Tyler Boucher, Shaun Peet, Don Martin and Pavel Evstigneev.
   The IceRays contest Abilene today in a 7:05 p.m. game at Memorial Coliseum. Corpus Christi has not played since Jan. 7 when it dismantled Lake Charles, 11-1. The Aviators arrive with a 26-11-1 record, tops in the WPHL.
   Coxe missed 16 games with a broken left thumb and the IceRays won just seven of those without the 15-year veteran. Coxe will return as the centerpiece in the "Molotov Cocktail" line with Russians Vadim Sharapov and Pavel Evstigneev.
   "You can't replace a guy like Coxe, he's a natural-born leader. You just have to wait for his return," Hall said. "I don't think Vadim or Pavel have been recording as many points without Coxe."
   One player the team will have to play without for the rest of the season is Martin, a veteran defenseman. A 10-year professional, Martin will undergo season-ending surgery on his ankles.
   Caprice's return sent recently acquired goalie Matt DelGuidice out the door. Caprice, who played with Hall for the Vancouver Cancucks from 1983-86, suffered a second-degree sprain on Nov. 12.
   On Wednesday, Caprice said he felt good and is ready to start if called upon to do so.
   Though the second half of the season brings somewhat of a new start, the goal for the team has not changed since October.
   "We want to make the playoffs and continue to get better," Hall said. "We want to become more consistent and stay ahead of the pack. To do that, we have make sure we win more regularly."
   Especially on the road.
   After winning its first four games away from the rowdy confines of the coliseum, Corpus Christi posted a 3-9-3 road record in the first half of the year.
   "That's indicative of a team that is not dominating," Hall said. "It would be nice to put together a winning streak on the road."
   After home games today, Saturday and next Thursday, the IceRays embark on a four-game road trip. Despite the road woes, the IceRays held or shared the top spot in the WPHL Central Division for most of the first half of the season.
   IceCubes

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