Corpus Christi Online - / Group still trying to raise money to buy IceRays

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Friday, May. 7, 1999
Group still trying to raise money to buy IceRays
WPHL must approve any franchise transfer, officials say
By MARK BUTTON
Staff Writer

   Even if IceRays director of sales and marketing Bill Davidson and his local group raise enough money to buy the Western Professional Hockey League franchise from owner Rick Brezer, the transaction is not a slam dunk.
   "We're aware that there is a push being made . . . led by Bill Davidson," said Steve Cherwonak, WPHL director of scheduling and media services. "If it happens, they would have to present an agreement to us for our approval."
   Cherwonak said it is standard practice to do background and financial checks on all potential franchisees. If approved, the new group also would incur a franchise transfer fee.
   Davidson has until May 15 to broker the deal. If the sale does not go through, Brezer will take the team off the market and it will remain in Corpus Christi.
   "Nothing has been asked of us right now," Cherwonak said.
   Davidson, who has taken a leave of absence from his daily duties as director of sales and marketing, had no comment on the status of the sale.
   Meanwhile, IceRays general manager Stu Kehoe is operating in a "business as usual" manner in the face of the May 15 deadline.
   "If the sale goes through, I do not expect to be here," Kehoe said. "But until someone tells me different, my job is to run the business end of this franchise."
   Kehoe's top priority is cutting costs, he said.
   "This team spent about $500,000 more than any other team in the league last year in operating costs," Kehoe said. "Some of the teams were around $1.5 million. Others were around $1.75 million. I think the highest was around $1.8 million.
   "We were over $2 million."
   Hired on April 7, and having spent last week in GM training classes in Phoenix, Ariz., Kehoe said it is too early to say where the cuts will be made.
   "We're still collecting data and gathering input," he said.
   IceCubes
   TRADE TALK: IceRays coach Taylor Hall said he is close to finalizing a trade with New Mexico Scorpions coach Tony Martino for IceRays forward Tyler Boucher.
   One Scorpions player involved in the proposed deal is Greg MacEachern, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound defenseman who was paired alongside IceRays' captain Jody Praznik for three of the last four hockey seasons.
   "He's steady and he doesn't get into too much trouble," Praznik said of MacEachern.
   Praznik and MacEachern were defensive partners in New Mexico for the 1996-97 season; they also played together in Reno, Nev., in 1995-96 and in Tulsa for the 1994-95 campaign.
   LITTLE PRAZNIK WANTED: Hall wants to sign Tobin Praznik, younger brother of Jody Praznik.
   Tobin Praznik, a right wing, was the leading scorer for Lake Superior State last season. Hall is serious about acquiring the younger Praznik, saying he would consider putting Tobin Praznik on a line with the likes of Chris Robertson and Geoff Bumstead next year.
   "We want Tobin," Hall said. "The kid is a stud, and I've never gone wrong with a Praznik yet."
   Robertson and Bumstead remained unsigned by the IceRays for next season but Hall is hopeful the two forwards will sign contracts some time after May 15.
   "If he plays on this level," Jody Praznik said of his younger brother, "I couldn't see him playing anywhere else but here."
   Staff Writer Mark Button can be reached at 886-3613, through e-mail at buttonm@scripps.com or on the internet at www. caller.com.

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