CALLER-TIMES INTERACTIVE: NEWS

Monday, Oct. 26, 1998

IceRays hold off Warthog rally for 8-6 win

Alexandria scores three goals in third-period comeback

From staff and correspondent reports

   ALEXANDRIA, La. - Corpus Christi gave up three third-period goals to Alexandria, but the IceRays escaped with an 8-6 win over the Warthogs at Rapides Parish Coliseum Sunday.
   The victory was the IceRays' second in two road games this season. Corpus Christi is now 5-2 on the year. IceRay forwards Pavel Evstigneev and Chris Robertson each scored two goals.
   Evstigneev has nine goals for the year and Robertson has 15 points for the season. Both marks are Western Professional Hockey League bests.
   Fellow forward Craig Coxe had two assists, as did Don Martin. Phil Valk and Mike Tomlinson each scored their first goals of the season.
   Corpus Christi led, 7-2, with 11 minutes to play in the second period after IceRay David Shute's fifth goal of the year.
   Poor puck protection in the Corpus Christi defensive zone, however, allowed Alexandria to score four of the game's final five goals.
   Corpus Christi coach Taylor Hall said his team worried too much about offense and not enough about defense.
   "Tonight we could have won that game 5-1 easily," Hall said. "Instead, we chose to go 8-6. We've got quite a pattern going. We have a good group that doesn't quit and has a ton of offensive talent. But we continually make it difficult for ourselves."
   Chris Peach had two goals for Alexandria (1-4); Chris Slater and Brian Scott each had two assists for the Warthogs. Four of the six Alexandria goals were scored on Warthog power plays.
   While giving up six goals for the fourth straight contest, Corpus Christi has scored 29 goals during the stretch with an average of 7.2 goals per game.
   "Any time you score eight goals, you're going to be happy about that," Coxe said. "But any time you have six scored on you, you're going to be unhappy. We didn't play well defensively in the last four games. Fortunately tonight, we got ahead early."
   Both teams utilized their benches, as both backup goalies saw action. Alexandria's Greg Malicke relieved starter Brian Renfrew at the start of the second period. Scott Barber replaced Frank Caprice after two periods. Barber, who started for the first time Saturday in a 6-4 loss to Lake Charles, stopped 12 of 15 shots in the third.
   In their two meetings this season, Corpus Christi has outscored Alexandria, 16-8, having also defeated the Warthogs, 8-2, on Oct. 15. A non-division opponent, the Warthogs will face the IceRays just one more time this season, a Dec. 13 date in Alexandria. Corpus Christi plays each of its WPHL Central Division adversaries on eight occasions in the 70-game season.
   

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