Sports stats



Let the season begin

October 11, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


Corpus Christi, Texas – The Corpus Christi Rayz officially kicked off their 2004-2005 campaign on Monday morning. At 9:00 in the morning, the Rayz took their first official practice as a team on the opening day of Central Hockey League training camp. New Rayz Head Coach, Ken McRae invited 23 players to camp, consisting of twelve forwards, nine defenseman and two goaltenders. Of the 23 players attending training camp, only one – forward Matt Noga – is a returnee of last season's Rayz team.

The Rayz took the ice on Monday at 9:00am and practiced until shortly before noon. The afternoon training continued with off-ice exercises for the players. McRae pulled together a deep mixture of players over the summer to form his Corpus Christi team. Eleven different rookies have been invited to camp, along with four veterans. Big, strong players like the 6' 3", 220 lb. Blair Stayzer are a good compliment to the speedier, skilled forwards like the 5' 9", 175 lb. Dave Gilmore. With this year's club, McRae looks to equal the success he had in his first season with his only prior team, the Indianapolis Ice, in the 2002-2003 season.

Three years ago, as a rookie head coach, McRae transformed a team that finished with a franchise low in points into the CHL Northern Conference Champions the next season. With his commitment to a strong work ethic and teamwork, McRae hopes he will take his freshly assembled team down a similar path this season in Corpus Christi. McRae has looked forward to the start of training camp, as an anxious coach, ready to scout his team. He has a lot of work ahead of him. CHL roster regulations limit a team's roster to only 18 eligible players. Of the 23 at camp, McRae will have to trim down to that required number by the start of the regular season, just 11 days away on October 22nd.

The routine continues tomorrow, as Corpus Christi will take the ice for the second time from 9:00am until noon. Practice will be at the Memorial Coliseum and is open to all members of the public and media. Tomorrow's events will continue after the morning skate as the Rayz welcome training camp guest and Philadelphia Flyers Head Coach, Ken Hitchcock to the Coliseum for the first time. Hitchcock, who will assist the Rayz in camp all week long, will be available to the media and fans along with McRae and New Mexico Scorpions Head Coach, Bill McDonald tomorrow afternoon at 1:15pm at the Memorial Coliseum. All fans are encouraged to come and participate in this Q&A session with one of the best team sport coaches in the world.

The Rayz will begin the 2004-05 season in Austin on October 22nd, and host the Laredo Bucks in the first ever event at the all-new AmericanBank Center on November 5th and 7:05pm. The Rayz will host three preseason games, including one versus the Mexico National Hockey Team in the Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, October 16th. Preseason games begin on Thursday, October 14, 2004. Make your plans to be a part of all 30 Corpus Christi Rayz home dates this season. Group rates and corporate sponsorship packages are currently available. For more information, please contact the Rayz at (361) 814-PUCK or log on to the Rayz website at www.ccrayz.com.



Central Hockey League Stories from October 11, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Corpus Christi IceRays Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central