Rayz stumble but remain in first place

Published on January 18, 2005 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


Week in Review: The Corpus Christi Rayz played their first under .500 stretch of hockey in over two months in a three-game weekend against tough competition last week. The Rayz began the weekend with an uplifting, come from behind 3-2 win over the archrival Laredo Bucks. However they then lost to the San Angelo Saints 4-2 the following night and capped off the weekend with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the CHL's best record holders, the Colorado Eagles. The Rayz remained in first place at the week's conclusion, however their lead in the Southeast has now diminished to a single point over the charging Austin Ice Bats. The Bats went a perfect 3-0 this weekend and have won four of their last five games, setting the stage for a pair of key games this coming week when the Rayz and the Ice Bats play back to back contests Thursday Night in Austin and Friday Night in Corpus Christi.

With 37 points, the Rayz find themselves in first-place in their division, however, right in the middle of a jam packed Southern Conference. Seven of the eight teams in the South are playing .500 hockey or better this season with first and seventh place separated by only seven points. In the Rayz Friday night victory over the Bucks, they were led by Dave Gilmore with a goal and two assists and Josh Blackburn who made 34 saves for his sixth consecutive win. The Rayz were forced to play with a shortened bench, yet again, as they lost veteran defenseman Mario Doyon just 2:10 into his first game as a member of the Rayz. They also played shorthanded behind the bench, without Head Coach, Ken McRae who was suffering from a severe case of the flu. McRae missed two games and rejoined the team on Sunday. Director of Player Personnel, Bryan Elliott served as acting Head Coach for the games.

On Saturday, the Rayz gave up three first period goals as the San Angelo Saints scored the first four of the game. The Rayz then enforced a physical presence over the Saints engaging in five different fights and combining for a season-high total of 86 penalty minutes with the Saints. Four different players fought for Corpus Christi and the Rayz began a comeback scoring the game's final two goals but ran out of time against the Saints. The Saints improved their home record to a CHL best 13-3-1. Sunday night, the Colorado Eagles made their lone visit of the season to the American Bank Center and beat the Rayz to even the season series at 1-1. The Eagles were led by leading point per game scorer and All-Star MVP Greg Pankewicz and the league's leading goaltender, Tyler Weiman. The Eagles win over Corpus Christi gave them the league's best record and most points in the CHL.

This Week's Schedule: Thursday, January 20th @ Austin Ice Bats 7:35 p.m.

Friday, January 21st vs. Austin Ice Bats 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 22nd vs. Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 7:00 p.m.

Last Week's Results: Friday, January 14th vs. Laredo Bucks 3-2 W

Saturday, January 15th @ San Angelo Saints 4-2 L

Sunday, January 16th vs. Colorado Eagles 4-1 L

All Rayz home games are played at the American Bank Center. All games will be broadcast live on the flagship station of the Corpus Christi Rayz - 103.7 FM KOUL and online at the Rayz website - www.ccrayz.com. All home games, along with select road games, are available for viewing on the internet at www.chltv.com.

Practice Schedule: The Rayz practice this week from 10:00-11:30am Tuesday and Wednesday at the American Bank Center. On Thursday morning there will be a pre-game warm-up skate beginning at 10:00am and lasting approximately 30 minutes at the American Bank Center.

Infinite Injuries

The list of Rayz injuries for the 2004-2005 season is beginning to look more like the Great American Novel. Corpus Christi has not had a healthy, complete roster since the fifth game of the season, and since then things have only gotten worse. Last week the Rayz injury problems mounted as the Rayz got two players off of injured reserved – Clark Udle and Sam Miller – however lost three more defensemen over the weekend. Mario Doyon went down just 2:10 into his first game as a member of the Rayz after being signed on Tuesday and is expected to miss several weeks. The Rayz then lost Chad McIver for two games and Dominic Periard for Sunday's weekend finale. The injuries have gotten so bad that they've moved behind the bench as well, as a severe case of the flu kept Head Coach Ken McRae out of action Friday and Saturday night.

Back to Back

The Rayz are coming off of losses in their last two games to the San Angelo Saints and Colorado Eagles. The pair of consecutive Rayz losses were the first back to back defeats for the Rayz since November 12th and 13th. It had been 23 games since those games, and the Rayz responded after that second loss with a season-high five game winning streak.

Kings of the Mountain

Corpus Christi has become very comfortable in first place in the Southeast Division. At the week's end the Rayz are in first place for the same position they've been for nine weeks. The last time the Rayz finished a weekend without at least a share of the division lead was November 13th. The Rayz currently lead the Austin Ice Bats by a point and Laredo by four.

Tough Draw

The Rayz ran into a bad scheduling break this last weekend playing the Bucks, Saints and Eagles. With teams all vying for their respective division lead, the Rayz ran into three teams whose goaltenders were represented at the Dodge 2005 CHL All-Star Game one week ago. After the Rayz beat the Bucks with All-Star Jeremy Symington on the bench, they had to then face the two starting goaltenders in the game. Both men were terrific against the Rayz. San Angelo's Scott Reid made 26 saves on 28 shots, including 13 big third period saves to help the Saints defeat the Rayz. Then Colorado's Tyler Weiman, who leads the league in wins, GAA, save percentage and shutouts made 26 saves on 27 shots for the Eagles win.

Drawing the Short Straw

Power plays for Corpus Christi have proven to be equally powerful for the opposition as of late. The Rayz have surrendered nine shorthanded goals this season – tied for the most in the CHL. This weekend the Rayz gave up the first goal of the game Friday and Sunday night on shorthanded goals early into the game. Opponents have a total of five shorthanded goals against the Rayz in the last seven games, equaling the number of Rayz power play goals over that span.

Start Me Up

The Rayz have put themselves in a hole early in games recently. Corpus Christi has surrendered the first goal of the game in their last four contests. They are 1-3 in those games, and have been a much better team this season when tallying first. The Rayz have an impressive 13-4-2 record when they score the game's opening goal, but are 4-9-1 when they fall behind 1-0.

Back in Black

Rayz goaltender Josh Blackburn lost his first game in seven starts Sunday afternoon. Prior to that, Blackburn had won his last six starts and given up just 12 goals over that time. He had a 2.00 GAA and .944 save percentage during his six-game streak. This season Blackburn has a 10-4 record, a 3.42 GAA and a .909 save percentage. Blackburn went 1-1 this weekend making 34 saves Friday night in the Rayz 3-2 win over Laredo, and then 39 saves in the Rayz 4-1 loss to Colorado on Sunday. Earlier in the year, Blackburn made a CHL season-high 51 saves in the Rayz first meeting with Colorado on October 30th when he led the Rayz to a 6-2 victory.

Killer B's

Just how important have All-Star forwards and the top two scorers in the Southern Conference, Jason Baird and Greg Bullock been to the Rayz success? On Friday night, both men were held pointless in the same game for just the fifth time this season. The Rayz still won the game 3-2, and the victory over Laredo marked the first win of the season when neither man registered a point.

Bee Keepers

The Corpus Christi Rayz will see the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees this Friday and so far this season that has meant good news for the Rayz. Corpus Christi has dominated Rio Grande Valley this season, posting a 6-0-2 record in eight games vs. the Bees. Rio Grande Valley is the only team the Rayz have played more than once that they are undefeated against. Leading the Rayz against their division rivals has been goaltender Josh Blackburn who has a perfect 5-0-0 record against the Bees with a 2.33 GAA, .935 save percentage and a unblemished 4-4 mark in shootout chances against. The Rayz meet the Killer Bees three more times this season – this Friday and March 17th at home and March 12th on the road.

This Week in the Community: Tonight, Rayz forward Blair Stayzer will appear with Head Coach, Ken McRae on the Corpus Christi Rayz Coach's Radio Show at Buffalo Wild Wings at 7:00pm. The Rayz will appear at Buffalo Wild Wings at 2001 SPID every Monday night at 7:00pm for the remainder of the season. Fans can attend the show live with their chance to ask questions on the air and win Rayz prizes, including tickets to upcoming games. The hour-long show can be heard weekly on the Rayz flagship station, 103.7 FM KOUL.

On Tuesday, Rayz defensemen Mark Jackson and Sam Miller will participate in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times Reading Buddies Program. The pair of Rayz players will visit Coles Elementary School at 2:00pm and read to students as part of the team's weekly campaign to promote the importance reading in conjunction with the Caller-Times.

Rayz players Jason Baird, Josh Blackburn and Clark Udle will be available for a post-game autograph session at the Team Store in the American Bank Center immediately following the Rayz game vs. the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees on Saturday Night. All fans are welcome to come and meet the players and have their Rayz merchandise signed.

This Week at the Champion Toyota Ice Center at Memorial Coliseum: This weekend the Champion Toyota Ice Center will host the CCYHA 2005 Pee Wee House Invitational Hockey Tournament. Five teams from within Texas will meet Saturday and Sunday in the tournament. Teams from Corpus Christi, Laredo, Belton and two teams from Austin will vie for the championship over two days. Saturday will feature games beginning at 11:00am and going through 5:00pm and Sunday will have games from 7:00am until 2:30pm with the Championship game at 1:15pm on Sunday. Corpus Christi is guaranteed to play four games, two on each day. They will play Laredo at 11:00am and Belton at 1:30pm on Saturday and face-off against the two teams from Austin at 8:15am and 12:00pm on Sunday. Entry to the tournament is open to the public and free of charge. For more information on how to be a part of the CCYHA 2005 Pee Wee House Invitational this weekend, please call the Champion Toyota Ice Center at (361)879-0795 or the Rayz at (361)814-PUCK (7825).

Rayz Next Home Game: Corpus Christi returns home Friday and Saturday Night at 7:00pm. On Friday the Austin Ice Bats will visit the Rayz for a rematch of their Thursday game with first-place on the line. It's College Night at the American Bank Center, and all students with a valid school ID will receive discounted tickets starting at just $6(plus a $1.50 facility fee). Then on Saturday, it's a Night with the Corpus Christi Hispanic Chamber of Commerce presented by Amigo Broadcasting. Come celebrate the Latin flavor of the Coastal Bend with your Corpus Christi Rayz. Entertainment at the game will be headlined by favorite South Texas band, Frijoles Romanticos. Tickets for the game begin at just $10(plus a $1.50 facility fee). Make your weekend plans to see your first-place Rayz at the American Bank Center this Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations and the American Bank Center Box Office. For more information, please contact the Rayz at (361)814-PUCK or visit them online at www.ccrayz.com.

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Central Hockey League Stories from January 18, 2005


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