Un-Lucky Sevens

Published on January 27, 2003 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


RAYZ REWIND: The Laredo Bucks continued their season mastery of the Rayz taking two games this weekend from their geographic rival, a 4-3 shootout win at Memorial Coliseum on Friday and a 4-2 victory before a sellout crowd Saturday at the Laredo Entertainment Center.

The Rayz picked up a point from the shootout loss on Friday, but fell one point behind Lubbock for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Southern Conference. The Cotton Kings lost to New Mexico on Friday, but beat El Paso 8-3 on Saturday.

Friday night at home the Rayz looked to send a message to the Bucks in the first meeting at Memorial Coliseum between the two teams since November 15. Immediately a physical tone was set for the game as defenseman Chad Nelson (Cranbrook, BC) was whistled for a trip just :65 seconds into the contest. The Bucks didn't convert on the power play, but did open the scoring at 13:38 of the 1st period when Eric Schneider deflected the puck across the crease to Chris Grenville and Grenville slipped it past Rayz goalie Brent Belecki (Calgary, ALB) for a 1-0 lead. While the score wouldn't change again until early in the 3rd period, the penalty minutes would continue to rack up. In an extremely physical 2nd period, the teams combined for 46 minutes worth of penalties and nine power plays. Six of those power plays went to Laredo, who also had a two-man advantage for 2:48 seconds. However, the Rayz penalty kill was phenomenal, killing off every single Buck power play to keep it a 1-goal game. In the 3rd though, the Bucks would extend their lead when Schneider blasted a drive that beat Belecki glove-side at 3:36 to make it 2-0 Laredo. The Rayz would quickly answer back to tie the score. First, John Cilladi (Phoenix, AZ) pushed home Cosmo Dupaul's (Pointe-Claire, PQ) rebound at 8:29 to get the Rayz on the scoreboard, and then Dupaul got in on the scoring act when David Bourque (Gloucester, ONT) fired a shot that went wide of the net but bounced right to Dupaul who tipped it into an open net at 10:49 to tie the score at 2-2. The Rayz would cap off their comeback with a little under 7 minutes left in the 3rd when Mike Tilson (Pickering, ONT) wrapped the puck around the boards, yet instead of coming up the side the puck bounced back towards Laredo goaltender Lance Leslie and trickled into the net at 13:04 to give the Rayz a 3-2 lead. The goal however was not confirmed until after referee Scott Hughes had a lengthy discussion with the goal judge that it indeed went in the net legally despite the arguments from both Leslie and Bucks coach Terry Ruskowski. Down 3-2, Laredo would tally the equalizer at 15:55 when Morten Ask deflected Schneider's shot from the point over Belecki's left shoulder and send the game to overtime. After a scoreless overtime period, the Bucks recorded goals from Ask and Schneider in the shootout while Leslie stopped Jason Carriere's (Winnipeg, MB) final bid to seal the 4-3 shootout win. The Rayz out-shot the Bucks 42-36 with Leslie making 39 saves and Belecki making 32. The game was penalty-filled with 112 minutes worth of infractions.

Saturday the scene shifted to the LEC for the rematch. This time the Rayz would open the scoring in the 1st period when Jaroslav Jabrocky's (Poprad, Slovakia) wraparound deflected out to Ryan Prentice (London, ONT) and Prentice put a slap shot top shelf by Leslie at 8:31 for a 1-0 lead. The Bucks would come back and tie it later in the period on the penalty kill when Chad Nelson gave up the puck at the point and Serge Dube found Eric Schneider streaking up the middle to slip it by Belecki at 15:56 to tie the game at 1-1. The Rayz would take the lead 1:50 seconds later on the power play when Ken Richardson (Peace Rivar, ALB) put home Mike Tilson's rebound from the point at 17:46 for a 2-1 advantage. The Bucks would quickly strike back in the 2nd period, scoring two goals 1:19 seconds apart from Schneider and Dave Gilmore to take a 3-2 lead. In the 3rd period, Belecki kept the Rayz in the game as the Bucks peppered him with 20 shots in the final stanza but for no goals. Late in the game with Belecki pulled, the Rayz appeared to have scored the equalizer when Dupaul pushed the puck over the end-line, but the referee signaled no goal claiming the net came off its pegs before the puck crossed the line. Michel Periard then added an empty net goal with 0:04 seconds remaining to seal the 4-2 victory for the Bucks. The Rayz were badly out-shot 47-13 for the game with Belecki making 43 saves.

LAREDO CAPTURES THE CUP: With their 7th win over the Rayz on Saturday, the Bucks took a 7-2 lead in the season series and captured the first annual Mayor's Cup. The Mayor's Cup was formed in conjunction with Mayor Lloyd Neal of Corpus Christi and Mayor Betty Flores of Laredo at the beginning of the season to be awarded to the team that won the inaugural season series. The Rayz and Bucks will meet three more times this year.

KILLING THEM OFF: The Rayz penalty kill continues to be hot killing off all 17 of Laredo's power plays this weekend. The penalty kill has killed off 38 of the opponent's last 39 power plays (97.4%) and hasn't surrendered a power play goal in 274:45 seconds going back to the 2nd period of the game on 1/15/03 at New Mexico.

UNLUCKY SEVEN'S: The Rayz tied a franchise record for consecutive losses against one team with their 7th loss in row to the Bucks on Saturday. The Rayz also lost 7 in a row to Lubbock from 1999-2003 before their victory on January 18. Ironically, it was their first win ever against the Cotton Kings.

18 AND COUNTING: Brent Belecki continues to anchor the defense playing his best hockey of the season. Belecki is 10-7-1 over his last 18 starts (all consecutive), and has allowed 40 goals (2.22GAA) while turning aside 557 of 597 shots in that span, a save percentage of .933%. Belecki made a season-high 43 saves on Saturday at Laredo, many of them spectacular, to keep the Rayz in the game. Last week Belecki joined Austin's Matt Barnes and Indianapolis' Shawn Silver as a three-time recipient of the CHL Goaltender of the Week Award.

ACCOLADES: With an assist on Friday, defenseman Chad Nelson recorded his 100th career point. Nelson has 38 goals and 62 assists in 297 games. Defenseman John Cilladi also registered his first goal as a Ray on Friday and his first goal since 2/10/02 while with Jackson (ECHL).

BUMPS AND BRUISES: Forward Shaun Fairweather was placed on the 14-day injured reserve on Friday retroactive to January 18 with a strained left knee. Forward Russell Hogue remains day-to-day after suffering a mild concussion also on January 18 against Lubbock. Both did not play this past weekend.

MARTINIS ON MONDAY: "Rayz Monday" continues tonight from 5PM-6PM at the Martini Bar located at the corners of Everhart and Saratoga in Corpus Christi. The Voice of the Rayz Dan Weiss hosts the show every Monday on ESPN Radio 1230 KSIX and is joined by Head Coach Al Sims and several Rayz players.

UP NEXT: The Rayz commence another busy week on Wednesday with their final trip of the season to the LEC to face the Laredo Bucks at 7:30PM. This weekend the Rayz return home to face-off against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs on Friday and the Fort Worth Brahmas on Saturday. Game time for both nights is 7:05PM. All games can be heard on 1045 The Octopus with Dan Weiss and Rick Dames, or on the Internet at www.sportsjuice.com. Broadcast time begins 30 minutes before face-off with the "American Tire and Wheel Pre-Game Show.

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Central Hockey League Stories from January 27, 2003


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