Goeckner-Zoeller has a knack for scoring against IceRays

HIDALGO — Grant Goeckner-Zoeller was a philosophy major at Princeton. When he was at the Ivy League school, he undoubtedly studied some of the world’s great thinkers while possibly doing some pondering of his own.

So maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that Goeckner-Zoeller hasn’t spent much time trying to figure out why he produces so much when the Killer Bees (6-4-2) face the Corpus Christi IceRays, who they play Tuesday night at Dodge Arena.

“I don’t know,” said Goeckner-Zoeller, who didn’t score a point in the teams’ lone meeting last month. “That was last year.”

In 11 regular season games against the IceRays last season, Goeckner-Zoeller scored eight goals and added three assists. Three of his four multi-goal games came against Corpus Christi, as did his Feb. 3 unassisted game-winner. Then, during the Bees’ win in three games over the IceRays in the first round of the 2009 playoffs, Goeckner-Zoeller added four more points, including three in the series opener.

One solution Goeckner-Zoeller suggested was that maybe some of his production was because of how the IceRays were built last season. Before firing coach Sylvain Cloutier on Feb. 17 and replacing him with Brent Hughes, Corpus Christi had put together one of the softer defensive teams in the CHL and was vulnerable against smart players like Goeckner-Zoeller.

After Hughes came aboard, Goeckner-Zoeller and the Bees faced the IceRays four times in the regular season but the RGV forward still had three goals and one assist in those games, albeit against players Hughes inherited. And that doesn’t include his production in the playoffs.

Bees coach Chris Brooks, who said he wasn’t aware of how well Goeckner-Zoeller has done against the IceRays (4-5-2), thinks the frequency of the teams’ matchups might have contributed to his success against Corpus Christi.

“When you play certain teams often, you probably get into a little bit of a groove,” Brooks said. “You sort of know system-wise how they play. He’s a pretty smart offensive player and he probably finds a niche against a team he sees a lot.”

Goeckner-Zoeller is the Bees’ third-leading scorer this year with seven goals and eight assists.

ICING: The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported Monday that Hughes was suspended one game and fined $1,000 for his actions during the IceRays’ game Friday night in Arizona. The IceRays, who do not have an assistant coach, are expected to be led by general manager Pat Dunn if Hughes’ appeal of the suspension and fine is not successful.

Brian Sandalow covers the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.