Scorpions' playoff homes slim but alive

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- If the New Mexico Scorpions make the postseason, they ought to send a playoff share to Darryl Smith.

The Laredo forward scored two goals, including the only tally in a shootout, as the visiting Bucks posted a 2-1 Central Hockey League victory Monday night.

Laredo goalie Sebastien Centomo stopped Corpus Christi for five minutes in overtime, then blocked all five atttempts in the shootout to preserve the victor. Smith was the fourth Laredo player to shoot; after his shot went in, Justin Quenneville couldn't convert for the Ice Bats and the game was over.

Though Corpus Christi extended its lead in the Southern Conference playoff race to three points over Arizona and five over New Mexico, Centomo's efforts kept the Scorpions alive for a playoff berth -- at least for the moment.

Only the top five teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. Here's how New Mexico, which sits in seventh place currently, can make the postseason:

New Mexico has 55 points and three games remaining -- Thursday at Amarillo, then Friday and Saturday nights at home against Arizona. If New Mexico wins all three games, they will finish with 61 points.

Corpus Christi, which has 60 points, has two road games left  -- Friday at Rio Grande Valley and Saturday at Bossier-Shreveport. The Scorpions need the Ice Bats to lose both games in regulation, keeping them at 60 points, to make the postseason.

Corpus Christi could also clinch eliminate New Mexico by getting to overtime in both games, earning a point each for a total of 62 (one more than the maximum the Scorpions can earn.)

Meanwhile, Arizona sits in sixth place with 57 points, three behing Corpus Christi. The defending league champion Sundogs have only the two games at New Mexico left on their schedule, meaning two Arizona wins coupled with a pair of Corpus Christi losses puts the Sundogs in the playoffs.

For ticket information on the weekend games, go to www.ScorpionsHockey.com. League statistics and standings are availble at www.CentralHockeyLeague.com.