IHL official rips McSorley tactics

Tim Graham

Tuesday, March 4, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

While Chris McSorley is a prospect for future employment in the National Hockey League, at least one high-ranking International Hockey League official considers the Las Vegas Thunder head coach a candidate for unemployment.

Tom Berry, the IHL's senior vice president and director of hockey operations, is furious with McSorley over a pair of incidents last week.

In response to what he viewed as goon tactics, Berry sent McSorley a fax when the Thunder was in Houston Sunday, warning the coach he is skating on thin ice.

"It was so abhorrent to me that something of that nature would happen," Berry said. "I was so dumbfounded he would try to pull those shenanigans. I termed it bush league."

The incidents occurred in last Tuesday's victory over Michigan and in Saturday's shootout loss to Houston, both at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Late against Michigan, McSorley allegedly ordered Greg Lakovic to wait outside the penalty box for K-Wings enforcer Patrick Cote.

Without skating, even though play was going on around him, Lakovic leaned on his stick, stared at Cote and engaged in fisticuffs as soon as Cote's penalty expired.

Before the shootout against Houston, McSorley had Lakovic and Ryan Bast enter the crease of Aeros goaltender Frederic Chabot.

McSorley claimed Chabot had constructed "speed bumps" to obstruct the puck and an altercation ensued.

Houston's Graeme Townshend and Alan May, as well as Bast and Lakovic, were ejected, making them ineligible for the shootout.

McSorley admits poor judgment in the latter situation and apologized, but claimed Lakovic was acting on his own in challenging Cote.

"I lost a great deal of respect for a gentleman I think is a very talented individual," Berry said. "He has a lot to offer the game, but has a lot of maturing to do.

"I hope the net result of my communication with Chris will be the understanding that it's up to him create an aura of good hockey in Las Vegas."

And if he doesn't?

"I would suspect them to have a new coach in Las Vegas, that's for sure," Berry said, noting a 20-game suspension might not be enough. "The puck is in his own zone."

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