CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays tread through difficult waters in game four of the South Texas Vo Tech Cup as they defeated the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 4-2 from the American Bank Center. Both teams combined for 160 penalty minutes, which is the most in an IceRays contest this season, and the IceRays have now won six-straight games at home.
The IceRays and Killer Bees combined for 100 penalty minutes in the first period alone, which is also a season-high, with the IceRays taking advantage of one of those penalties against the Killer Bees. Defenseman Pierre Crinon took a one-time slap shot from the right point that found twine, giving the IceRays a 1-0 lead on the power play. The Killer Bees would find an answer at 13:07, when forward Parker Wood stuffed a second chance home to even the score, 1-1.
The penalties let off in the second period, but the scoring picked back up. Rio Grande Valley gained a 2-1 edge at 1:38 of the frame when forward Andrew Green poked a free puck by IceRays netminder Andrew Lindgren. For the second-straight game, IceRays forward Ryan Cusin had an answer to the Killer Bees, scoring at 8:11 of the period to even the score, 2-2. After Killer Bees defenseman Wayland Williams was called for a double-minor for tripping, IceRays forward Nic LaBurn put back a second chance effort just four seconds into the first minor at 9:41 to take the lead, 3-2. Later in the period, the IceRays found themselves on the power play once again, and this time forward Wes Michaud forced the IceRays ahead to a 4-2 lead at 17:28.
The scoring subsided for the rest of the contest, allowing the IceRays to claim the victory. The IceRays went 3-for-8 on the power play and killed off all seven Killer Bees chances. There were two fights in the game, nine misconducts, and 36 total infractions. The IceRays earned 64 penalty minutes to Rio Grande Valley’s 96 minutes. Lindgren (10-4-2) picked up the win, stopping 36 of 38 shots in the contest, while Killer Bees netminder Ben Johansson (6-4-3) earned the loss after a 15-for-19 save effort.
The IceRays hit the road to take on the Wichita Falls Wildcats on Friday, December 5 at 7:05 p.m. for the first of a two-game set from Kay Yeager Coliseum. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. with Countdown to Faceoff on SportsRadio Corpus Christi and FASTHockey.com.
Call the front office at 361-814-7825 for season and individual ticket details or check out the pricing and seating chart online at www.goicerays.com. Stay current with the latest team news by visiting www.goicerays.com. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), and YouTube (IceRays TV).
