AMARILLO, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (4-7-1) battled through a physical contest, falling 2-1 in overtime to the Amarillo Bulls (3-7-2) on Saturday night from the Amarillo Civic Center.
The IceRays came out of the gates with more strength to contest that of the Bulls in their rebound effort. IceRays defenseman Tucker Bender took the lone penalty of the first period, and the Bulls capitalized. At 11:27, forward Joey Molinaro flipped a shot from the right circle up over the netminder to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
The finishing touch the IceRays were looking for equalized the game late in the second period in a dominant middle frame. Forwards Carter Johnson and Brad Power worked to find Brad LeLievre for a back-door goal at 17:33 to draw even, 1-1. The IceRays took control of the second period completely, outshooting the Bulls 20-3, their largest spread of the season and the most shots on goal in a single period since Mar. 13, 2015 (25 shots).
The game remained scoreless through the third, and overtime settled the contest. The IceRays had a golden chance to win it in the extra frame with a penalty shot for forward Tobias Kircher but came up empty. Then, at 1:53, Bulls forward Johan Lundgren batted in a rebound from the left side to seal the win, 2-1. Bulls netminder Anton Martinsson (3-4-2) picked up the win, stopping 41 of 42 shots, while IceRays goaltender Dryden McKay (2-3-1) was given the overtime loss, stopping 27 of 29 shots.
The IceRays return to the American Bank Center on Thursday, October 22 at 7:05 p.m. to open a two-game set against the Topeka RoadRunners on Pink In The Rink weekend. Tickets are available at www.Ticketmaster.com, the American Bank Center Box Office, or by calling 361-814-PUCK.
Contact the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK or go to www.goicerays.com for details on season tickets along with pricing and seating. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Vine (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).
