CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi battle through and work their way to a 4-3 win over the Topeka RoadRunners from the American Bank Center. This marks the first win on home ice for the IceRays in their five-year history against Topeka and just their second win overall against their Kansas foes.
For the first time this season, the IceRays scored the first goal against the RoadRunners at 18:24 of the first period. Off a faceoff draw in the Topeka end won by forward Jack Jenson, defenseman Trevor Heuser found the puck with some room at the top of the slot and slipped it through the legs of Topeka netminder Drew Vogler to give the IceRays the lead, 1-0.
Topeka surged back in the second period to tie the game, 1-1, at 5:42 when defenseman Will Scherer knocked in his second of the season with help from Daniel Rzavsky and Tyler Hayes. Another goal would slip through for the road side at 10:34 when forward Tyler Irvine found a loose puck and threw it toward IceRays goaltender Andrew Lindgren to give the RoadRunners the lead, 2-1. The IceRays tied the game up, 2-2, at 17:34 of the period. After Topeka forward Sly Sutter went to the penalty box for hooking, IceRays forwards Ryan Cusin and Joe Chitwood worked some smart passing to find defenseman Anthony Cortese at the right circle to rifle a shot home.
The third period took an interesting turn at 6:25. IceRays forward Connor Kelly was knocked out of the game on a Topeka boarding call by forward Cam Strong. He was sent off for a five-minute major and a game misconduct, allowing Corpus Christi to operate with the man advantage for five full minutes. They would take advantage at 6:54. Once again, Cusin would set up the goal, this time wristing a shot toward the net, finding Tanner Lomsnes to knock it in. Forward Wes Michaud grabbed the secondary assist. With the Topeka netminder pulled, the RoadRunners found a way to send the game into overtime, 3-3, on a Shawn Brennan shot in the slot at 19:29.
The game went into overtime, and it would only take 2:26 before Michaud became the hero, firing a shot from the slot through Vogler to seal the victory, 4-3. Defenseman Logan Gestro and forward Nate Colwell. Lindgren (5-1-2) earned the win, stopping 43 of 46 shots faced, and Vogler (4-1-1) recorded the loss, saving 25 of 29 shots.
The IceRays return to action on Saturday, October 18 against the South Division-leading Topeka RoadRunners at 7:05 p.m. from the American Bank Center. Coverage begins with Countdown to Faceoff at 6:50 p.m. on SportsJuice.com 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).
