AMARILLO, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (4-7-0) could not find an answer after their game-opening goal, dropping 5-2 to the Amarillo Bulls (2-7-2) on Friday night from the Amarillo Civic Center.
The IceRays started off strong in the first period and took advantage of their lone power play of the frame. At 9:29, the IceRays crashed the net off an initial save, and forward Andy McGlynn jabbed home his second power play goal of the year to take a 1-0 lead. The Bulls would not be quieted, and at 14:47, forward Nicholas Bohatiuk notched his first goal of the year from the right circle to tie the game, 1-1. At 18:39, after Bulls forward Brady Crabtree’s first shot was turned aside, the puck was knocked into the net by an IceRays player, which gave the Bulls a 2-1 lead.
Offensive chances continued in the second period, and at 9:52, Bohatiuk recorded his second goal of the night after finding a loose puck in the left circle and slotting it over IceRays netminder Graham Hunt to propel the Bulls ahead, 3-1. Hunt was then relieved by goaltender Dryden McKay, who finished the rest of the contest in net.
The Bulls stretched their lead further in the third period with two more unanswered. At 11:31, forward George Mike redirected a point shot from defenseman Matt Nehls to triple the lead, 4-1. Bulls forward Michael Forman was fed a wide open shot at 16:13 for a one-time chip to bring the lead to 5-1. IceRays forward Mason Krueger did salvage the scoreline and stop the unanswered run at 19:02, but the scoreline rested at 5-2.
Bulls netminder Anton Martinsson (2-4-2) earned the win, stopping 39 of 41 shots. Hunt (2-4-0) is registered with the loss, saving 19 of 22 shots in 29:52 minutes, while McKay turned away 14 of 16 shots in 30:08 minutes. The IceRays close out their weekend series against the Amarillo Bulls on Saturday, October 17 at 7:05 p.m. from the Amarillo Civic Center. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. only on FASTHockey.com.
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. 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).
