NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (15-16-4) forced overtime with strong play by their netminder but fell in a heartbreaker 2-1 the Lone Star Brahmas (23-8-5) 5-2 on Saturday night at the NYTEX Sports Centre. The IceRays claim three of four points on the weekend to end their road trip 3-2-1.
The opening 20 minutes of action was as fast paced as the previous night with the Brahmas controlling a majority of the first half of the frame while capitalizing on the first special teams play. At 11:09, Brahmas forward Peter Kessel fired a shot from the slot that found forward Alex Berardinelli for the redirection and the 1-0 lead. The IceRays gained control of the neutral zone soon after as play leveled off heading into the middle frame.
Play turned interesting at 9:51 of the second period when IceRays forward Mason Krueger was given a five-minute major penalty with an offsetting two-minute minor during a scuffle. During the five-minute penalty, four other penalties were called, forcing 3-on-3, 4-on-3 and 5-on-3 play in multiple combinations. In total, 25 penalty minutes were called during the period. Through the slew of penalties, the IceRays came away unscathed and kept the Brahmas at bay with only a one-goal lead.
IceRays netminder Graham Hunt made numerous big saves throughout the contest but especially in the final two periods to help keep the Brahmas at bay. The scoreless drought by both teams was broken in the third period by the IceRays. After a bad play behind the Brahmas net, IceRays forward Nathan Bryer was left wide open in the slot for an empty net at 14:52 to tie the game, 1-1. That goal forced overtime with play tossing back and forth in the extra frame. Both teams had key chances, but the Brahmas gained the final one. Within the final second of overtime, Brahmas forward Hogan Davidson slotted a shot top-shelf to seal the 2-1 Brahmas victory.
Brahman netminder Corbin Kaczperski (15-5-1) earned the win, saving 23 of 24 shots, while Hunt (10-9-3) picked up the overtime loss with a stellar 41-save effort on 43 shots. The IceRays return home to the American Bank Center on Thursday, Jan. 21 for the first of two games against the Topeka RoadRunners and the first home set of 2016. 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).
