SHREVEPORT, La. – The Corpus Christi IceRays (30-18-4-5) scored three in the third period and took a 5-2 win over the Shreveport Mudbugs (35-17-2-3) on Saturday night from George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum. The IceRays finish the season series with a 9-2-0-1 record.
For the second-straight night, the IceRays game out of the gates with life and found the first conversion within three minutes. At 2:12, IceRays forward Larry Jungwirth found a loose puck freed up by forwards Jayson DiMizio and Cole Filler, and he flipped it to an open goal to take a 1-0 lead. The IceRays continued their recent power play successes at 9:19 when forward David Thomson deflected a centering pass from forward Griffin Loughran, doubling the lead 2-0. The Mudbugs did come back in the back end of the frame with a re-direction of their own from forward Kyle Kawamura at 17:48 to cut the IceRays lead in half, 2-1.
In a scoreless second period, IceRays forward Jayson DiMizio fought with Mudbugs defenseman Alex Spencer, but it was the third period that gave the IceRays life. Just three minutes into the frame, IceRays forward Nathan Bryer was fed on a 2-on-1 by forward Larry Jungwirth for his fourth-straight game with a goal to take a 3-1 lead. The Mudbugs came back within one, 3-2, thanks to forward Farnkie Melton at 4:21 on a back door play, but the IceRays sealed the win with two goals in the late stages. IceRays defenseman Cody Fleckenstein batted a shot off a faceoff draw that hit a defenseman and into the net at 13:58 to take a 4-2 lead, and IceRays forward Garrett Hallford slotted the empty net goal at 18:50 to let the final score rest at 5-2. Fleckenstein is now tied with Anthony Cortese for most goals by a defenseman in junior franchise history.
IceRays netminder Camden Burggrabe (10-6-2) earned the win, turning away 28 of 30 shots, while Mudbugs goaltender John Roberts (16-11-2) was given the loss, stopping 30 of 34 shots. The IceRays finish their road schedule on Sunday, Apr. 2 at 4:00 p.m. to close their season series with the Lone Star Brahmas at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas. Coverage begins at 3:45 p.m. on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM) and Hockey TV.
The IceRays host their final home weekend of the 2016-17 regular season on Friday, Apr. 7 at 7:05 p.m. to open a two-game weekend against the Wichita Falls Wildcats from the American Bank Center. The IceRays are heading to the postseason for the third time, and 2017 Robertson Cup Playoffs tickets will be announced in the coming weeks. For tickets to the final home weekend, call the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Snapchat (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).
