CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays scored two early goals and held off the advancement of their opponents, defeating the Lone Star Brahmas, 2-1, at the American Bank Center on Saturday night in the 2014-15 home opener. With the win, the IceRays improve to six wins in their last nine against the Brahmas dating back to last season and own their first winning record this year.
It was the IceRays who struck first at 12:24 of the first period. After a Brahmas defender lost his edge at center ice, forward Joe Chitwood fed co-forward Tyler Johnson on a two-on-one rush, and Johnson slotted the puck top shelf to give the IceRays the lead, 1-0. After one period, the IceRays were tied in shots 11-11, which is the first time they tied after the first frame.
In the second, the IceRays would increase their lead. After Brahmas defenseman Johan Steen was called for cross-checking, defenseman Trevor Heuser worked a pass to forward Ryan Cusin at the near circle, who found Nathan Bryer at the far side to tuck it home five hole at 4:17 to double the lead, 2-0. For the second-straight period, the IceRays and Brahmas tied in shots, 8-8.
The Brahmas answered back in the third after the midway mark. At 13:25, forward Roman Uchyn was the benefactor of space on the nearside of IceRays netminder Andrew Lindgren to scoot it past the Minneapolis native and cut the deficit in half, 2-1. That would be all she wrote, as the IceRays held the Brahmas off a late surge with netminder TJ Black pulled from the game.
Lindgren (3-0-2) earned his first home ice win, stopping a season-high 31 shots on 32 attempts, while Black (0-3-0) drops his third-stright decision, turning away 25 of the 27 shots he faced. The IceRays return to action on Friday, October 3 when they host their first of two games in as many days against the Wenatchee Wild. Opening faceoff is at 7:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:50 p.m. with Countdown to Faceoff 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).
