The IceRays Weekly is a weekly recap and preview of IceRays news, games and more. The IceRays Weekly will be released every Monday during the 2016-17 season.
LAST WEEK…
Thursday, February 16: Topeka RoadRunners 2, IceRays 6
Shots: RoadRunners 31, IceRays 33
PP: RoadRunners 0-for-4, IceRays 2-for-6
The Corpus Christi IceRays (23-15-1-3) scored early and often in their 6-2 win over the Topeka RoadRunners (15-27-4-1) on Thursday night from the American Bank Center.
IceRays center Mason Krueger (PP, 7:27 1st) started the scoring on the team’s first power play to take a 1-0 lead followed by tow goals within a one-minute span from forwards Josh Tripp (11:07 1st) and Brad Power (11:43 1st) to triple the lead to 3-0 heading into the second period. IceRays center David Thomson (14:35 2nd) quadrupled the lead before RoadRunners forward Marshall Bowery (17:39 2nd) broke the scoring stretch and move the IceRays lead to 4-1. Both teams went back and forth in the third period starting with IceRays forward Nathan Bryer (6:58 3rd) followed by RoadRunners defenseman Jake Rosenbaum (8:31 3rd) and capped off by IceRays defenseman Cody Fleckenstein (PP, 14:07 3rd) to finish the scoreline at 6-2.
IceRays goaltender Tomáš Vomáčka (13-11-2) halted 29 of 31 shots in the win. RoadRunners netminder Ryan Snowden (7-11-2) stopped 8 of 11 shots in 11:43 minutes of the loss and Ben Churchfield turned away 19 of 22 shots in 48:16 minutes of relief.
Friday, February 17: Topeka RoadRunners 0, IceRays 2
Shots: RoadRunners 22, IceRays 19
PP: RoadRunners 0-for-6, IceRays 0-for-7
The Corpus Christi IceRays (24-15-1-3) earned a record seventh-straight win and their third shutout of the year in a 2-0 blanking of the Topeka RoadRunners (15-28-4-1) on Friday night at the American Bank Center.
Scoring started late in the first period when IceRays forward Brad Power (19:25 1st) tipped a shot in front of the net to take a 1-0 lead. The second and third periods remained close and tight in the low-shooting and scoring games despite 13 combined power plays. With the RoadRunners netminder pulled, IceRays forward Brendan Miller (EN, 19:04 3rd) stashed in the lone insurance goal to help claim the 2-0 win.
IceRays goaltender Tomáš Vomáčka (14-11-2) earned his first shutout in a 19-save performance, while RoadRunners netminder Ben Churchfield (1-7-1) halted 20 of 21 shots in the loss.
THIS WEEK…
Friday, February 24 vs. Lone Star Brahmas – 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, February 25 vs. Lone Star Brahmas – 7:05 p.m.
The Corpus Christi IceRays enter the second half of their four-week home stand with a two-game set against the Lone Star Brahmas at the American Bank Center. The IceRays won their last meeting with the Brahmas in North Richland Hills, moving the season set to a 2-4-0-0 record while keeping the goal differential at just one goal (13-12) in favor of the Brahmas. In four seasons, the IceRays are now 14-16-4 against the Brahmas while owning a 10-5-1 record at the American Bank Center, which includes a split weekend in mid-November.
PROMOTIONS:
The IceRays begin another packed weekend on Friday with Texas Insurance Farm Bureau Night, welcoming in the organization for the second-straight season. It’s also a Tride Rideshare Frosty Friday with $1 beer and sodas and $5 off any fare to or from the American Bank Center using promo code “icerays” on the Tride Passenger app.
Saturday night is the 2nd Annual Heart Night, presented by AEP Texas, Ford, FSG, HEB, and the Carrol Richard Family Roto-Rooter of Victoria, Texas. The IceRays will wear special heart-themed jerseys throughout the weekend and will be auctioned off to the public in the Eddie Jackson, New York Life Post-Game Jersey Auction immediately following the game. There will also be a silent auction table and 50/50 raffle. Proceeds from the event benefit the American Heart Association. It’s also a Corpus Christi Caller-Times Family 4-Pack Night, with four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for just $48.
There will also be an IceRays Post-Game Skate, presented by Braselton Homes, after each game.
The Lone Star Brahmas clinched a spot in the 2017 Robertson Cup Playoffs in their split weekend with the Odessa Jackalopes at home, falling 2-1 on Friday and winning 2-1 in overtime on Saturday. Only six players earned points last week but one did record a multi-point weekend: forward Carson Kelley, who earned a goal and assist in Saturday’s win. Forward Peter Kessel and defenseman Blake Evennou also tallied goals with Evennou’s coming in overtime. Goaltender Alec Calvaruso played both games in net, stopping 30 of 33 shots through the weekend of action.
South Division Outlook:
The Lone Star Brahmas became the first team in the South Division to clinch the playoffs despite splitting their weekend set with the Odessa Jackalopes, who recorded three of a possible four points on the road. The Shreveport Mudbugs and Wichita Falls Wildcats remain tied for second place thanks to a split head-to-head matchup in Louisiana, however the record seventh-straight win for the Corpus Christi IceRays moved the gap to just one point between second and fourth place during a home sweep of the Topeka RoadRunners. The Amarillo Bulls were once again idle last weekend, sliding to sixth place.
| TEAM | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | PTS | PCT | L10 |
| x-LONE STAR BRAHMAS | 48 | 36 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 73 | .760 | 7-3-0-0 |
| SHREVEPORT MUDBUGS | 43 | 25 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 53 | .616 | 4-4-1-1 |
| WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS | 44 | 24 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 53 | .602 | 3-6-0-1 |
| CORPUS CHRISTI ICERAYS | 43 | 24 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 52 | .605 | 9-1-0-0 |
| ODESSA JACKALOPES | 44 | 17 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 39 | .443 | 4-5-1-0 |
| AMARILLO BULLS | 43 | 15 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 38 | .442 | 4-5-0-1 |
| TOPEKA ROADRUNNERS | 48 | 15 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 35 | .365 | 4-4-2-0 |
ICERAYS BITS…
The IceRays made history on Friday night, recording their seventh-straight victory to set a new junior franchise record. The streak surpasses the previous mark set from Oct. 8, 2011 to Nov. 4, 2011, during which the team earned five home wins and three against the New Mexico Mustangs. This streak has seen the IceRays outscore their opposition 28-12 with three wins at home and three on the road with five wins against competition for playoff positioning. The IceRays have also posted four or more goals in five of their last seven games and have improved from ten points behind second place to just one.
The recent run by the IceRays has helped scoring numbers tremendously in the landscape of the NAHL. Thanks to their recent run of points in 15 of their last 17 games, the IceRays have moved to a +19 goal differential, which ranks ninth in the NAHL and third in the South Division behind Lone Star (+51) and Shreveport (+29). They started their 17-game run with a -12 goal differential after December 9 and have since outscored their opponents by a 31-goal margin (64-33) while also maintaining at least a +5 goal differential in each regulation period while only going +3 in the first and trailing in the other two.
IN THE COMMUNITY…
Stinger Ray will be visiting Schanen Estates Elementary School on Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. to spend time with the children at the school and reinforce positive education. This event is not open to the public.
