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…
Friday, February 3: IceRays 2, Shreveport Mudbugs 1
Shots: IceRays 28, Mudbugs 28
PP: IceRays 1-for-2, Mudbugs 0-for-1
The Corpus Christi IceRays (19-15-1-3) held off the Shreveport Mudbugs (22-13-1-2) late in the game to take a 2-1 win on Friday night from George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum.
Scoring began late in the first period when IceRays forward David Thomson (19:03 1st) swatted a puck from mid-air into the net to take a 1-0 lead. On the second penalty of the game, IceRays forward Larry Jungwirth (PP, 11:17 2nd) ripped a one-time slap shot from the left circle through traffic to double the road side’s lead, 2-0. The Mudbugs answered when forward Cameron Cook (7:26 3rd) took a shot from the right wall and cut the lead in half, 2-1. Despite a late push with the extra skater, the IceRays held off the Mudbugs for the 2-1 victory.
IceRays goaltender Camden Burggrabe (6-4-1) stopped 27 of 28 shots in the win, while Mudbugs netminder John Roberts (10-9-1) halted 26 of 28 shots in the loss.
Saturday, February 4: IceRays 5, Shreveport Mudbugs 3
Shots: IceRays 30, Mudbugs 39
PP: IceRays 0-for-4, Mudbugs 1-for-3
The Corpus Christi IceRays (20-15-1-3) finished their road trip on a strong note with a 5-3 win over the Shreveport Mudbugs (22-14-1-2) on Saturday night from George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum.
Mudbugs defenseman Croix Evingson (PP, 17:54 1st) opened the scoring late in the opening period to take a 1-0 lead before three-unanswered by the IceRays turned the game around. Defenseman Logan Gestro (4:14 2nd) started the run with a two-on-one break, forward Brad Power (5:13 2nd) gave the IceRays the lead on a semi-breakaway, and forward Nathan Bryer (17:14 2nd) tapped in a one-time shot to take a 3-1 lead. Mudbugs forward Jay Feiwell (0:45 3rd) answered back and brought the home side within one, but IceRays defenseman Cody Fleckenstein (11:20 3rd) and center David Thomson (EN, 16:58 3rd) pushed the IceRays ahead to a 5-2 lead. Mudbugs forward Jordan Fader (19:32 3rd) finished the scoring, but the IceRays took the 5-3 win.
IceRays goaltender Camden Burggrabe (7-4-1) halted 36 of 39 shots in the win, while Mudbugs netminder Dylan Lubbesmeyer (11-5-3) stopped 25 of 29 shots in the loss.
THIS WEEK…
Friday, February 10 vs. Odessa Jackalopes – 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, February 11 @ Odessa Jackalopes – 7:05 p.m.
The Corpus Christi IceRays begin a four-week home stand stretching into March this weekend with a two-game set against the Odessa Jackalopes from the American Bank Center. The IceRays earned their first win over the Jackalopes on January 28 and now own a 1-3-0-0 record in the season series. All four games this season have been decided by one goal including both in their split weekend at the end of January. The IceRays own a 36-20-4 record and are 19-8-1 at the American Bank Center including two losses in October.
PROMOTIONS:
The IceRays open the home stand with Teacher Appreciation Night on Friday. The team is providing tickets to faculty and staff in area schools to thank them for their commitment to educating the next generation of leaders in Corpus Christi. The game is also a Tride Rideshare Frosty Friday with $1 beer and soda as well as $5 off all fares to and from the arena when using promo code “icerays” on the Tride Passenger app.
Saturday night welcomes back the 3rd Annual Hockey & Heels game. It’s Ladies’ Night at the American Bank Center with a silent auction and 50/50 raffle throughout the game. Proceeds from the event benefit the Women’s Shelter of South Texas. The game is also a Corpus Christi Caller-Times Family 4-Pack Night. Fans can purchase four tickets and receive four hot dogs and four sodas for just $48 when buying at the arena box office.
The Odessa Jackalopes had a highly-offensive week at the Ector County Coliseum with the Amarillo Bulls Topeka RoadRunners, winning 5-3 on Tuesday over the Bulls, falling 8-5 on Friday night and winning 6-1 on Saturday night against the RoadRunners. The forward line of Chase Thudium (3+5=8), Bastien Maia (2+6=8) and Ludvig Stenlund (3+3=6) combined for 13 of 15 points on Friday and 23 of the team’s 42 points on the weekend with Maia and Thudium each recording five-point nights on Friday (1+4=5). Defenseman Zac Hermann (2+2=4) was the only other player to record points on Friday, and five others tallied multi-point games on Saturday. Goaltender Jonny Hogue saved 17 of 19 shots in 24:08 minutes on Tuesday while Jon Flakne halted the final 10 of 11 shots in the win in relief. Flakne then stopped 13 of 18 shots in 45:13 minutes on Friday, while Hogue turned away seven of 10 attempts in relief plus an additional 27 of 28 shots in Saturday’s win.
South Division Outlook:
The Lone Star Brahmas continue to inch closer to a playoff berth while continuing their league-best win streak to 14 games with last weekend’s sweep of the Wichita Falls Wildcats in a 1-v-2 battle while also becoming the first NAHL team to breach the 70-point mark. The Corpus Christi IceRays also earned a road sweep in a 3-v-4 battle against the Shreveport Mudbugs, shrinking the gap to just three points from third place and six points from second place. The Odessa Jackalopes now own sole possession of fifth place thanks to a weekend split with the Topeka RoadRunners and a win on Tuesday over the Amarillo Bulls.
| TEAM | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | PTS | PCT | L10 |
| LONE STAR BRAHMAS | 44 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 71 | .807 | 10-0-0-0 |
| WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS | 40 | 23 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 50 | .625 | 4-6-0-0 |
| SHREVEPORT MUDBUGS | 39 | 22 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 47 | .603 | 5-3-1-1 |
| CORPUS CHRISTI ICERAYS | 39 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 44 | .564 | 8-2-0-0 |
| ODESSA JACKALOPES | 40 | 16 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 36 | .450 | 4-6-0-0 |
| AMARILLO BULLS | 41 | 13 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 34 | .415 | 2-7-0-1 |
| TOPEKA ROADRUNNERS | 44 | 43 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 32 | .364 | 3-6-0-1 |
ICERAYS NEWS…
IceRays broadcaster Collin Schuck will be joining the league’s best players at the end of February for the 2017 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in Plymouth, Mich. on February 27-28 at USA Hockey Arena. Schuck, 26, was selected by media members around the NAHL to provide commentary for all six games. He will be joined by Austin Bruins broadcaster Michael Keeley, who was also voted into the broadcast booth, as well as three IceRays players on Team South on the trek to Michigan.
ICERAYS BITS…
The IceRays made the best of their time away from the American Bank Center, earning a 5-1-0-0 record during their three-week road trip starting in mid-January. The IceRays’ sole loss came on January 27 in Odessa (3-2 L), but the team outscored their opposition 24-14 and kept all three opponents to three goals or less in each game. In the process, the IceRays also improved their positioning in the South Division, moving from 12 points behind third place to just three points in a six-game span. The IceRays have their best record of the season and have won eight of their last ten games, which ranks tied for second in the NAHL for that span.
IceRays head coach Brad Flynn earned his 21st career win as IceRays head coach on Saturday but 20th under his first full season with the organization. The 39 games it took the team to reach the 20-win mark during an official tenure as head coach is the second fastest in the seven-year history of the junior franchise and fastest for a first-year head coach. The pace just trails that of the 2014-15 season (38 games), which Flynn served as assistant coach, and just edges the first-year pace of Justin Quenneville (40 games). Flynn and Quenneville are the only two junior coaches to reach 20 wins in their first seasons.
