SHREVEPORT, La. – The defending NAHL Robertson Cup champion Shreveport Mudbugs punched their return ticket to the postseason Friday with a 4-2 win over the Corpus Christi IceRays at George’s Pond at Hirsch Memorial Coliseum. The IceRays held a 2-1 lead at the first intermission but saw it erased by three unanswered goals by the Mudbugs.
Corpus Christi (25-26-2-1, 53 pts.) currently sits in fourth place in the South Division. The IceRays, Topeka Pilots (50 pts.) and Odessa Jackalopes (44 pts.) are battling for the fourth-and-final-available playoff spot.
Mudbugs center Warren Natyshak scored on the game’s first shot at 1:09. Later in the period, Nick Godfrey tied the game for Corpus Christi with his second goal of the season (7:05), and Kyle Moore scored a power-play goal (13:52) to give the IceRays a one-goal lead at the first intermission.
Natyshak tied the game at 4:36 of the second period, then Tim Khokhlachev scored during four-on-four action at 8:32 to give the Mudbugs a lead they would not relinquish. Billy Feczko added a goal with 2:16 left in regulation to secure the two-goal win.
The IceRays and Mudbugs wrap up their 12-game season series Saturday with a 7:11 PM CT rematch in Shreveport. IceRays games are carried live on Sportsradio Corpus Christi (1230 AM/95.1 FM/96.1 FM), HockeyTV and Mixlr with the pre-game show starting 15 minutes prior to faceoff.
The IceRays close out the regular season at home April 5-6 against the Topeka Pilots. Stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays) and Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays). Single game tickets, group tickets and suites for the remainder of the 2018-19 IceRays season are on sale now. Visit goicerays.com or call 361-814-PUCK (7825) for tickets or more information.
