SHREVEPORT, La. – The Corpus Christi IceRays earned a weekend (1-1-0-0) and season (6-6-0-0) split with the Shreveport Mudbugs following a 4-1 win Saturday night inside George’s Pond at Hirsch Memorial Coliseum. Kyle Moore scored twice for Corpus Christi (26-26-2-1, 55 pts.), Anthony Yurkins registered three points (1+2) and goaltender Brian George stopped 28 of 29 shots faced, having a sensational shutout bid denied with just 1:13 remaining.
With the win, the IceRays decreased their magic number to earn a playoff berth to five with five games remaining. The magic number represents points earned by Corpus Christi as well as points not earned by the fifth-place team, Topeka.
Following a scoreless first period, Moore lit the lamp at 11:54 of the second period. Anthony Yurkins forced a turnover in neutral ice, and Moore skated down and slid a backhand shot past Shreveport netminder Maiszon Balboa.
The game remained 1-0 until Moore scored again with 2:17 remaining in the third period. Yurkins scored an empty-net goal with 1:53 left to increase the lead to 3-0 before Shreveport’s Mark Capkovic ended George’s shutout bid at the 18:47 mark.
On a major power play to end the game, Austin Koss completed a two-point night (1+1) with a goal from the top of the left circle.
The two teams finished even in shots on goal, 29-29. The win was George’s eighth of the season.
Next up for the IceRays is a three-in-three weekend at the South Division regular season champions, the Amarillo Bulls. Puck drop on Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30 is at 7:05 PM, and Sunday, March 31 is at 4:05 PM. 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.
Following the Amarillo trip, the IceRays close out the regular season at home April 5-6 against the Topeka Pilots on “Pack the House for Charity” Fan Appreciation Weekend benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Corpus Christi, presented by AFGE, Advantage Storage, 1st Class Towing, H-E-B, Tukasa Creations and Ruben’s Fleet Service. All tickets (best available) for Fan Appreciation Weekend are just $5 courtesy of Corpus Christi Downtown Management District. 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.
