CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Shreveport Mudbugs picked up their seventh victory against the Corpus Christi IceRays this season by way of a 4-1 final in a New Year’s Eve showdown at American Bank Center. Shreveport (21-11-0-0, 42 pts.) improved its lead on Corpus Christi (13-16-2-3, 31 pts.) to 11 points for the final playoff position in the NAHL’s South Division.
Ben Biester scored the IceRays’ lone goal of the game to open the scoring 9:47 into the first period. Biester’s tally, his first career NAHL goal, came off a cross-ice feed from Will Winship, marking his first career NAHL point.
The Mudbugs took the lead with two goals by defensemen in 91 seconds early in the second period. Ryan Dickinson scored on a rebound at 2:08, then Alexis Girard fired a shot off the post and in at 3:39. Brent Keefer then scored from the right circle at 17:25 to give Shreveport a two-goal lead at the second intermission.
Mudbugs forward Warren Natyshak scored a five-hole goal at 13:06 of the third period to cap the game’s scoring.
Shreveport goaltender Richie Parent made 26 saves. Each team committed one penalty in the game. The IceRays outshot the Mudbugs, 27-25.
The game was the IceRays’ third of an eight-in-a-row stretch against the Mudbugs. The two teams meet this Friday and Saturday night at George’s Pond at Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, La., before wrapping up their season series with a 3-in-3 Jan. 10-12 in Corpus Christi. The IceRays’ next home game, Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:05 p.m., is Pro Wrestling Night presented by Bud Light, featuring appearances by wrestling superstars Luke Harper and Sammy Guevara.
Tickets for all 2019-20 IceRays games are on sale at the American Bank Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. IceRays games, home and away, can be heard live on Sports Radio Corpus Christi 1230 AM-95.1 FM-96.1 FM (KSIX-AM/FM) and mixlr.com/icerays, and can be viewed on HockeyTV (HD iPPV). For more information on the IceRays, or to purchase tickets, visit goicerays.com or call 361-814-PUCK (7825). Stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays) and Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays).
