Friday, 04.06.18 / 10:04 pm CT
Photo: Bryan Williams
In a back-and-forth, closely contested game, the Lone Star Brahmas edged the IceRays by a 4-3 final in overtime on Friday night.
At 8:46, Larry Jungwirth delivered a clean check into a Lone Star defenseman into the end boards. He forced a loose puck, which Brendan Miller quickly located and spun in front of the net for Adam Kadlec. Kadlec put the puck onto his backhand and buried his shot past Harrison Feeney’s blocker to draw first blood for Corpus Christi.
Just a minute and three seconds later, Ture Linden skated down the slot and unleashed a wrist shot, which was partially blocked by an IceRay’s stick. The puck fluttered over the net, caromed off a stanchion along the backboards, and bounced right to Austin Bottrell at the left side of the net. The red-hot winger was able to stuff it past Will Tragge, who was beaten for the first time as an IceRay.
The Rays went to the penalty kill for the first time at 11:26 when Bud Winter, playing in his first game since returning from the NA3HL’s St. Louis Jr. Blues, was found guilty of tripping. With just eleven seconds remaining on the PK, Jayson Dimizio chased down a loose puck in the Brahmas’ zone, and buried his first shorthanded goal as an IceRay.
Period two belonged to the visitors. They had a power play and a half to work with in the first four minutes of the middle stanza. Though they did not score on their first few chances on the man-advantage, their power play eventually came through.
At 11:53, a point shot taken by Kimball Johnson was blocked and fell flat in the slot, where Michael Montambault rifled a shot over Tragge’s shoulder for his eighth goal of the season. Less than two minutes later, Bottrell shoveled a pass into the crease, where Linden jammed the puck through Tragge’s pads to give Lone Star its first lead of the game.
Making his return from a Fraser Cup Championship appearance with the St. Louis Jr. Blues, Bud Winter made a strong impact very quickly. He was robbed by Harrison Feeney twice in periods two and three, but redeemed himself on his third opportunity. After being fed a sharp pass by Angus Scott from the corner. He fired home his first goal as an IceRay from the right circle to tie the game and force overtime.
Unfortunately, the Rays could not electrify the 3,725 in the building in sudden death. A minute and 53 seconds into OT, Bottrell fed Connor Stuart a pass in the slot on a Lone Star counterattack. Stuart snuck a shot through Tragge’s pads to give Lone Star a 4-3 victory to silence the crowd.
The IceRays will wrap up the 2017-18 regular season tomorrow at the American Bank Center on Pack the House Night, presented by CCRV, Church’s Chicken, KATZ 21 and The Storage Place. Puck drop is set for 7:05 pm CT and the game will be broadcast on HockeyTV and on YouTube.
