Corpus Christi, Texas – It was quite a familiar situation for the Corpus Christi IceRays on the road Saturday night.
Trailing 4-1, the IceRays were looking at an uphill climb.
Corpus Christi battled back with intensity, but in the end fell short in a 6-3 loss to the Odessa Jackalopes at the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa.
The IceRays have now lost three straight and are 2-4 in their last six contests.
Pierson Sobush scored a pair of goals and Mathieu Bourgault added the other for the IceRays.
John Christen scored a pair of goals for Odessa. Michael Kadlecik, Hayden DeMars, Thomas Wright and Kowen Belsterling each added a goal.
Odessa outshot Corpus Christi 32-23.
As was the case in Friday’s 4-1 loss, the IceRays couldn’t cash in on the power play (0-for-2), going 0-for-6. Odessa was 0-for-2.
“It was a terrible weekend,” IceRays head coach Sylvain Cloutier said. “We’re really disappointed in our group.”
The IceRays are still in eighth place in the South Division at 9-16-1, 2 SOL for 21 points.
Odessa is one spot ahead in seventh at 12-10-2, 2 SOL for 27 points, seven ahead of the IceRays and a point behind the New Mexico Ice Wolves.
Odessa got on the board first when Kadlecik collected his eighth goal of the season unassisted at 1:25 of the first period.
Sobush answered with his 10th goal of the season at 5:46.
DeMars re-gave Odessa the lead on his 10th goal of the season just over a minute later at 6:48.
Christen netted his fourth of the year at 14:32 and the Jackalopes led 3-1 after one period.
Wright got his fourth of the year at 8:53 of the second period and the IceRays were looking way up at a three-goal deficit.
The light switch turned on for Corpus Christi as they scored a pair of goals less than three minutes apart.
Sobush got his second of the game and 11th of the year at 13:50 to make it a two-goal game. For Sobush it was his 15th assist of the season.
Bourgault got fifth of the year at 16:17 to pull Corpus Christi within one goal at 4-3 heading into the third period.
With the IceRays pressing to get the equalizer, Belsterling got his second in as many nights and fifth of the year at 18:01 from point blank in front of the net.
Christen got his second of the night and fifth of the year on an empty-net goal at 18:19.
Vilgot Holm 26 saves in the loss for Corpus Christi.
The IceRays will take on the Lone Star Brahmas on the road at the NYTEX Sports Center on Friday, December 15 and Saturday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m. CST.
You can watch the games on NAHLTV.com.
For more info on the IceRays visit goicerays.com.
