Corpus Christi, Texas –The Corpus Christi IceRays found themselves playing from behind early and never recovered in a 5-0 loss to the Colorado Grit Friday night at the Greeley Ice Haus in Greeley, Colorado.
It’s just the second time this season the IceRays have been shut out.
Corpus Christi was behind seven seconds into the game and gave up another goal less than a minute in the second period.
Losing team captain Anthony Cafarelli early in the second period to a game misconduct only made matters worse for Corpus Christi.
The IceRays are now 7-12-1, 2 SOL for 17 points and tied for eighth place in the NAHL South Division with Colorado.
The Grit improved to 7-13-1, 2 SOL for 17 points.
Colorado goaltender Max Lacroix saved all 36 shots he faced to earn the win.
Bryant Marks allowed five goals on 32 shots.
“Give their goalie credit, he played awesome,” IceRays head Coach Sylvain Cloutier said.
Christian Carter, Bowen Burke, Ben Rakowski, Luke Helgeson and Nicholas Capasso all scored goals for Colorado on a night the IceRays outshot the Grit 36-32, including 14-6 in the third period.
“We got outworked,” Cloutier said. “We can use all the excuses you want. They simply outworked us.”
Carter got things going before the fans settled into their seats with his third goal of the season seven seconds in to give the Grit a 1-0 lead.
With a two-man advantage following penalties to Cafarelli and Billy Biedermann, Colorado capitalized quickly when Burke scored his sixth of the season 43 seconds into the second period to make it 2-0 Grit.
Things settled down before Rakowski scored his first of the year on an unassisted goal at 11:21 to give Colorado a 3-0 advantage after two periods.
The Grit scored quickly later in the third period on goals by Helgeson, his third of the year at 16:43, and Capasso, his fifth, shorthanded at 17:36 to close out the scoring.
The IceRays had their chances with the man-advantage, but couldn’t convert, and were 0-for-8 on the power play, including a power play where they gave up the shorthanded goal.
Colorado was 1-for-3 with the extra attacker.
The IceRays and Grit will meet up to conclude Corpus Christi’s stretch of five straight games on the road, Saturday afternoon at 4:45 CST.
You can watch the game on NAHLTV.com and can also catch it on Brewster Street Radio.
For more info on the IceRays visit goicerays.com.
