CORPUS CHRISTI ICERAYS
at
LONE STAR BRAHMAS
Saturday, October 11 at 7:30 P.M.
NAHL Game #120 • Road Game #6 • Season Series 1-0-1
NYTEX Sports Center • North Richland Hills, Texas
Radio: SportsRadio Corpus Christi • Mobile: TuneIn Radio
Video: FASTHockey.com • Twitter: @goicerays
Coverage begins at 7:15 p.m. with Countdown to Faceoff
Today’s Game: The IceRays finish up their two-game set against the Lone Star Brahmas from the NYTEX Sports Center in the Lone Star opening weekend. The IceRays can earn three of a possible four points with a win this evening.
Head-To-Head: After last night’s loss, the IceRays own a 1-0-1 record against the Brahmas, picking up three of a possible four points. Their record drops to 15-26-5 against tonight’s opponent, winning six of their last ten. Last season was the most successful season against the Brahmas in their history, outscoring Lone Star 26-16 while winning six of eight appearances.
Last Game: The IceRays fought back from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime but fell to the Brahmas 3-2. The Brahmas struck first at 11:04 of the first period on a Sebastian Vidmar power play goal while adding a second at 11:58 (54 seconds later) on even strength thanks to Hunter Stanley to double the lead, 2-0. The IceRays answered at 2:50 in the third period on the power play when Tanner Lomsnes redirected a Wes Michaud shot to cut the deficit in half, 2-1. Nic LaBurn sent the game into overtime at 16:12 of the same period with a one-time goal from Tanner Lomsnes to even the score, 2-2. Just 42 seconds into overtime, Sebastian Vidmar scored the game-winner on a wrap-around change to result in the final, 3-2. Luke Pickar was awarded the loss, saving 14 of 17 shots, while TJ Black gained his second-straight win, saving 19 of 21.
Who Wants a Penalty?: Both teams combined for 97 penalty minutes in last night’s game, a season-high for the IceRays. 44 of those minutes were given to the IceRays, while the other 53 went to the Brahmas. In total, there were a total of 21 minor penalties, one major penalty, four 10-minute misconducts, and one game ejection.
Leading The Pack: Defenseman Anthony Cortese continues to put on a clinic from the blue line, scoring two assists last night. He now leads all IceRays players in goals (5) & points (11) and is tied for the lead in assists (6) through his first ten games. He leads all NAHL defensemen in goals and points and is the only defenseman in the top-15 in points in the NAHL.
All Good Things…: With the power play goal allowed last night, the IceRays streak of 26-straight penalty kills came to an end, but with an 8-for-9 effort, they improve their percentage on the season, going 34-for-36 (94.44%) in their last eight games.
I’ve Got The Power: The IceRays have converted at least one power play chance in each of their last five games after last night’s 1-for-7 effort, going 6-for-24 (25.00%) in that span. Overall, the power play has moved to fifth in the NAHL after last night, and the team has converted in seven of their first ten games.
A New Dawn: At 5-2-3, this season marks the best start through the first ten games in IceRays franchise history of the NAHL (five seasons). Only one other team has started with a winning record in their first ten games (2010-11: 5-4-1).
Streak Me: Two players come into tonight’s game with a three-game point scoring streak: Anthony Cortese (second time) and Wes Michaud. Cortese has one goal and four assists over his last three games, grabbing assists in each of those games, while Michaud has one assist in each of his last three games. Only one other player has posted a three-game point streak: Tanner Lomsnes (1+3=4 in his first three games).
Paint Protectors: Both IceRays goaltenders Andrew Lindgren and Luke Pickar rank in the top-20 of the NAHL amongst netminders in goals against average and save percentage. Lindgren sits eighth in GAA (1.79) and seventh in save percentage (.935), and Pickar ranks 14th in GAA (2.50) and 18th in save percentage (.900).
Tough Meat: The Brahmas have also had great success on the power play, converting in six of their first eight games this season, including three-straight games (3-for-19). The only opponents they were shut down: Corpus Christi (Sep. 27, 3-2 L) & MN Magicians (Sep. 17, 3-2 L).
He’s No Flounder: Brahmas forward Sebastian Vidmar has been on a tear of recent, scoring seven points over his last three games (5+2=7), including two goals last night against the IceRays. Vidmar also has scored the game-winning goal in three of the four Brahmas wins this season. He is now tied for third in the NAHL in goals with Kenny Hausinger (ODA), Austin Beaulieu (WFS), Ronnie Hein (ABD, and Kevin Charyszyn (WFS).
