GAME PREVIEW #27 – AT WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS

Dec 5, 2014

CORPUS CHRISTI ICERAYS

at

WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS

Saturday, December 6 at 7:05 P.M.

NAHL Game #313 • Road Game #12 • Season Series 1-2-0
Kay Yeager Coliseum • Wichita Falls, Texas
Radio: SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX) • Mobile: TuneIn Radio

Video: FASTHockey.com • Twitter: @goicerays

Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. with Countdown To Faceoff
 

Tonight’s Game: The IceRays finish their two-game set against the Wichita Falls Wildcats from Kay Yeager Coliseum and round out their final home set of the 2014 calendar year.

Head-To-Head: The IceRays drop to 1-2-0 following their loss last night to the Wildcats. Over their franchise series, the IceRays own a 15-20-6 record, but from Kay Yeager Coliseum the squad has struggled, going 4-10-5 on the road. Their last win from Wichita Falls was on Nov. 30, 2013 in a 4-2 win.

Last Game: The IceRays were battered around by the Wildcats, 7-1, from Kay Yeager Coliseum. The Wildcats scored three goals in each of the first two periods to put the IceRays behind greatly in the later stages. The lone tally for Corpus Christi came at 12:14 of the first period thanks to a power play goal by Tanner Lomsnes assisted by Nic LaBurn and Ryan Cusin. Andrew Lindgren earned the loss, saving eight of 11 shots in 10:36 before being pulled for Luke Pickar, who stopped 23 of 27 shots.

Bottom of the Well: Last night’s loss was the worst result thus far in the 2014-15 season. The seven goals allowed is the most since Oct. 25 when the IceRays lost 6-3 to the Amarillo Bulls on the road, and the six-goal differential doubles the worst goal differential set three times this season: Sep. 14 vs. Topeka (5-2 L), Oct. 11 vs. Lone Star (5-2 L), and Oct. 25 vs. Amarillo (6-3 L).

Going Quietly: The IceRays have been stifled when attempting shots over their recent stretch, losing three of their last four games and averaging 20.25 shots per game. In those four games, they’ve taken no more than 22 shots while being outscored 17-8. On the flipside, their opponents have taken on average 30.25 shots per game while allowing 38 shots in each of their last two games.

Numero Uno: After being shut out on the power play in four-straight games, the IceRays have started to regain their edge, scoring power play goals in three-straight games. They now rank first in the NAHL in power play. Over their last three games, the IceRays are 5-for-14 (35.71%) with an extra skater on the ice.

Living In Sin: With another misconduct awarded in last night’s game, the IceRays now have 22 10-minute misconducts this season. That is close to averaging one misconduct per game. With another 18 penalty minutes last night, the IceRays now sit in third in the NAHL in penalty minutes (577), only trailing Amarillo (768) and Odessa (595).

Great Eight: Forward Ryan Cusin continues to place points, recording points in eight-straight games with an assist last night. The Michigan native has sliced six goals and six assists over his last eight games played, with one game scratched during that stretch.

Viva La France: Defenseman Pierre Crinon has been selected by Team France to the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) U20 Division 1 – Group B World Junior Championships in Hungary. Crinon will miss at least three games. This is the 19-year-old defenseman’s fifth selection to Team France and his third with the U20 squad. Last season, Crinon played five games in the tournament, recording two assists with 18 penalty minutes and a -1 rating. Over the last three seasons, the 6-foot-5 defenseman has played 22 games of international competition at the U20 and U18 levels, recording eight assists with 62 penalty minutes and a -9 rating.

Depleted Reserves: The IceRays will be skating a full lineup tonight, however they will not have any healthy scratches for the first time this season. Logan Gestro (inj.), Crinon (WJC), and Joe Chitwood (SSPD) have been ruled out for the game. Nathan Bryer (sick) will be another game-time decision after sitting out last night, and Luke Pickar (sick) will continue to play through an illness.

Balanced Attack: The Wildcats saw five players earn multi-point games in last night’s win. Leading the charge was forward Max Reisinger who tallied two goals and one assist. Forwards Colin Staub, Paul Soubry, and Jonathan Lazarus as well as defenseman Matt Koch all earned one goal and one assist. Every player now has at least one point, and no two players are separated by more than three points going through the lineup.

Point Taken: Wildcats forwards Colin Staub and Nick Farmer have been leading the charge for Wichita Falls over their recent stretch. With one goal and one assist last night, Staub now has five points (2+3=5) over his last three games as well as 12 points (5+7=12) through eight of his last nine games. Farmer has been just behind the winger, earning eight points (5+3=8) through six of his last seven games after gaining an assist last night.

South Division Standings:
1 – Topeka RoadRunners (18-6-2, 38 PTS)
2 – Wichita Falls Wildcats (17-5-0, 34 PTS)
3 – Lone Star Brahmas (16-6-1, 33 PTS)
4 – Corpus Christi IceRays (13-9-4, 30 PTS)
5 – Wenatchee Wild (11-9-5, 27 PTS)
6 – Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (9-12-4, 22 PTS)
7 – Amarillo Bulls (8-14-2, 18 PTS)
8 – Odessa Jackalopes (6-16-4, 16 PTS)

Next Game: The IceRays return home on Thursday, December 11 as they begin a two-game set against the Amarillo Bulls at 7:05 p.m. from the American Bank Center. Thursday is the start of the Masters of Art exhibition by Cole Vittetoe entitled "12 Jerseys: A Celebration of Family, Friends, and Hockey" as well as Twofer Thursday. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. with Countdown To Faceoff on SportsJuice.com, FASTHockey.com, and 87.7 FM in-arena.