CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (15-14-1-3) were held off the scoreline in a 3-0 loss to the Amarillo Bulls (13-17-7-1) on Friday night at the American Bank Center. The loss snaps a four-game win streak and six-game point streak.
An early power play for the Bulls gave them momentum with seven of the game’s first eight shots, but the IceRays held off the opposition to keep the game level including a second power play later in the frame. Each side had key chances, including one for IceRays forward Mason Krueger on the back door and Bulls defenseman Bray Crowder at the IceRays net, but the netminders combined for 21 saves and no goals allowed.
The Bulls broke through in the second period for the lone goal of the frame. At 12:45, Bulls forward Brendan Walkom re-directed a shot coming from defenseman Bray Crowder at the blue line to take a 1-0 lead. In the final minutes of the second, the IceRays picked up the aggression and pacing of shots, but a few highlight saves by Amarillo kept them away in the middle portion.
The IceRays were set back on an early power play in the third period and slipped behind by two when Bulls forward Steven Ipri tapped in a back door shot at 1:08 to double the advantage, 2-0. Bulls netminder Brandon Bussi continued his purge of puck stopping in the third period, halting all 15 shots faced in the final frame. The Bulls sealed the win with an empty net goal by forward Eric Cooley at 18:29 and rest the score at 3-0.
Bussi (8-4-3) halted all 36 shots faced for his third shutout of the season, while IceRays netminder Camden Burggrabe (4-4-1) was saddled with the loss, stopping 29 of 31 shots. The IceRays and Bulls go back into action on Friday, Jan. 20 at 7:05 p.m. to begin the final weekend of the season series from the Amarillo Civic Center. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM) and Hockey TV.
The IceRays return home to the American Bank Center on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7:05 p.m. to begin a two-game weekend set against the Odessa Jackalopes. Season memberships for the 2016-17 season are still available with full and partial season plans. Reserve yours by contacting the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Snapchat (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).
