BLAINE, MINN. – The Corpus Christi IceRays fell at the hands of the the Minnesota Wilderness in the second game of the North American Hockey League Showcase at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., 1-0.
The IceRays found themselves trailing in the first period at 7:32 when Wilderness forward Dan Litchke netted his first goal of the season on a tic-tac-toe play with forwards Tyler Cline and Jack Forbort to give Minnesota the lead, 1-0. The IceRays had a number of chances on the power play to even the score, but Corpus Christi came up empty in their three chances in the period.
The second period found no change in the scoreline and only one set of penalties: a coincidental roughing minor for IceRays defender Logan Gestro and Wilderness forward Billy Exell at 9:58. It was the lowest tota of shots in a period combined for the IceRays, with the Wilderness leading 4-3 in that category.
In the third period, things started to get a bit more heated. Forward Tanner Lomsnes would have the best chance to even the score halfway through the period on a breakaway, but a bounding puck got away from his stick. Netminder Luke Pickar was pulled late in the period, but a scrum behind the Wilderness net resulted in an IceRays penalty on Wes Michaud at 18:44 to wipe out their chances of evening the score. IceRays outshot the Wilderness 20-14.
Pickar (0-2-0) earned the loss, saving 13 of 14 shots in the game, and Wilderness netminder Ryan Anderson hearned his second-straight shutout, stopping all 20 shots against. The IceRays return to action Friday, September 19 against the Wenatchee Wild in the third game of the NAHL Showcase. Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. with Countdown to Faceoff and the opening drop at 1:45 p.m. only on FastHockey.com.
The IceRays open their 2014-15 home schedule on Saturday, September 27 against the Lone Star Brahmas. Call the front office at 361-814-7825 for season and individual ticket details or check out the pricing and seating chart online at www.goicerays.com. Stay current with the latest team news by visiting www.goicerays.com. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), and YouTube (IceRays TV).
