WENATCHEE, WASH. – The Corpus Christi IceRays (19-12-5) earned their first road win of the 2014-15 season and their first shootout win under Head Coach John Becanic in a 4-3 (1-0 shootout) victory over the Wenatchee Wild (15-17-7) on Saturday night from Town Toyota Center. The IceRays also complete their season series against the Wild with a 4-1-0 record.
The Wild jumped out of the gates first for the second-straight night, claiming the opening goal at 13:39 of the first period off the stick of forward August Von Ungern-Sternberg coming from defenseman Chris Jones.
The scoring picked up in the second period with an answer by the IceRays. After forward Brendan Harris was called for roughing, IceRays forward Ryan Cusin tapped in the team’s first power play goal since Dec. 27 at 10:25 to even the score, 1-1, with the help of forwards Wes Michaud and Tanner Lomsnes. Exactly one minute later at 11:25, IceRays defenseman Anthony Cortese took a shot set up by forward Brad LeLievre from the left point that redirected off the stick of forward Joe Chitwood to jump ahead, 2-1. The lead didn’t last long with an answer coming from Wild defenseman Mitch Demario at 12:51 on a shot in the slot to tie the game, 2-2.
The third period began swiftly for the IceRays thanks to the pursuit of Lomsnes, who claimed the 3-2 lead just 14 seconds into the third period. His goal is the earliest scored by an IceRays player to start a period this season. Cortese and forward Matt Colford picked up assists on the exchange. With a Wenatchee goal at 4:37 coming from forward Colin Burston, the game went into overtime tied 3-3.
After no scoring in the overtime period, the IceRays entered their fifth shootout of the year. Cortese scored for the IceRays in the second round, and goaltender Andrew Lindgren shut down the Wild on all five attempts to claim the 4-3 (1-0 shootout) win. Lindgren (14-7-3) turned away 25 of 28 shots in grabbing the win, while Wild netminder Zach Quinn (11-12-4) earned the loss, stopping 17 of 20 shots.
The IceRays continue their road trip on Thursday, January 22 and begin a two-game set against the Wichita Falls Wildcats at 7:05 p.m. from Kay Yeager Coliseum. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on KSIX (1230 AM, 96.1 FM, & 103.3 FM) and FASTHockey.com. 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), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), and Vine (@goicerays).
