Corpus Christi, TX (Jan. 5, 2023) – The Corpus Christi IceRays’ next game is tonight, Thursday, January 5th, 2023. Puck drops at 7:05 PM CDT against the Odessa Jackalopes.
Last Time Out
The IceRays lost their final game of the 2022 calendar year by a score of 5-1 at the hands of the Shreveport Mudbugs last Friday, December 30th at the American Bank Center.
Dylan Contreras got things going on a beautiful give and go with Logan Neilson just 4:48 into the game which turned out to be the lone tally of the game for the IceRays. The Mudbugs scored twice over the next 15 minutes and ended the first with a 2-1 lead. They would add a goal late in the 2nd period and then struck two more times in the 3rd, resulting in a 5-1 final.
The IceRays looked a lot more confident, however, than they did the night before, especially during the 2nd period in which they dominated the Mudbugs in terms of offensive zonetime.
The IceRays were scoreless on just one power play opportunity in the game, and went 2 for 3 on the penalty kill. They were outshot by the Mudbugs 36-27, and Lukas Malant made 31 saves in the loss.
Preview Against Odessa
The IceRays hold an overall record of 6-19-5 and are 0-2 against the Jackalopes this season. As a team, the IceRays have scored 3 more goals than the Jackalopes this year, but Odessa has allowed 20 fewer goals than the IceRays.
The IceRays are ranked 24th in the league on the power play at 15.5%, and 12th on the penalty kill at 82.6%. The IceRays are also the fourth least-penalized team in the league with 344 penalty minutes on the year.
The Jackalopes are 12-14-0-1 overall and 5-5 in their last 10. Their power play is dead last in the NAHL at 11.1% with only eight power play goals on the year. They are slightly better on the penalty kill, ranked 22nd at 77%, and are the 14th most-penalized team in the NAHL with 513 penalty minutes this season.
The IceRays won four out of eight meetings against the Jackalopes last season.
Player to Watch
For the Odessa Jackalopes, Ryan Mansfield has been red hot riding a 7-game point streak with five goals and 11 points over that span. He had a goal and an assist in both games against the IceRays during their weekend series last month. He’s tied with Tanyon Bajzer for the team lead in points with 24 on the year.
Meanwhile for the IceRays, Dylan Contreras is on a 3-game point streak; he has two goals and one assist during that stretch. The California-native had the lone goal against Shreveport last Friday, and as you may remember, Contreras scored a highlight reel, lacrosse-style goal in the IceRays’ last win on December 1st against El Paso.
Join the Action and Bring the Sting
IceRays tickets are on sale at the American Bank Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information on the IceRays, or to purchase tickets, visit us here on goicerays.com or call 361-814-PUCK (7825).
All IceRays games are available to listen live on Brewster Street Radio and their Mobile App and you can watch live games on HockeyTV.com.
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