Corpus Christi, Texas – For 20 minutes, things were going as well as can be for the Corpus Christi IceRays on the road against the Oklahoma Warriors.
The next 40 minutes proved to bring the snowball effect as Oklahoma scored in spurts and eventually rolled down hill to the finish line in a 7-1 win over the IceRays Friday night in Oklahoma City.
Corpus Christi fell to 5-11-1, 1 SOL for 14 points and in ninth place in the NAHL South Division.
Oklahoma improved to 11-5-3, 1 SOL for 26 points and tied for third place with the Amarillo Wranglers.
“We played a great first period, that’s about it,” IceRays head coach Sylvain Cloutier said. “The wheels fell off after that.”
Cooper Boulanger and Max Dronen scored a pair of goals for Oklahoma City.
Kaden Nelson, William Ahlrik and Owen Carlile added a goal apiece.
Zakhar Polshakov scored the goal for Corpus Christi.
The IceRays outshot the Warriors 10-9 in a scoreless first period.
But Oklahoma came back to score three goals, while outshooting the IceRays 16-6 in the second period.
Nelson scored on a breakaway at 5:39 of the second for his 10th goal of the season to give Oklahoma a 1-0 lead.
Boulanger netted his seventh of the season at 11:23.
Ahlrik answered 13 seconds later with his fifth goal at 11:36 and the Warriors led 3-0 after two periods.
Dronen collected his third of the year at 8:14 of the third to make it 4-0 and Boulanger got his second of the night and eighth of the season at 11:27 and Oklahoma was on top 5-0.
Polshakov got Corpus Christi on the board just 27 seconds later for his third goal of the year from Mathieu Bourgault and Will Reardon at 11:54 and the IceRays cut the lead to 5-1.
But Carlile and Dronen put the game away with goals at 16:02 and 17:14.
The two teams will go at it again Saturday night in Oklahoma City as the IceRays look to gain another series split with the Warriors.
“It’s a massive game tomorrow,” Cloutier said.
You can watch Saturday’s game on NAHLTV.com and can also catch it on Brewster Street Radio.
For more info on the IceRays visit goicerays.com.
