CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – The Corpus Christi IceRays (25-9-3) were taken to the brink by the El Paso Rhinos (18-16-3) on Saturday night at the American Bank Center that saw the IceRays prevail 3-2 in a shootout. The IceRays have now won 25 games this season including 15 at home this season with all three shootout victories taking place at the American Bank Center.
“We kind of sat back we didn’t play the way we did on Friday night where we came out hard and were tracking pucks really well. We got away from that a little bit tonight… thank God we got the four points. Now we just got to get ready and focused for next week,” said Head Coach Sylvain Cloutier.
The IceRays jumped out to an early lead when Michael Valdez fired a snapshot past Rhinos Goalie Logan Hughes five minutes into the 1st period. It was Valdez’s fifth goal of the season assisted by Carter Krenke and Raymond Perrault. The IceRays goal came in the aftermath of penalties by both sides forcing the two clubs to play four on four for the first time this weekend. It was the third goal of the season at four on four for the IceRays. IceRays Goalie Waylon Esche making his fourth start of the season for Corpus Christi faced 10 shots in the opening period and made 10 saves after a flurry of chances late for the Rhinos. The IceRays would head to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead.
A track meet broke out early in the 2nd period as the IceRays and Rhinos were flying up and down the sheet trading chances, but nothing cleanly beat either net-minder in the first 10 minutes. Eventually, the IceRays would find themselves down a man loading up another Rhinos power play that converted off a rebound off the shot of Ryder Many Grey Horses that was shoveled into the net by Jacob Solano. With the game tied at one the IceRays wasted no time getting back in front of a sweet feed by Greyson Gerhard setting up Colin Watson in the slot for a one timer that beat Hughes and give the IceRays a 2-1 lead. In the final minute of the period with the IceRays clinging on to a one goal lead Rhinos Defenseman Paavo Hiltunen threw a wrist shot through a sea of bodies that Esche never saw and found the net to tie the game at two sending us in a dead lock to the final period.
Neither side was able to play hero in the final 20 minutes with both teams unable to score on their respective power plays and sending us to overtime. In the extra period, the IceRays and Rhinos threatened but never came really close to hitting the net and the tilt would have to be decided in a shootout. In a similar fashion to the IceRays previous shootout wins this season Matteus Soderbom went first and scored to give the IceRays an advantage. After a post kept the Rhinos second shooter from scoring, Stephan Kuznetsov had the game on his stick and after a series of dekes swept the puck into an empty net to seal off a 3-2 shootout win for the IceRays.
