CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (4-4-0) surged in the third period and walked away with the weekend sweep of the Amarillo Bulls (1-5-2) by virtue of a 2-1 shootout win on Saturday night at the American Bank Center. The IceRays claim their first shootout win in as many attempts this season and are 2-0 in games ending after regulation.
The opening period stayed relatively even with both sides leveling out in shots, however the Bulls stretched ahead toward the back end of the frame. After IceRays netminder Dryden McKay made three acrobatic saves in his own crease, Bulls forward Joey Molinaro redirected a shot from the left point by defenseman Phil Fromberger at 14:32 to nudge ahead, 1-0.
The IceRays had three chances to equalize in the second period but couldn’t finish. At the outset of the frame, the IceRays held a five-on-three power play that was disrupted by the Bulls as well as two breaks with forwards Brendan Miller and Stevie Bryant that were thwarted by Bulls goaltender Anton Martinsson to keep the scoreline in favor of Amarillo.
Late in the game at 15:30, the IceRays broke a 18-chance duck on the power play when forward Jimmy O’Brien jammed home the game-tying goal through a slew of players at the edge of the crease to send the game into overtime, 1-1. After no scoring in the extra period, the IceRays faced their first shootout of the season in a best-of-three format. In the third round, IceRays forward Ryan Cusin slotted the game-winning goal to help claim the weekend sweep in a 2-1 win.
IceRays netminder Dryden McKay (2-2-0) grabbed the win, stopping 28 of 29 shots, while Bulls goaltender Anton Martinsson (1-3-2) picked up the loss, turning aside 38 of 39 shots. The IceRays begin a two-game series against the Wichita Falls Wildcats on Thursday, October 8 at 7:05 p.m from the American Bank Center. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com or the American Bank Center Box Office.
Contact the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK or go to www.goicerays.com for details on season tickets along with pricing and seating. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Vine (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).
