WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (5-8-2) couldn’t continue their point streak, dropping 3-1 to the Wichita Falls Wildcats (11-1-2) on Friday night from the Kay Yeager Coliseum. The loss ended a three-game point streak over their previous two weekends.
The opening period worked at a swift speed with play launching from one end to the other, but despite the pace only one goal stretched across for either side. Wildcats forward Nick Rosa found defenseman forward Ryan Burnett streaking up the left side from the blue line at 5:01, and Burnett rifled a quick short-side shot to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats increased their lead in the second period with two in the back half of the frame. On the IceRays’ only penalty to that point, Wildcats forward Jonathan Lazarus fed forward Nikita Litviak for a back-door goal at 14:44 to double the lead, 2-0, on the power play. Less than one minute later at 15:27, forward Andre Pison’s shot from the left circle was redirected by forward Austin Beaulieu to triple the lead, 3-0.
Both sides had trouble getting shots on net, but late in the frame the IceRays finally answered. At 18:55, forward Brendan Miller intercepted a pass in the Wildcats’ zone, and after taking a shot, forward Regen Cavanagh back-handed a rebound through the back door to give the team their lone goal, 3-1. Despite pulling the netminder, the IceRays couldn’t muster the comeback and fell, 3-1. Wildcats netminder Julian Sime (3-1-1) earned the win, saving 15 of 16 shots, while IceRays goaltender Dryden McKay (3-4-1) picked up the loss, stopping 18 of 21 shots.
The IceRays finish the weekend set against the Wichita Falls Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7:05 p.m. from the Kay Yeager Coliseum. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM) & FASTHockey.com.
The IceRays come home on Thursday, Nov. 19 to open the season series with the Lone Star Brahmas at 10:45 a.m. from the American Bank Center. 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).
