Corpus Christi, Texas – The Corpus Christi IceRays look to gain some much-needed momentum as they host the Amarillo Wranglers for a two-game series Friday and Saturday night at American Bank Center.
The IceRays return home after splitting a pair of games on the road against the El Paso Rhinos, a 2-1 overtime win Friday, January 19 and a 5-1 loss, Saturday, January 20.
The IceRays enter the weekend 13-21-1, 3SOL for 30 points, in eighth place in the NAHL South Division, four points behind the Odessa Jackalopes for seventh, and 13 points behind the Oklahoma Warriors and New Mexico Ice Wolves for fifth.
Amarillo is tied for second with El Paso with 51 points (22-10-5, 2SOL). The Wranglers are 9-0-1, 0SOL in their last 10 games.
“Obviously we are really excited about playing at home,” IceRays head coach Sylvain Cloutier said, “We’ve been on the road for two weeks, playing in El Paso, and going to San Antonio to practice, so it’s nice to be home for the weekend.”
The two teams have split the season series with the Wranglers pulling out a 5-4 shootout-victory September 29 in Amarillo.
Billy Biedermann, Nils Forselius and Wolfgang Govedaris scored for the IceRays.
Corpus Christi skated to an 8-5 victory the next night, September 30.
Forselius and Pierson Sobush each scored a pair of goals, while Luca Fasciano, Max Tedestedt, Dylan Jensen and Zakhar Polshakov all chipped in a goal for the IceRays.
“We’re playing a really hot hockey team, so we will need to be at our best,” Cloutier said. “Hopefully we will have great crowds to get behind us. It should be a great weekend of hockey.”
Sobush and Anthony Cafarelli are tied for the team-lead with 29 points. Sobush has scored 12 goals and added 17 assists. Cafarelli leads the team with 14 goals to go along with 15 assists.
Mathieu Bourgault has netted seven goals and added a team-high 19 assists for 26 points.
Biedermann, who has been sidelined due to injury, has 21 points (eight goals and 13 assists).
Jack Ivey leads Amarillo with 24 goals and has doled out 13 assists for 37 points.
Roman Zap and Topi Puikkonen each have 35 points. Zap with 11 goals and 24 assists and Puikkonen with 18 goals and 17 assists.
Jack McDonald has 34 points (nine goals and 25 assists), Ben Ivey has collected 31 points (10 goals and 21 assists), and Nolan Gagnon rounds out the 30-plus point parade with six goals and 24 assists for 30 points.
A Carnival Atmosphere Saturday:
Saturday is Kids Fun Carnival Night with a Petting Zoo, Moon Bounce, Carnival Games, Face Painting and Much More.
You can watch the games on NAHL TV and listen on Brewster Street Radio.
For more information, visit goicerays.com.
