The IceRays Weekly is a weekly recap and preview of IceRays news, games and more. The IceRays Weekly will be released every Monday during the 2016-17 season.
LAST WEEK…
Saturday, December 3: Wichita Falls Wildcats 4, IceRays 2
Shots: Wildcats 36, IceRays 35
PP: Wildcats 1-for-4, IceRays 1-for-4
The Corpus Christi IceRays (10-11-1-2) saw the game slip away in the third period during their 4-2 loss to the Wichita Falls Wildcats (15-6-2-0) on Saturday night from the American Bank Center.
IceRays forward David Thomson (PP, 6:52 1st) started the scoring with newcomer Griffin Loughran assisting to take a 1-0 lead before the Wildcats came back with two-unanswered from defenseman Jonathan Waring (16:43 1st) and forward C.J. Regula (17:08 1st) just 25 seconds apart to gain a 2-1 advantage. IceRays forward Cole Gammer (7:17 2nd) touched in a back door goal in the middle frame to tie the game, 2-2, but the Wildcats closed the deal with a goal from forward Ilya Skvortsov (5:02 3rd) to nudge ahead followed up late in the game from an insurance goal by forward Jonathan Bendorf (PP, 15:13 3rd) to earn the 4-2 win.
Wildcats goaltender Jared Dempsey (8-1-0) halted 33 of 35 shots in the win, while IceRays netminder Tomáš Vomáčka (5-9-1) stopped 32 of 36 shots in the loss.
Sunday, December 4: Wichita Falls Wildcats 4, IceRays 0
Shots: Wildcats 33, IceRays 32
PP: Wildcats 2-for-4, IceRays 0-for-2
The Corpus Christi IceRays (10-12-1-2) did not have an answer in their 4-0 loss to the Wichita Falls Wildcats (16-6-2-0) on Sunday afternoon at the American Bank Center.
Scoring didn’t pick up until the second period when Wildcats forward Steven Tillie (PP, 13:55 2nd) tapped in a one-time shot to take a 1-0 lead for the road side followed by Wildcats forward Jeff Skinner (15:28 2nd) to double the lead. The Wildcats tacked on two more in the third period thanks to forwards C.J. Walker (15:25 3rd) and Blake Ripley (EN, 17:55 3rd) to seal the 4-0 win.
Wildcats goaltender Jared Dempsey (9-1-0) halted all 32 shots in the shutout win. IceRays netminder Camden Burggrabe (4-3-1) stopped 18 of 20 shots in 35:28 minutes while getting the loss, and Tomáš Vomáčka pushed aside 11 of 12 shots in 21:16 minutes of relief.
THIS WEEK…
Friday, December 9 @ Lone Star Brahmas – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 10 @ Lone Star Brahmas – 7:30 p.m.
The Corpus Christi IceRays head back to the NYTEX Sports Centre to resume their season series with the Lone Star Brahmas from North Richland Hills, Texas. The IceRays picked up a win to close their four-game stretch with the Brahmas in November but still have dropped three of four meetings. The IceRays are winless in two appearances at the NYTEX Sports Centre this season and have a 3-10-3 record over the last four seasons while going 13-15-4 across the board.
The Lone Star Brahmas wrapped up their week early in a two-game set against the Odessa Jackalopes, splitting the weekend with a 6-3 loss on Thursday and a 2-1 win on Friday from the Ector County Coliseum. Three Brahmas players earned multi-point weekend including forward Peter Kessel, who picked up one goal in each game, as well as a pair of assists for Hunter Stanley and John Zimmerman. Defenseman Jordan Biondo scored his first NAHL goal, and Vladimir Studennikov returned and picked up a goal. Netminder Alec Calvaruso stopped 12 of 16 shots in 40:00 minutes during Thursday’s loss, and Erik Gordon earned the win on Friday and combined 31 saves on 32 shots between both games.
South Division Outlook:
The South Division has begun to rift in half heading towards the midway point of the season. The Lone Star Brahmas split their weekend with the Odessa Jackalopes on the road, allowing two teams to close the gap for first place. The Wichita Falls Wildcats swept the Corpus Christi IceRays on the road and drew within seven while the Shreveport Mudbugs swept the Amarillo Bulls at home to shrink the gap to 10 points. The Topeka RoadRunners won both games against the Kenai River Brown Bears and moved into a share of fourth place.
| TEAM | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | PTS | PCT | L10 |
| LONE STAR BRAHMAS | 28 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 41 | .732 | 6-4-0-0 |
| WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS | 24 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 34 | .708 | 9-1-0-0 |
| SHREVEPORT MUDBUGS | 23 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 31 | .674 | 7-3-0-0 |
| CORPUS CHRISTI ICERAYS | 25 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 23 | .460 | 4-6-0-0 |
| TOPEKA ROADRUNNERS | 26 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 23 | .442 | 4-4-2-0 |
| AMARILLO BULLS | 26 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 21 | .404 | 1-6-3-0 |
| ODESSA JACKALOPES | 23 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 20 | .435 | 2-6-2-0 |
ICERAYS BITS…
For just the second time this season, the IceRays were shut out by an opposing team and the second time in the last 30 days. Both losses have come at home including the 3-0 loss to the Lone Star Brahmas on November 18. In fact, the last four shutout losses in the last two seasons have come at the hands of the Brahmas and Wildcats. This is the 34th time in the franchise being shut out compared to 13 instances shutting down opposition, including two already this season.
IN THE COMMUNITY…
The IceRays will be part of the 2016 Christmas in Portland Parade of Lights tonight starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Portland Community Center and running through the city. Stinger Ray and a few IceRays players will be walking and riding in the parade to spread the holiday cheer.
Join Stinger Ray and the IceRays at the Whataburger Grand Opening on Wednesday, Dec. 7 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the new Outlets at Corpus Christi Bay, located at 502 N. Interstate Highway 69 in Robstown. Enjoy face painting, photo opportunities, and meet some of your IceRays.
