CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christ IceRays (16-10-4) rode on the wings of two Nic LaBurn goals to earn a 2-1 overtime win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (10-15-5) on Saturday night from the American Bank Center. The IceRays finish the first half of the season with three-straight wins and a 4-2-0 record in December.
For the second-straight game, the road side jumped out of the gates in the first period. After forward Frankie Melton went to the box for tripping, Killer Bees forward Guy Roby hacked away at the edge of the IceRays crease to force it through netminder Andrew Lindgren and give Rio Grande Valley a 1-0 lead at 7:25 on the power play. Defenseman Evan Bell and forward Kyle Stephan picked up assists on the play.
In the second period, the crowd rose in excitement with IceRays defenseman Travis Howe taking down defenseman Adam Morrison to also give the IceRays more momentum heading through the frame. Late in the period, newly-acquired Killer Bees defenseman Daniel Nilsson took an elbowing call allowing the IceRays to set up on the power play. Defenseman Anthony Cortese worked with forward Ryan Cusin to find LaBurn at the back side of Killer Bees netminder Nick Schmit to tuck home the game-tying goal, 1-1, at 18:31.
With no goals in the third period, both sides forced overtime. After chances for both teams, LaBurn cleared into the offensive zone and a few passes later stuffed a second chance play into the net to give the IceRays a 2-1 victory 3:12 into overtime. Lindgren (12-6-2) earned his second-straight overtime win, saving 21 of 22 shots, while Schmit (3-7-2) picked up the overtime loss, turning aside 28 of 30 shots.
The IceRays begin the second half of the season on Thursday, January 1, 2015 against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees at 7:30 p.m. from State Farm Arena. Coverage begins at 7:15 p.m. with Countdown to Faceoff on SportsRadio Corpus Christi and FASTHockey.com.
Call the front office at 361-814-7825 for season and individual ticket details or check out the pricing and seating chart online at www.goicerays.com. Stay current with the latest team news by visiting www.goicerays.com. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), and (IceRays TV).
