CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – The Corpus Christi IceRays (32-14-5) scored three unanswered goals and an overtime winner by Max Ranstrom to defeat the Shreveport Mudbugs (31-16-5) by a final score of 3-2 on Saturday night at the American Bank Center. It was just the second time this season the IceRays have won a game when trailing after two period. The rubber match and series finale will be played tomorrow afternoon.
The Mudbugs wasted no time getting on the score board tonight after a turnover by the IceRays in their own zone, Bryce Boucher set up Andrew Seminara who fired a shot into the net to give Shreveport a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the game. The Mudbugs dictated most of the play in the first period and tested Goalie Vladislav Bryzgalov 11 times in the frame. Corpus Christi was given the first power play of the night that was short lived after a interference penalty 32 seconds in to the man-advantage. Later in the frame, Mudbugs Forward Jonah Jasser was tripped by Colin Watson on a breakaway and was rewarded a penalty shot for a chance to double his team’s lead. Jasser made no mistake lifting a backhand past Bryzgalov to put the Mudbugs up 2-0 heading into the first intermission.
The first 10 minutes of the middle period flew by as both teams struggled to find a rhythm until the IceRays had back-to-back shifts leading to a penalty by the Mudbugs. The IceRays came up empty but carried the momentum into another power play opportunity with a chance to cut into Shreveport’s lead. After a lack luster first minute and half on the man-advantage Corpus Christi, Greyson Gerhard pulled a puck out of a pile and snapped a back door pass towards Carter Krenke that deflected off a stick of a Mudbugs defender and into the back of the net to get the IceRays on the board. It was Gerhard’s 13th of the season and second goal in last three games. The Mudbugs would hold on to the 2-1 lead with the final period of regulation on deck.
Corpus Christi was hunting for the equalizer all period long and the Mudbugs would not budge and more importantly Goalie Nikola Goich was turning aside everything the IceRays sent his way. With under two minutes remaining in regulation the IceRays sent out the trio of Carter Krenke, Cooper Conway and Stepan Kuznetsov. After forcing a turnover Conway curled behind the net and put a pass on the tape of Kuzentsov in front of the net who whipped it past Goich for the game tying goal with a minute and nine seconds remaining in the game. Krenke picked up an assist on the tally extending his point streak to nine games. For the second straight night the game would go to overtime in a 2-2 tie. Overtime lasted 39 seconds as Cody Kempf had to fend off a defender and spin a pass on cutting Max Ranstrom who slapped it into the back of net to complete the comeback victory for the IceRays in a 3-2 final.