NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (11-13-1-2) scored six goals in a game for the second time this season en route to a commanding 6-1 win over the Lone Star Brahmas (21-8-1-0) on Saturday night from the NYTEX Sports Centre.
The IceRays came out with a sense of urgency and controlled play early on before being rewarded for their actions. At 5:48, IceRays defenseman Tucker White chipped a shot from the right point that bounced off a Brahmas defenseman and into the net, giving him his first North American Hockey League (NAHL) goal and a 1-0 lead. As the first IceRays penalty expired, forward Andy McGlynn was fed a pass coming out of the box for a breakaway by David Baskerville, and McGlynn buried the shot at 10:00 to double the lead, 2-0. On the second IceRays penalty kill, IceRays forward Brad Power picked off a bad pass from Brahmas netminder Erik Gordon and wrapped around the goalie for his second shorthanded goal of the season at 17:50 to triple the lead, 3-0. Gordon was pulled following that goal for Alec Calvaruso. The Brahmas would answer on that same power play on a rebound shot by forward Aiden Spellacy at 18:32 to cut the lead to 3-1 heading into the second period.
Within a myriad of penalties for both sides, the IceRays and Brahmas eventually landed on a 4-on-4 in the back half of the second period. Off the first face-off draw, White found forward David Thomson on the back door for a one-touch goal to move back to a 4-1 leadat 13:51. In the third period, the IceRays ballooned their lead to 5-1 at 2:53 when forward Mason Krueger took away a pass from Calvaruso behind the net. The final tally came at 14:49 when a loose puck came to IceRays forward Nathan Bryer in the high slot that slipped through the netminder to finish the scoreline at 6-1.
IceRays goaltender Tomáš Vomáčka (6-10-1) earned the win, stopping 26 of 27 shots. Gordon (11-2-0) picked up the loss, halting seven of 10 shots in 17:42 minutes, and Calvaruso turned aside 19 of 22 shots in 42:09 minutes of relief. The IceRays make their first trip to George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum in junior franchise history on Friday, Dec. 16 at 7:11 p.m. to take on the Shreveport Mudbugs. Coverage begins at 6:55 p.m. on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM) and Hockey TV.
The IceRays return home following the holiday break on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 7:05 p.m. to open a two-game set against the Shreveport Mudbugs. Season memberships for the 2016-17 season are still available with full and partial season plans. Reserve yours by contacting the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Snapchat (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).
