AMARILLO, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (25-15-5) allowed 14 power play chances for the Amarillo Bulls (18-24-4), and the IceRays were taken down 5-2 on Saturday night from the Amarillo Civic Center. Both teams combined for 120 penalty minutes and 26 power play attempts in the weekend split.
After a fight between IceRays forward Tanner Lomsnes and Bulls forward Riley Christensen set the tone for the game, the IceRays earned an early power play advantage and capitalized thanks to forward Wes Michaud at 1:16 to take a 1-0 lead. The penalties continued to come, and with IceRays forward Griff Jeszka in the box, Bulls forward Luke Novak tucked in the power play tally at 8:02 to tie the game, 1-1. The Bulls fell on the penalty kill toward the end of the first period, but Bulls forward Charlie Combs forced the home side ahead, 2-1, with a shorthanded goal at 19:35.
The luck did not favor the IceRays in the second period, with another penalty against the road side allowing the Bulls to capitalize. Forward Will Harrison back-handed a shot from the right circle over IceRays netminder Andrew Lindgren at 3:44 to double the lead, 3-1. IceRays defenseman Taylor Karel was sent to the penalty box in the latter half of the second period, and for the third time, the Bulls were helped on special teams from a power play goal by Combs at 13:43, jumping the lead to 4-1.
The IceRays gained a strong chance with a five-on-three power play early in the third period but were unable to capitalize on the chance. Another IceRays penalty allowed Amarillo to tack on a fifth special teams goal, and Combs completed the hat-trick at 9:36 to give the Bulls a 5-1 lead. The IceRays showed life on their ensuing power play as forward Matt Colford found twine with a back door jam to draw within three, 5-2.
Bulls netminder Anton Martinsson (11-10-3) picked up the win, turning aside 38 of 40 shots, while Lindgren (18-9-3) earned the loss, saving 25 of 30 shots. The IceRays travel back home to the American Bank Center on Friday, February 20 at 7:05 p.m. to begin a two-game set against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsJuice.com, FASTHockey.com, and 87.7 FM in-arena. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or the American Bank Center Box Office.
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), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), and Vine (@goicerays).
