The IceRays are in Odessa for the first of a two game series tonight. The game between the two teams is the first of five straight against the Jackalopes.
The lines stay somewhat similar on the forward side to what was seen last weekend against Amarillo. The top two units stay the exact same, but on the bottom six is where the changes are seen.
Zach Dill replaces Cole Helm on the line with Merkley and Seitz with the Prosper, Texas native getting the call to the USHL. Michael Casey makes his return to the lineup after being scratched last weekend centering Crolley and Kurtas. Oliver Stumpel is marked as questionable in the pregame lineup card as the extra forward. If he does play on Friday, it will be his first game since January 7th against New Mexico. Stumpel scored in that game in early January.
On the back end, there are some changes starting with Emerson Miller being reinserted into the lineup on the second pair with Dom Foglia. Kevin O’Keefe is marked down as questionable as a seventh defenseman with him or Stumpel automatically having to be scratched after warmups.
Damon Beaver will start on Friday for the IceRays. The start will be his first since the second week in January when the IceRays were swept in Shreveport.
Projected Lineup
FWD
Kuznetsov-Lewis-Zagrzebski
Butler-Elias-Contreras
Dill-Merkley-Seitz
Crolley-Casey-Kurtas
Stumpel (?)
DEF
Carlock-Gillberg
Miller-Foglia
Harvey-Killian
O’Keefe (?)
GOA
Beaver
