RAYS’ REPORT #26: ALL TIED UP

Mar 19, 2012

With only four games remaining in the season for Corpus Christi, the IceRays are now tied with the Odessa Jackalopes for the fourth and final playoff spot in the South Division.  The final four games for Corpus Christi are against their division rival, Texas Tornado.  Odessa will face Amarillo once and Topeka twice before the season concludes.  This past weekend was tough for the IceRays, as they fell to Amarillo 3-2 on Friday night, then 8-1 on Saturday.  

GAME #1 – 03-16-12: Corpus Christi 2-3 Amarillo – It took just 0:13 for the Bulls to take the lead on Friday night.  Greg Gibson buried his 21st goal of the year on a puck that was loose in the low slot.  The IceRays struck back in the middle period.  Chris Taff one-timed a pass from Beau Walker in the left wing circle past Amarillo net-minder Mike Taffe to tie the game at one a piece just 1:31 into the period.  Gibson picked up his second goal of the night, and 22nd of the year just 3:45 into the final period of regulation to push Amarillo out to a 2-1 lead.  Once again though, Corpus Christi stayed with Amarillo. On a power-play, Jonathan Grebosky found the puck in a scrum right in front of the net and tied the game with 10:22 left in the game.  Just when overtime approached, Tyler Deresky one-timed the game winning goal past Anthony Stolarz with four seconds left in the game to propel the Bulls to a 3-2 win in regulation time. 

GAME #2 – 03-17-12: Corpus Christi 1-8 Amarillo – Amarillo continued right where they left off during Saturday night’s game.  The first three goals put the Bulls out to a 3-0 lead in the first period.  Mike Erickson, Clint Carlisle, and John Gustafsson each tallied the strikes.  Danny Fetzer gave the IceRays life with 14 seconds left in the first period.  He found Eric Purcell waiting in front of the net for his team leading 20th of the year.  In period two, Carlisle struck again with his second goal of the game 6:22 into the second frame.  TJ Sarcona’s second period goal with 3:35 left to go gave Amarillo a 5-1 lead after 40 minutes of action.  Three more goals in the third period sealed an 8-1 victory for the best team in the league. 

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS:
FRIDAY, MARCH 23RD VS. TEXAS

           Frosty Friday – Half off 20-ounce beer and 24-ounce soda!
           Texas Skills Night presented by HEB – First 3,000 fans get a poster
              courtesy of the Caller Times.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24TH VS. TEXAS
           – Pack The House Night presented by CPL Retail Energy – Harley
              Davidson Jersey’s & Auction.
           – Caller Times Family Four Pack Night – Get four tickets for just $34.
          

AROUND THE SOUTH DIVISION:
           

 

Team

GP

W

L

OTL

PTS

WPCT

GF

GA

PIM

HOME

AWAY

yAmarillo

56

42

7

7

91

.813

242

133

1503

20-4-4

22-3-3

xTopeka

56

35

17

4

74

.661

180

142

1135

19-8-1

16-9-3

xTexas

56

33

16

7

73

.652

196

150

1158

19-5-4

14-11-3

Corpus Christi

56

25

26

5

55

.491

160

180

1130

16-9-3

9-17-2

Odessa

55

25

25

5

55

.500

144

165

986

16-13-1

9-12-4

Wichita Falls

56

19

32

5

43

.384

142

191

997

13-11-2

6-21-3

New Mexico

57

18

36

3

39

.342

163

249

908

11-15-2

7-21-1

CORPUS CHRISTI’S RECORDS AGAINST THE SOUTH:
AMARILLO: 2-6-0 (Season Series Over)
NEW MEXICO: 7-2-1(Season Series Over)
TEXAS: 5-2-0
TOPEKA: 0-4-0 (Season Series Over)
WICHITA FALLS: 5-6-1 (Season Series Over)
ODESSA: 4-5-1 (Season Series Over)

ICERAYS LEADERS:
GOALS: Eric Purcell – 20
ASSISTS: Beau Walker – 30
POINTS: Beau Walker – 42
PLUS/MINUS: Chris Taff – +5
PENALTY MINUTES: Michael Dery – 91min
SHOTS: Beau Walker – 171
WINS: Anthony Stolarz – 22
GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE: Anthony Stolarz, 2.69
SAVE PERCENTAGE: Anthony Stolarz, .923

TIED WITH FOUR TO GO…As of now, both Odessa and the IceRays have 55 points in a battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the South Division standings.

FIRST ROAD SWEEP…Last weekend, Corpus Christi tallied their first sweep on the road all season long by taking down the New Mexico Mustangs last Friday and Saturday night. 

TWO HOME GAMES LEFT… The IceRays only have two home games remaining.  Corpus Christi hosts Texas this Friday and Saturday night.

COMMITMENTS

2011-2012
Anthony Stolarz – University of Nebraska-Omaha
Brandon Adams – Holy Cross
Pheonix Copley – Michigan Tech
Mychal Monteith – Mercyhurst College
Colton Saucerman – Northeastern University
Matthew Weis – Ohio State University

 ALUMNI REPORT

NCAA D-III…
           – Luc Neitenbach (Worcester State) – Luc had one goal and one assist  
              in 20 games as a Freshman.
           – Kevin Crowe (Wentworth College) – Kevin finished 5th on the team in
              points for Wentworth with twelve goals and eleven assists.
           – Derrek Shartz (Tufts University) – As a freshman, Derrek had three
             goals and two assists in 25 games.

NCAA D-I…
           – Michael Benedict (Niagara University) – Michael has two goals and
              four assists in 37 games for the Purple Eagles.

USHL…
           – Matthew Weis (Green Bay) – in 24 games, Weis has four goals and
             six assists.
           – Colton Saucerman (Lincoln) – Saucerman has recorded three goals
             and eleven assists for Lincoln in 24 games.
           – Pheonix Copley (Des-Moines) – After being traded to Des-Moines,
              Copley has a GAA of 2.84 and save percentage of .917.

WHAT’S ON TAP…  The IceRays host the Texas Tornado for the final two home games of the regular season.  Fans can listen to all the action with the voice of the IceRays, Rob Lippolis, beginning 15 minutes prior to the games on the Rays flagship station, ESPN Radio 1440AM.  The game is available for free online at www.espncorpus.comor on the league’s pay-per-view website, www.fasthockey.com.  Be sure to get your tickets now by calling the IceRays front office at 361.814.PUCK (7825) or crash the net at www.goicerays.com.

“THE NEW ICERAYS…TOMORROW’S STARS”