CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The North American Hockey League (NAHL) announced today that Corpus Christi IceRays forward Tanner Lomsnes has been named Easton Hockey NAHL South Division Star of the Week. The IceRays have earned top weekly honors for the first time in junior franchise history, and Lomsnes is the fourth different player to gain the recognition.
Lomsnes, 20, closed out the month of February in a strong way, earning seven points in two games against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, the highest total in a weekend set this season by an IceRays skater. He earned two assists in Friday’s 4-3 loss, and on Saturday he earned a five-point night with a hat-trick and two assists. It’s the highest point total this season and the first time an IceRays player has hit that mark since forward Jake Durflinger claimed the same numbers on Feb. 7, 2014 against the Lone Star Brahmas. The hat-trick is the third by an IceRays player this season and the second in as many months.
“I think it was important for Tanner to continue to try and exert himself offensively because he has a lot of talent in that area,” said IceRays head coach John Becanic to NAHL.com. “When he uses his size combined with his skill, he can be a very effective player at this level.”
In the same week, the Red Deer, Alb., native played two games in the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, earning an assist in Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to Team Central. The assist makes Lomsnes the ninth player in junior franchise history to record a point at the tournament as well as the eighth person overall to earn an assist. It also continues a now five-year streak of having IceRays players earn points at the tournament. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound left-winger now shares the team lead in goals with 22 and boosted his point total over the weekend to 51. He’s one of two IceRays players to crack the 50-point threshold this season and is five goals away from tying the single-season record for goals set at 27 by Rudy Sulmonte in the 2012-13 season.
The IceRays have had Star of the Week honors in three of the last four weeks, including goaltender Andrew Lindgren last week for his perfect 42-for-42 save performance against the Killer Bees and forward Nic LaBurn three weeks ago for a three-point weekend against the Lone Star Brahmas. Forward Wes Michaud was given the honor on Nov. 10, 2014 for a five-point weekend against the Odessa Jackalopes.
The IceRays head back to close out their season series against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees on Tuesday, March 3 at 7:05 p.m. from the American Bank Center. 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).
