CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – The Corpus Christi IceRays (23-7-3) fall to the Oklahoma Warriors (12-19-5) in a shootout by a final score of 7-6 on Sunday afternoon at the American Bank Center. The Warriors scored a late goal in regulation to send the game to overtime and had the lone goal in the skills competition from Kyle Sorenson to take both points on the night. The IceRays are now in a tie with Lone Stars for first place in the South Division with 49 points.
It would be another back and fourth affair between the IceRays and Warriors that saw a total of three different lead chances throughout the night. Oklahoma would strike first in the first off the stick of Caiden Mech to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. The IceRays would bounce back with a goal from Cooper Conway off a shot from Will Reardon that was kicked away by Billy Stuski. Reardon would follow with a goal of his own a few minutes later when a puck fell perfectly in front of him that he was able to slap into the net for a 2-1 IceRays lead.
The Warriors would strike back twice in the final five minutes of the 1st period with goals from Louie Kamienski and Ben Likness to give Oklahoma a 3-2 lead after the frame. Oklahoma would go on to double their lead with another goal inside of three minutes at the start of the period to make it 4-2. Corpus Christi would not go away even shorthanded when Pierson Sobush wired a shot past Stuski on a pass from Troy Pelton to cut the Warriors lead to one. The IceRays would return the favor to Oklahoma in the final five of the 2nd period with goals from Conway and Pelton to snatch a 5-4 lead heading into the final period.
After the first 10 minutes of the period flew by Sobush was able to send a back hand shot into the cage for his second of the game and providing some insurance for the IceRays with under seven minutes to play. Oklahoma would not go away however as Travis Bryson would pull the Warriors to within one a great setup from Louie Kamienski. The Warriors would have one last chance with the extra attacker and Nate Farrell fired a wrist shot from the point through traffic and into the IceRays net making it a 6-6 game and sending the game to extras.
Both teams had quality looks in the 3 on 3 overtime period but Vladislav Bryzgalov and Stuski were brilliant for the entire five minutes to send it to a shootout. Corpus Christi sent four shooters on Stuski and came up empty on all four chances and Kyle Sorenson was able to beat Bryzgalov to defeat the IceRays 7-6.