CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (29-17-4-5) fought through controversy to earn a 4-2 win over the Lone Star Brahmas (43-14-2-0) on Friday night from the American Bank Center.
The IceRays looked to make a statement against the Brahmas and made that with goals on their first two shots of the night. IceRays forward Nathan Bryer clapped in a one-time shot from the left circle at 9:06 while 4-on-4 to take an early 1-0 lead. Just over one minute later at 10:12, IceRays forward Brad Power slipped a shot around the far side of the netminder from the right circle in the final second of a power play to double the lead, 2-0.
The second period became very interesting for the IceRays. Head Coach Brad Flynn was ejected from the game at 3:21 due to a disagreement, but the IceRays answered anyway on their second and final power play of the night. At 10:38, IceRays forward Mason Krueger batted in a loose puck from outside the crease to triple the lead, 3-0.
Another bench minor and an ensuing hooking call led the Brahmas to start a rush back 5-on-3 in the third period. Brahmas forward Pete Kessel slotted a shot from the blue line to answer and cut the lead to 3-1. Less than two minutes later at 7:53, Brahmas defenseman Jake Melisko fired in a shot from the left point to cut the lead to one, 3-2. Just after that goal, IceRays general manager Pat Dunn, who was serving as an assistant, was also tossed from the game. With one coach remaining, the IceRays pushed back their lead to 4-2 thanks to a 2-on-1 rush led by forward Jayson DiMizio and a conversion from Cole Gammer at 14:56. The Brahmas did not find an answer while pulling the netminder, giving the IceRays a hard-earned 4-2 win over the Brahmas.
IceRays netminder Tomáš Vomáčka (18-11-6) earned the win, stopping 26 of 28 shots, while Brahmas goaltender Alec Calvaruso (24-7-0) was given the loss, halting 11 of 15 shots. The IceRays begin their final road trip of the season on Friday, Mar. 31 at 7:11 p.m. to open a two-game weekend against the Shreveport Mudbugs from George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum. Coverage begins at 6:55 p.m. on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM) and Hockey TV.
The IceRays host their final home weekend of the 2016-17 regular season on Friday, Apr. 7 at 7:05 p.m. to open a two-game weekend against the Wichita Falls Wildcats from the American Bank Center. The IceRays are heading to the postseason for the third time, and 2017 Robertson Cup Playoffs tickets will be announced in the coming weeks. For tickets to the final home weekend, call the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Snapchat (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).