AMARILLO, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (8-6-1-2) claimed their first ever road sweep of the Amarillo Bulls (6-8-4-0) in a 3-1 win on Saturday night at the Amarillo Civic Center.
The Bulls came out in the first period looking to rectify the loss from last night and powered through the frame. The Bulls tallied 18 shots in the frame and worked to earn the game’s opening goal. At 8:01 on the power play, Bulls center George Mika forced his way into the right circle, and after being turned away on his first shot tucked home his second attempt to take a 1-0 lead. The IceRays nearly tied the game with eight minutes remaining in the frame when defenseman Andrew Froese’s dump in from center ice took an odd bounce and beat the Bulls netminder, however an offside player pulled the goal back.
The IceRays would get that game-tying goal just 55 seconds into the second period when forwards Andy McGlynn and Nathan Bryer freed up center Cole Filler on the back door with a one-time shot for his first NAHL goal and a 1-1 tie. The road side took back control of the second period, outshooting Amarillo 15-12 in the frame and scoring all four goals in the second period in both games.
The third period became the frame for the IceRays with possession and puck movement. The persistence paid off at 14:26 when IceRays forward Mason Krueger took away a puck in the neutral zone and slotted a wrist shot from the high slot off a defenseman and into the net to give the IceRays a 2-1 lead. With the Bulls netminder pulled, IceRays forward Brad Power ensured the win at 3-1 with an empty net goal.
IceRays netminder Camden Burggrabe (3-0-1) earned the win, halting 37 of 38 shots, while Bulls goaltender Nikita Babintsev (5-6-0) picked up the loss, turning away 35 of 37 shots. The IceRays continue their four-game road trip on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7:05 p.m. to open the season series against the Lone Star Brahmas from the NYTEX Sports Centre. Coverage begins at 7:15 p.m. on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM) and Hockey TV.
The IceRays return to home ice on Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:05 p.m. to open a weekend set against the Lone Star Brahmas from the American Bank Center on Stars & Stripes Weekend. Season memberships for the 2016-17 season are still available with full and partial season plans. Reserve yours by contacting 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).