CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (28-16-3-4) march back from a two-goal deficit after the first period to take down the Shreveport Mudbugs (28-16-3-4) in a 3-2 shootout victory on Wednesday night from the American Bank Center, recording their second-straight comeback win.
The IceRays had all of the momentum in the first four minutes, but the Mudbugs found their legs after the opening portion and not only pressed the IceRays back but also scored the game’s first goal. At 14:30, Mudbugs forward Jack Jaunich cleaned up a loose puck in front of the IceRays net to take a 1-0 edge for the road side. In the final minute of the first period, Mudbugs forward Frankie Melton sniped a shot from the edge of the left circle into the opposing top corner to double the lead, 2-0.
A blind-sided hit by Mudbugs defenseman Alex Spencer spurred a fight with IceRays forward Cole Gammer, and that began tilting play back into Corpus Christi favor. On a power play just a few minutes later at 6:24, IceRays forward Brad Power fought to tap in a rebound in front of the Mudbugs net to break a five-game goal less drought on the power play and cut the lead in half, 2-1.
The third period remained tight throughout, but with the netminder pulled in the final minute, IceRays defenseman Cody Fleckenstein took a one-time shot from the blue line that pinballed off two Mudbugs players and found the back of the net at 19:31 to send the game into overtime, 2-2. After no scoring in the overtime period, Power stashed in a goal in the opening round of the shootout, and the Mudbugs were denied in all three attempts, giving the IceRays the 3-2 win.
IceRays netminder Tomáš Vomáčka (17-11-4) earned the win, halting 28 of 30 shots as well as all three shootout attempts, while Mudbugs goaltender John Roberts (15-10-2) was saddled with the shootout loss, tossing aside 38 of 40 shots and one of two in the shootout. The IceRays hit the road for a pivotal two-game weekend against the Odessa Jackalopes starting on Friday, Mar. 17 at 7:05 p.m. from the Ector County Coliseum. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM) and Hockey TV.
The IceRays open a two-game weekend with the Lone Star Brahmas on Thursday, Mar. 23 at 7:05 p.m. from the American Bank Center for the final buy-one, get-one free game of the season. Join the IceRays in their push for the 2017 Robertson Cup Playoffs and pick up seats for the final games of the 2016-17 season by calling 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).