NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays (1-0-0) opened the 2016 Preseason with a 7-2 win over the Lone Star Brahmas (2-1-0) on Friday night at the NYTEX Sports Centre.
Just 57 seconds into the contest, IceRays defenseman Andrew Froese ripped a shot from the blue line off a faceoff draw to take an early 1-0 lead. Both sides created numerous chances throughout the rest of the period, but the stick work of the IceRays remained on display in intercepting pucks and creating chances offensively.
The scoring broke open in the second period starting at 2:04 when IceRays forward David Thomson knocked in a feed from forward Cole Gammer on the power play to double the lead, 2-0. Not long after, IceRays forward Jayson DiMizio shifted a blind pass from behind the net for a one-time shot by forward Christian Stevens that found twine at 3:28 to triple the lead, 3-0. The Brahmas answered back at 6:03 thanks to returning defenseman John Zimmerman to get on the board, 3-1. Just after the midway mark of the contest, the IceRays forced the game open. At 10:02, forward Cole Filler wristed a shot from between the circles to increase the lead to 4-1. Then, at 10:56, forward Nathan Bryer found the back of the net on a bounding puck to the left side to make it a 5-1 lead. Forward Brad Power then snapped home a shot from the right circle at 11:32 to broaden the lead, 6-1. The Brahmas would answer at 12:44 from another veteran, forward Troy York, to move the score to 6-2 heading into the second intermission.
The IceRays tacked on one more in the third while shorthanded at 4:25. IceRays defenseman Trevor Heuser found Froese at the left point for a one-time slap shot sailing through traffic to increase the lead back to five, 7-2. Play became more physical as the game wore on, but the scoreline rested there for the rest of the contest.
IceRays goaltender Camden Burggrabe (1-0-0) picked up the win in his preseason debut, halting 37 of 38 shots while helping the IceRays go 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. The IceRays also went 1-for-3 on the power play. The IceRays continue their preseason schedule on Saturday, Sep. 10 against the Shreveport Mudbugs from Hirsch Memorial Coliseum. Coverage of Saturday’s game can be found on the IceRays Official Twitter account (@goicerays) for live updates throughout the game.
The IceRays open the 2016-17 home schedule on Friday, Oct. 14 against the Odessa Jackalopes at the American Bank Center. Purchase your 2016-17 season ticket membership ahead of opening night! 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), Vine (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).