Friday: Corpus Christi IceRays 6 @ El Paso Rhinos 5 – This weekend we welcome the IceRays to Rhino Country for the first of two games! IceRays take charge early in the first as Coper Conway makes it 1-0. Rhinos take quite a bit to respond, but at just under thirteen minutes Jacob Solano ties it up at 1-1. With no more scoring in the first, we head on to the second where the IceRays once again open up Rhino defense. Stepan Kuznetsov takes back the lead and make it 2-1. Just a few minutes later AJ Reed ties it up once more at 2-2 for the Rhinos. The battle continued as Corpus Christi takes two more goals before the Rhinos can take one of their own. By the end of the period the score is 4-3, IceRays leading. After second intermission both teams return to the ice, hoping to secure the victory within the next 20 minutes. 5-3 is the score at just under two minutes in to the third period as IceRays take another, but Rhinos are finally ready to bring it back. Kyle Arias and Pavo Hiltunen tie it up at 5-5. This stalemate held until the end of regulation time, sending us into overtime where the IceRays’ Raymond Perrault scores the winning goal. 6-5 is our final score at the end of Game 1 as IceRays take the first victory.
Saturday: Corpus Christi IceRays 1 @ El Paso Rhinos 4 – Rhinos & IceRays are back on the ice for the second game of the weekend as the puck drops here in Rhino Country. Brendan Holahan plays excellent defense in the first period, shutting out the IceRays from scoring until the buzzer sounded to signal the start of first intermission. AJ Reed breaks the silence and takes an early goal in the second followed by Harper Lolacher just a few minutes later to make it 2-0 at the end of the period. Grayson Gerhard puts the IceRays on the board in the first half of the third period, cutting the Rhinos lead to 2-1. Reed and Lolacher both take another goal each and hand the Rhinos a 4-1 victory for Game #2.
