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NAHL Corpus Christi IceRays

IceRays' 3 Power Play Goals Charge Them to Victory Over Odessa

February 28, 2025 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


CORPUS CHRISTI, TX - The Corpus Christi IceRays (30-14-4) road a hot power play to a 5-3 victory over the Odessa Jackalopes (20-23-4) on Friday night at the American Bank Center. It was the second time this season the IceRays have scored three power play goals in a game.

Corpus Christi will go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon in the series finale.

IceRays Goalie Vladislav Bryzgalov stole the show early in the first having to face five shots in the opening three minutes of the game and turned all five aside to keep it scoreless. His brilliance early allowed the IceRays to settle into the game eventually leading to their first power play of the night. One of the three power play goals on the night came off the stick of Stepan Kuznetzov who labeled a wrist shot in the top corner for his 14th of the season to give the IceRays a 1-0 lead. As the period was ending the Jackalopes pulled a puck out of scrum in IceRays territory, found Braden Pietila in the slot who fired a shot past Bryzgalov that was believed to tie the game at one, but a penalty for an equipment violation on Raymond Perrault wiped the goal away and sending us to the intermission with the IceRays leading 1-0.

The Jackalopes would get their equalizer just before the halfway mark of the hockey game on a power play goal from Charlie Smith who deflected a shot past Bryzgalov to end a man advantage that lasted over two minutes after two successive penalties by the IceRays. Odessa would follow the IceRays into the box just a few minutes later and Corpus Christi would convert on a snapshot from Carter Krenke in the high slot. It extended Krenke's point streak to six games and was assisted by Cooper Conway for his second helper of the night. The IceRays would hold onto a 2- 1 lead heading into the final frame in search of their 30th victory.

Odessa wasted no time bringing the game back to a tie off a low shot by Nicholas Arrington making it a 3-3 game with 18 minutes left in regulation. The tie would be quickly erased by the IceRays third power play goal of the night on a laser beam from Michael Valdez for his 7th of the season to restore a one goal lead for the IceRays at 4-3. Billy Biedermann would the fifth goal of the evening on a one-time blast off a pass from Raymond Perrault to extend the IceRays lead with just over 12 minutes to play. The Jackalopes would get one back to cut the deficit to one with about under six minutes to play to add to the drama of the night, but Biedermann deflected home his second of the game late in regulation to seal off a 5-3 win for the IceRays.

Corpus Christi became the ninth team in the NAHL to reach 30 wins this season.

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North American Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2025


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