How Sweep It Is
Published on November 22, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release
LAST WEEK: The Rays continued their seven-game road trip with two contests in Rio Rancho against the New Mexico Mustangs. Check out how the Rays walked away with two tight victories:
Game #1, W, Corpus Christi 2-1 New Mexico - On Thursday, the Corpus Christi IceRays picked up their first true road victory as they knocked off the New Mexico Mustangs, 2-1, at the Santa Ana Star Center. Terry Portra scored his first goal of the season, Josh Munford tallied the game-winner, and Pheonix Copley made 30 stops as the Rays ended a three-game losing skid. Also, Munford dropped the gloves in the fight of the season as he went blow-for-blow with New Mexico tough guy, Kalin Paul.
Game #2, W, Corpus Christi 2-1 New Mexico - On Friday in another tightly contested game at the Santa Ana Star Center, the Corpus Christi IceRays got a third period game-winning goal from Michael Benedict and recorded a two-game sweep over the New Mexico Mustangs, 2-1. Beau Walker chipped in with two points as he recorded a goal and an assist on the night.
AROUND THE SOUTH DIVISION: Corpus Christi currently sits fifth in the South Division with a record of 9-11-2 (20 points).
ICERAYS LEADERS:
GOALS: Michael Benedict, 11
ASSISTS: Beau Walker, 17
POINTS: Beau Walker, 25
PLUS/MINUS: Terry Portra and Jake Diamond, +1
PENALTY MINUTES: Brandon Marshall, 112
SHOTS: Michael Benedict, 68
WINS: Pheonix Copley, 5
GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE: Pheonix Copley, 3.36
SAVE PERCENTAGE: Pheonix Copley, .908
TRANSACTION REPORT: The IceRays welcomed two new players from the North American Prospects Hockey League for the games against the Mustangs. Defenseman Storm Wahlrab (Laguna Niguel, CA) and forward Seth Blair (Bismarck, ND) joined the team. Both are allowed to play six games with the team, before they are either returned to their NAPHL team or signed to the Rays roster.
BEAU'S A TOP-20 GUY: Beau Walker (West Richland, WA) is tied for 16th in the NAHL in scoring with 25 points through 22 games this season. In addition, Walker is tied for third around the NAHL with 11 power-play assists.
A WEEK OF FIRSTS: There were three firsts for the IceRays this past week. Terry Portra scored his first goal of the season in the 2-1 victory over New Mexico on Thursday. Second, the IceRays won their first true road game of the season on Thursday. Finally, the team capped the week by sweeping a Southern Divisional opponent in regulation on back-to-back nights for the first time this season.
COPLEY BACKSTOPS ICERAYS: Netminder Pheonix Copley has won his last two starts in between the pipes for the Rays. Over his last five games in net, Copley averaged 37.8 saves per contest including a season-high 53 save effort in a loss against the Texas Tornado.
A STRONG SHOWING AT THE SHOWCASE: Corpus Christi announced their arrival into the NAHL with a 3-1-0 record at the NAHL Showcase held in Blaine, MN on Sept. 15-18, 2010.
LARGEST SINGLE-GAME CROWD IN THE NAHL: On Saturday October 23, 2010, Corpus Christi set the benchmark for attendance in the NAHL with a crowd of 5,912 watching the team battle the Texas Tornado. It was Military Appreciation Night at the American Bank Center which honored various law enforcement and military personnel and their families at the game.
ATTENDANCE IS TOPS IN THE LEAGUE: Corpus Christi leads the entire NAHL with an average attendance of 3,250 fans per game. Through 10 games (8 at the American Bank Center), over 32 Thousand fans have watched the IceRays at home in their first season in the league.
WHAT'S ON TAP? The team concludes their season-long, seven-game road trip with a three-in-three weekend. On Friday, the team travels to Wichita Falls for a 7:05 PM game against the Wildcats. On Saturday, the IceRays will travel to Frisco to take on the Tornado at 7:30 PM. The trip wraps up on Sunday in Frisco for a 5:00 PM meeting with Texas. Fans can listen to all the action with the voice of the IceRays, Ryan Holt, beginning 15 minutes prior to the game on the Rays flagship station, News/Talk 1440 AM KEYS. The game is available for free online at www.1440KEYS.com or on the league's pay-per-view website, www.fasthockey.com. If you'd like to watch the game with some IceRays fanatics, Vernon's Bar and BBQ will have the games live on their big screen each night. Vernon's is located on the corner of 3rd St. and Buford.
North American Hockey League Stories from November 22, 2010
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- How Sweep It Is - Corpus Christi IceRays
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