Icerays Rally For 5-4 Shootout Victory Over Odessa
NAHL Corpus Christi IceRays

Icerays Rally For 5-4 Shootout Victory Over Odessa

Published on October 3, 2025 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


CORPUS CHRISTI, TX - The Corpus Christi IceRays (3-3-0) stormed back from a two-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Odessa Jackalopes (3-1-2) in a shootout, 5-4, Friday night at the Hilliard Center.

"I'm incredibly proud of the way our guys battled tonight," said IceRays Head Coach Kevin St. Jacques. "We faced adversity, stayed composed, and found a way to win. That kind of resilience - especially coming from behind and finishing it off in a shootout - says a lot about the character in our locker room."

The high-flying Jackalopes lived up to their reputation early, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the opening five minutes on a goal by Caden Ghiossi - his sixth career tally against Corpus Christi. Odessa extended their lead on the power play with a hard wrist shot from Shea Barry. Just before the end of the first, the IceRays went on their first man advantage of the night, and rookie forward Chase Nehring tipped home his first career NAHL goal to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into intermission.

Odessa quickly restored their two-goal cushion when Carson Lynch and Daniel Kuczkowski connected for the Jackalopes' third of the night. The IceRays answered before the halfway mark of the second period when Marc-Alexandre Richard buried a rebound for his second goal of the season, making it 3-2. Looking for an equalizer, the IceRays found themselves shorthanded once again, and Odessa capitalized. Hunter Toms fired a shot that deflected off a Corpus Christi player and past goaltender Vladislav Bryzgalov, giving the Jackalopes a 4-2 lead. But just like two weeks ago, the IceRays mounted a third-period comeback.

The first 10 minutes of the final frame remained scoreless until forward William Stewart sniped a top-shelf goal to pull Corpus Christi within one. With under two minutes left, the IceRays pulled Bryzgalov for the extra attacker. Moments later, in his IceRays debut, Grayson Cohen pounced on a loose puck and fired home the tying goal, sending the game to overtime at 4-4.

Both teams traded chances in the 3-on-3 overtime, but Bryzgalov and Jackalopes netminder Kevin Jones held strong, pushing the contest to a shootout.

After both first-round shooters were denied, Grayson Gerhard ripped a shot off the post and in to give the IceRays the edge. Odessa's Jeremy Jacobs answered back, beating Bryzgalov to keep it alive. That set up Easton Swift with a chance to seal it. Gliding in slowly, Swift fired a shot through the armpit of Jone, barely squeaking through and bouncing across the line for the shootout winner. It was the first shootout victory of the season for the IceRays by a final score of 5-4.

NEXT HOME GAME

The IceRays and Jackalopes face off one final time in their two-game series tomorrow night at the Hilliard Center, with puck drop set for 7:05 p.m. Catch the action live with the pregame show on NAHLTV and Retro Radio CC App beginning at 6:50 p.m.

Tickets start at just $5! Get yours now at www.goicerays.com, through Ticketmaster, or at the Hilliard Center box office!

Check out the Corpus Christi IceRays Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



North American Hockey League Stories from October 3, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central