Mudbugs squeeze past Rayz 3-2

Published on February 7, 2006 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


Bossier-City, LA - For the second straight game against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, the Corpus Christi Rayz put together a solid game for 60 minutes, and played well enough to get a victory. However, for the second straight game it was the Mudbugs who handed the Rayz a heartbreaking 3-2 loss. Dale Lupul's goal with 49.1 seconds left in the game gave the Mudbugs their first lead of the night as the Mudbugs extended their season-high winning streak to five games. Corpus Christi will return to the American Bank Center on Thursday night when they host the Amarillo Gorillas on College Night. Tickets for college students start at just $6. For more information, please call the Rayz at (361) 814-PUCK.

In the first period the goaltenders stepped up as the headliners. In Scott Reid's return to the Corpus net, he was remarkable. Reid turned aside 19 Bossier-Shreverport chances in his first Rayz action since January 8th. For the last 11 games, Reid has been with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. Reid's counterpart Ken Carroll was outstanding as well. Carroll stopped all 13 Rayz shots to keep the game scoreless after one period. The Rayz best scoring chance came when Matt Holmes made a beautiful move on a two on one rush, delayed past a defenseman and then ripped a shot off the crossbar which deflected off Carroll and wide of the net. The Mudbugs hit a post earlier in the post when Scott Sheppard clanked the iron from the inside of the left circle. Sheppard was making his return to the Mudbugs lineup after a 21 game stint with the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The Rayz went 0-3 in the power play in the first period, and the Bugs went 0-2.

In the second period, the Rayz got on the board to take a 1-0 lead for the second straight game over Bossier-Shreveport. At 2:17 of the period Holmes created a Mudbugs turnover in the Bossier-Shreveport zone and found Chris Robertson at the bottom of the slot. Robertson beat Carroll for his sixth goal of the season to give the Rayz the first goal of the game. Just ten seconds later the Rayz found the back of the net again when Derrick McIver forced a turnover and deflected the puck to Holmes in the slot. Holmes quickly fired a shot that beat Carroll short side, but the goal was immediately waved off when referee Tom Sterns ruled that McIver had created the turnover with a holding penalty. The game remained 1-0 for the rest of the period. The Mudbugs outshot Corpus Christi 15-10 in the second period.

In the third period, the Mudbugs answered back twice to tie the game before Lupul's game winner. On a power play, Scott Sheppard scored on a rebound chance 1:53 into the period to tie the game at one. Sheppard extended his scoring streak to six CHL games, dating back to before his call-up. Ryan Carter recaptured the lead for the Rayz when he scored his co-team leading 16th goal from the blue line at 11:54. The Mudbugs once again tied the score when Chris Brassard ripped a shot from the right circle off the shoulder of Reid and behind him at 16:19 to make it 2-2. That goal set the stage for Lupul's last minute, game winning goal. The Rayz record fell to 15-26-2 with their eighth straight defeat. Bossier-Shreveport outshot Corpus Christi 50-29. The Rayz went 0-8 on the power play and the Mudbugs went 1-7. Reid suffered the hard-luck loss, making 47 saves in his return to the lineup. His record fell to 9-13-1. Carroll won his seventh straight game making 27 saves and improving his record to 15-7-4. The Mudbugs have now won five straight games and lifted their Northeast Division record to 24-13-5.

Your Corpus Christi Rayz will return to the American Bank Center on Thursday night when they host the Amarillo Gorillas on College Night, Presented by Z-95.5FM. All college students with a valid school ID will receive discounted tickets, starting at just $6. General priced tickets begin at $10. Tickets are available at the American Bank Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. For more information, please call the Rayz at (361) 814-PUCK or log on to the Rayz website at www.ccrayz.com.

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



Central Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2006


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