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Rayz beat Ice Bats, 3-1

February 23, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


The Rayz power play and defense led the way to their third straight win over the Austin Ice Bats with a 3-1 victory on Friday Night at the American Bank Center. The Rayz won for the 13th time in the last 18 games and beat the Bats for the fifth time in the last six meetings. The win upped the Rayz record to 28-18-6 and cut the gap between the Rayz and the first place Laredo Bucks to seven points. Corpus Christi will put their three-game winning streak over Laredo on the line on Saturday night when the Bucks come to town in a match-up of the top two teams in the Southern Conference. It's the Bucks first return to the American Bank Center since the Rayz dramatic come from behind win in a fight-filled contest on January 28th. Tickets are available and on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets and the American Bank Center Box Office.

The Rayz had their six-game road winning streak snapped, but picked up a point for their seventh straight on the road and improved to 27-18-6. The Rayz gained a point on the idle Laredo Bucks in the race for first place in the South and now trail the Bucks by seven. Corpus Christi finished their three-game season set with the Bugs with an even 1-1-1 record. The Rayz gained points for the 13th time in the last 17 games. Corpus Christi will now prepare for back to back games at home this Friday and Saturday to conclude the week.

For the first time in a half dozen games the Rayz fell behind 1-0. Austin took the game's first lead when John McNabb scored on a shot from the blueline that deflected in off of Ron Vogel's glove to give the Bats the advantage at 7:54. Corpus Christi tied the score on the power play when Nick Lindberg redirected a centering feed from Todd Paul at 13:49. Lindberg's goal was his 13th of the year and came from Paul and Jason Baird - who notched his 40th assist on the year. The Rayz outshot the Bats 9-7 in the first period.

The clubs played a scoreless second period. The Rayz outshot the Bats 9-6 in the middle frame.

The Rayz put the game away in the third period with a pair of goals. Geno Parrish gave the Rayz their first lead of the night when he one-timed a laser from the high slot at 9:27. Derrick McIver set up the shot with his career-high 45th point of the season. Jason Baird put the game out of reach with a rebound goal on a power play at 13:38.

Vogel turned aside 20 of 21 shots improving to 18-10-4. Beaudry surrendered three goals on 32 shots and took the loss, falling to 12-7-8. The Rayz outshot the Bats 32-21. The Rayz went 2-7 on the power play and the Ice Bats went 0-5. Corpus Christi played their third straight game without surrendering a power play goal. Austin, with the loss, fell under .500 with a 19-20-10 record, and into a tie for sixth place with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.

The Rayz will return home on Saturday at 8:05pm for the return of the Rayz big rivals, the Laredo Bucks. It's CPL Night, presented by Wendland Air Conditioning and Heating. One fan at the game will win an air conditioning unit from Wendland, and the first 1,000 fans will receive CPL Thunderstix. Plus it's the $1,000 FREE GAS giveaway, courtesy of Citgo. Tickets are on sale now.

Corpus Christi is your town and the Rayz are Your Team! Come support the Rayz as they make a first place and playoff push in the final month of the regular season. Regular priced tickets start at just $10. Group discounts are available for parties of ten or more. Come support your hometown team! For more information, please call the Rayz at (361) 814-PUCK.

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Central Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2007


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