Sundogs Fall Short In Comeback Bid, 3-2
October 31, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Arizona Sundogs News Release
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - The Arizona Sundogs concluded a four-game road trip Saturday afternoon, falling 3-2 to the Corpus Christi IceRays at the AmericanBank Center in Southern Texas. Both teams entered the rare midday game on short rest as each skated in evening contests the night prior.
Torren Delforte extended his current point streak to six games (5-3-8) with two goals in the loss.
Corpus Christi escaped the opening frame with a 1-0 lead Saturday afternoon on a late power play goal despite Arizona carrying the offensive flow for most of the period. Signed earlier in the day by the IceRays, forward Chad Costello skated in 2-on-1 before beating Kyle McNulty with a high wrist shot at the 19:10 mark.
Holding a slight 15-11 advantage in shots in the first period, the Sundogs dominated play in the offensive zone and collected quality scoring chances throughout the frame but were unable to capitalize. Konrad Reeder collected a team-high four shots in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Chris Mei and Rob Jarvis figured into the first period scoring with assists on Costello's late tally with just nine seconds remaining on the man advantage.
After being outplayed by Arizona in the first, the IceRays responded with a pair of goals in the middle frame to open a 3-0 lead before the Sundogs' Delforte cut the deficit back to two with his fourth of the year late in the period. Delforte converted on his club's second 2-on-1 rush in less than a minute, corralling a Scott Thauwald pass and beating Kevin Desfosses with 61 seconds to play in the second period.
Corpus Christi opened a three-goal cushion on a pair of tallies from Morgan MacLean and Jereme Tendler prior to Delforte's second period marker.
MacLean made it 2-0 early in the second, lifting a Chris Richards rebound over McNulty on a delayed penalty call 3:45 in. Richards netted his second helper of the frame on Tendler's fourth goal of the weekend - the forward recorded a hat trick in his club's 5-4 shootout loss Friday - lifting a pass over a sprawling Sundogs d-man on a 2-on-1 rush with 3:15 to play in the period.
Delforte pulled Arizona back within one with his second goal of the game in the contest's closing minutes, redirecting a Kyle Hood shot past Desfosses, but the Sundogs' comeback effort fell short as the team was unable to convert with McNulty pulled in favor of an extra attacker in the game's final moments.
McNulty (0-3-1), still in search of his first win of the year, stopped 31 of 34 shots in the loss while Desfosses allowed two goals on 36 shots for his first win of the season. Each team received five power play opportunities in the contest with Corpus Christi converting for the game's lone man advantage tally late in the first period.
Arizona (2-4-1) closes out it first road trip of the season collecting five of a possible eight points and now returns home for five straight at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley beginning Wednesday, Nov. 4 against the Laredo Bucks. Game time is set for 7:05pm. Tickets start at just $14 and are available by phone at 1-866-4-GET-TIX (1-866-443-8849), online at www.gettix.net and in person at the Tim's Toyota Center Box Office.
Electronic box score: http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=1067467 &refresh=1
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