Winless week drops Rayz to third

Published on November 22, 2005 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


The Corpus Christi Rayz knew their first four-game week of the season would be a long one. What they may not have known is how difficult it would end up being. Corpus Christi suffered home losses to Rio Grande Valley and Odessa and road defeats in Oklahoma City and Austin as part of a 0-4 week of hockey that dropped the team under .500 for the first time this year. Corpus Christi entered the week in first place, on the heels of a three-game winning streak. However, the four-game slide has the Rayz currently sitting in third place - five behind the Laredo Bucks for first place in the Southeast Division. The Rayz have a 6-7 record good for 12 points. They lead Austin by two points, and trail Rio Grande Valley by three points for second place. The Rayz were outscored 18-8 this past week and did not hold a lead once in any of the four games.

Corpus Christi fell behind early in all four games, trailing at the end of the first period, each game. In three of the four games, the Rayz fell behind 3-0. On Tuesday and Friday, Corpus Christi was able to make up their three-goal deficit, only to see their opponents recapture the lead and hang on for eventual victories. The Rayz were outshot in all four games, and gave up a season high number of shots in a period in the opening game of the week, when they gave up three goals on 22 shots to the Killer Bees in the opening period of play. The winless week marked the second time this season that the Rayz went without a victory in a week of games. However, in only five weeks, Corpus Christi has also had two perfect record weeks in which they won all of their games.

Corpus Christi will now attempt to break their four-game losing streak against another team with a four-game losing streak of their own in the Youngstown Steelhounds. The Rayz will make their first and only visit to Youngstown, OH this season. The Rayz will fly to visit the Steelhounds, marking their only trip by airplane of the season. Corpus Christi will travel to Ohio on Thanksgiving Day, and play Friday and Saturday night games against the Steelhounds before returning home on Sunday. Both games will start at 6:05pm in Corpus Christi with Youngstown, OH located in the Eastern time zone. This upcoming week will be the first week of action this season that does not feature a Rayz home game.

All Rayz home games are played at the American Bank Center. All games will be broadcast live on the flagship station of the Corpus Christi Rayz - 103.7 FM KOUL and online at the Rayz website - www.ccrayz.com. All home games, along with select road games, are available for viewing on the internet at www.chltv.com.

Practice Schedule: The Rayz will practice out of town at the Laredo Entertainment Center on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, before traveling to Youngstown, OH on Thursday for Friday and Saturday night games against the Steelhounds.

First Strike

Corpus Christi has only scored the first goal of the game a league-low three times, in 13 games, however are a perfect 3-0 when they do.

Trail-Blazers

Corpus Christi has suffered all seven of their losses when entering the third period trailing in the game. Corpus Christi scored only one third period goal this past week in four games. That goal came on Friday night in Oklahoma City, and tied the game at 3-3, however the Blazers scored to recapture the lead and eventually beat the Rayz 4-3.

Sixty Minutes

Regulation has been enough for the Rayz to decide each of their 13 games this season. The Rayz are one of only three teams (Austin, Memphis) to not play an overtime game yet this season. Corpus Christi has come close to OT several times this season, playing four one goal games, and two more contests that have been decided by two goals after empty net goals.

Stymied Shorthanded

The Rayz are the only team in the CHL yet to score a shorthanded goal this season. Until this week, Corpus Christi was one of only three teams to have not allowed a shorthanded goal either. On Tuesday morning, Daymen Bencharski scored an empty net, shorthanded goal against the Rayz to seal the Killer Bees victory. In the following game on Friday night, Ryan Johnston scored a first period, shorthanded goal marking the first, and only time this season a team has tallied shorthanded against the Rayz with a goaltender in the net.

Shooting Gallery

Corpus Christi has given up 524 shots in 13 games this season. The Rayz are averaging a league-worst 40.3 shots against per game. The Rayz have only outshot their opponents four times in 13 games this season, and have a 2-2 record in those contests.

Reid All About it

Rayz goaltender Scott Reid currently leads the CHL in saves with 376. The closest man to Reid is Sebastien Laplante who has 39 fewer saves. Reid is Top 5 in the CHL in save percentage (.926) and minutes played (593:49).

Paper Trail

The Rayz remind you to pick up a copy of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on Tuesday and check out the all-new Rayz Page located in the sports section. Every Tuesday throughout the season, the Caller-Times will dedicate a page to Rayz hockey, updating fans on news surrounding the team, Rayz statistics and an overview of the Rayz competition throughout the Central Hockey League. Readers can also participate in the interactive Weekly Poll Question and check www.caller.com/sports for the poll results.

Rayz Home Games This Week: The Rayz have no home games this week. They will return to the American Bank Center on Thursday, Dec, 1st for Z-95.5FM College Night and Saturday, December 3rd for Fine Jewelry Outlet Ladies Night presented by K-99.1FM. On Thursday, all college students with a valid school ID will receive discounted tickets starting at just $6, and on Saturday night the Rayz will give away a $5,000 diamond to one fan in attendance. For your chance to win, register at the Fine Jewelry Outlet in Moore Plaza. Both games begin at 7:30pm and tickets start at just $10. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations or the American Bank Center Box Office. For more information, please call the Rayz at (361)814-PUCK.

Season Record: 6-7-0 (12 points) Home Record: 3-4-0 (6 points) Away Record: 3-3-0 (6 points)

This Week's Schedule: Friday, November 25th @ Youngstown Steelhounds 6:05pm CST

Saturday, November 26th @ Youngstown Steelhounds 6:05pm CST

Last Week's Results: Tuesday, November 15th vs. Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 6-3 L

Friday, November 18th @ Oklahoma City Blazers 4-3 L

Saturday, November 19th @ Austin Ice Bats 4-1 L

Sunday, November 20th vs. Odessa Jackalopes 4-1 L

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



Central Hockey League Stories from November 22, 2005


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