In a change from recent contests the Lone Star Brahmas controlled play early against the Corpus Christi Icerays. Roman Uchyn just missed at 4:27 of the first when he swatted a rebound out of midair from just off the right post, but Andrew Lindgren made a desperation diving save to keep the game scoreless. The Brahmas finally got one past Lindgren at 11:12 of the first. The play got started with Storm Wahlrabdelivering a big check on Logan Gestro behind the Corpus Christi cage to free the puck.Pat Egan controlled it in the near corner and fed it to the point for a Caleb Thompson onetimer. Lindgren made the initial save, but Wahlrab had gone to the front to roof the rebound for the lead.
The Icerays tied it up in the second when Egan’s cross ice pass to Thompson missed the mark and Brad LeLievre picked it off on the fly. He flipped it into the zone for a touch pass from Nic Laburn to Nathan Bryer. Bryer’s quick wrister through traffic beatTJ Black blocker side. Time of the goal was 6:34.
At 11:56 Anton Santesson corralled a loose puck and slid it along the blueline to Hayden Hanson at the near point. Hanson’s wrister handcuffed Lindgren and got past him to put the Brahmas back up one. With just under five minutes to go, Uchyn had another near miss putting a close in one timer off the near post as he was being elbowed down by Frankie Melton.
Early in the third Trevor Heuser and Sebastian Vidmar got their feet tangled up behind the play and Vidmar was whistled by the linesman for a tripping major and game misconduct putting the Icerays on a five minute power play. The Brahmas killed off the major and at 8:56 Alexey Solovyev bumped Wes Michaud coming toward the net from the near corner. Michaud bowled over Black in the net resulting in Solovyev being called for interference and Michaud for diving. Moments later, the league’s leader in penalty minutes, Travis Howe, was spilled by Nick Ford with a clean check behind the Icerays net. Howe jumped back to his feet and went after Hogan Davidson coming behind the net driving him into the side of the net with a big elbow, but no call came from referee Michael Lacina.