NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas – The Lone Star Brahmas welcome the Corpus Christi IceRays for the second time this season, looking to put a stamp on the second spot in the South Division.
The Brahmas are 3-1-1 on the season against the IceRays with two home wins back in October.
Corpus Christi hosted a hot Rio Grande Valley team on Tuesday and they got stung 7-3. The Killer Bees are starting to pull away from Amarillo for the final playoff spot and they are just a point behind in the standings trying to catch the Wenatchee Wild for the No.5 spot. Mason Kreuger and Travis Howe each had a goal and an assist, but Andrew Lindgren had a rough start in net, stopping 30 of 37 shots in the loss. The IceRays went an abysmal 4-for-7 on the penalty kill, but they did score two goals on their power play. Corpus Christi played the last five games against the Killer Bees, going 2-3-0.
For Friday night’s match-up, it represents a chance for the purple and white to catch up to the Topeka RoadRunners (one game back) and create some separation with the Wichita Falls Wildcats (1.5 games back, but WFS has two games in hand).
PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS
Brahmas Fan Night at Raising Canes was rescheduled to this Thursday and we are ready for a night of comfort food and winning prizes! Canes will be raffling off various Brahmas gear including a one-of-a-kind Raising Canes Brahma jersey. You can hang with a handful of players and even score some playoff tickets. Join us from 5 – 9 pm and if you mention that you’re with the Brahmas when you order, 15% of your bill will be donated to the Texas Jr. Brahmas Scholarship Fund.
Friday night is our Throwback Night and the Brahmas will be wearing the Central Hockey League Brahmas jerseys. Immediately following the game, we will auction off the jerseys in the west lobby.
Fans will receive a game day brochure to relive some of the best moments in Brahma history, including the 2009 CHL Championship team. We will play the championship game in our lobby.
Saturday Night is Derby Night where select players from the Dallas Derby Devils will be in the lobby promoting their upcoming season starting in mid April. All the Derby Devil games are played in the NYTEX Sports Centre.
This entire month is Fusion Whole Body Recovery Month honoring their one year anniversary. March 21st is the date to mark in your calendars. From 8am – 3pm, Camp Gladiator, Crossfit Colleyville, Yoga, and Fitness Fight Factory will each host a workout at Fusion, so bring a friend and get fit! Grab a bite to eat from G's Brunch Truck, a taste of Jersey now in North Texas, enjoy $10 cryotherapy sessions, $10 (10min) massages, and a variety of giveaways. Some of those giveaway items are Brahmas signed memorabilia and 2015 playoff vouchers.
Fusion is your all-in-one pain management and sports recovery center. They do everything from massages to cryotherapy sessions. Call their Colleyville location 817.442.9424 for appointments.
THE LAST TIME
On February 7, the Brahmas took control of the game in the opening 20 minutes and locked up a 5-3 win in Corpus Christi. Roman Uchyn and Oskar Andren each scored twice in the game and Jake Kupsky got credit for the win, stopping 23 shots. Luke Pickar suffered the loss for Corpus Christi, making 29 of 34 possible saves.
WEEKEND RECAP
The Brahmas swept the Odessa Jackalopes, finishing the regular season 9-0-1 against the Jacks. Chad Guderian (+2, 2 shots) and Eric Carreras (E, 2 shots) barely found the stat sheet against their former teams, and they both missed on their shootout attempts. Forwards Peter Kessel had two goals and Pat Egan capped it off with a weekend high three points. TJ Black locked up his third shutout of the year on Saturday night. Tanner Creel and company forced a shootout on Friday night but Anton Santesson and Sebastian Vidmar scored two goals in the five-round shootout to win 3-2 (2-1 in shootouts).
WILDFONG’S WARRIORS
Sebastian Vidmar leads the charge with eight points (3G, 5A) against the IceRays this season in five games played. Interesting to note that half of his points came on special teams. Fans still remember the home opening game this season at the NYTEX Sports Centre where Vidmar scored the game-winning wraparound goal against Corpus Christi in overtime after controlling the stretch feed from Johan Steen. All eyes will be on the Captain as usual this weekend
Speaking of that overtime winner, Johan Steen has not fizzled out against the IceRays since the opening night. Steen leads all defenseman with four points, a +5 rating on the ice and 14 penalty minutes against Corpus Christi. Steen has been efficient, but he also had an interesting game where he was involved in a big scrum at the American Bank Centre. The Swedish d-man plays a sound and physical game against whenever he takes on the team from down south. He will play in his 96th career game as a Brahma on Friday night.
While centering Vidmar, Ludvig Larsson has also managed to accumulate points against the IceRays, averaging over a point per game. The one catch is he couldn’t handle the Corpus crowd a month ago and he has a team high 37 penalty minutes against the Rays. So the question is, which Larsson will show up this weekend?
SCOUTING THE RAYS
Tanner Lomsnes has been the best player on the ice recently for the IceRays and he was honored as the NAHL South Division Player of the Week. The Red Deer, Alberta forward became the second Ray to pass the 50 point mark after his seven-point weekend against Rio Grande Valley. He had a hat trick and two assists on Saturday night and two assists the night before. Tuesday night, he added an assist in the 7-3 loss to Rio Grande Valley
In their two February road trips, the IceRays averaged four goals per game, but they were weak defensively, surrendering just under four goals per contest. This weekend is important for the IceRays because if they get some help from the RoadRunners and can take home at least two points, they have a chance to be the fourth team to secure playoff berth.
AROUND THE SOUTH
Topeka RoadRunners (1st) @ Amarillo Bulls (7th) – Fri./Sat. 7:05pm
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (6th) @ Odessa Jackalopes (8th) – Fri./Sat. 7:05pm
Wenatchee Wild (5th) @ Wichita Falls Wildcats – Fri./Sat. 7:05pm
Corpus Christi IceRays (4th) @ Lone Star Brahmas (2nd) – Fri./Sat. 7:30pm
PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Lone Star Brahmas, Topeka RoadRunners, and Wichita Falls Wildcats have already punched their tickets to the Robertson Cup Playoffs.
The Corpus Christi IceRays can clinch a playoff spot with three wins OR two wins with an Amarillo loss OR one win and two Amarillo losses.
TICKETS
Tickets still available for this weekend. Call the box office (817) 336-4423 and be sure to ask about our playoff ticket packages and 2015-16 season tickets and mini plans.