NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX — For the first time this season the Brahmas suffered a sweep on home ice. The sweep came at the hands of the Corpus Christi IceRays, who have certainly been playing good hockey of late.
Still, the Brahmas managed to salvage a point this weekend with an overtime loss on Friday — and as we creep up on the halfway mark of the season, every point matters.
Friday’s game was the annual Teddy Bear Toss Night, and that portion of the evening was a resounding success. Anton Sandberg’s first NAHL goal was one to remember, as he sent the bears flying to the ice in the second period.
The final count is not yet in, but it appears that fans tossed over 1,000 bears onto the ice — blowing last year’s record out of the water.
Unfortunately, the Brahmas didn’t score again during regulation and eventually fell in overtime by a score of 2-1.
What was even more unfortunate than the overtime loss was another injury to a key Brahmas player — defenseman Kyle Hallbauer played very limited minutes in the back half of the game, throwing a wrench into the Brahmas’ offensive capabilities.
That bled over into the following night’s game, too. Hallbauer’s absence — added to that of several other players, including veteran Brahma Justin Addamo — was clearly felt.
Lone Star got off to a shaky start and never really found their footing. All the same, they did get some good chances on net — they were just unable to capitalize for the most part, and a two-goal deficit proved insurmountable despite Austin O’Rourke’s team-leading ninth goal.
The Brahmas have just one game left in the 2017 portion of the schedule before the team takes a much-needed two-week break. The Shreveport Mudbugs come to town this Friday, and will be a good test for a Brahmas squad that is facing some adversity.
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