Wranglers down Ice Rays 7-to-1 Friday night

Mar 25, 2023

Amarillo, Tx-  Amarillo used a complete effort to dismantle the Ice Rays with a 7-to-1 victory Friday night.

The Wranglers’ matchup against Corpus Christi came after seven straight games on the road.

The Ice Rays’ goalie Lukas Malant was forced to make a fleury of saves to open the game as the Amarillo attack kept the puck inside the Corpus Christi end. Malant would make show-stopping saves in the opening frame until Zack Kent finally put the Wranglers on the board with exactly one minute left in the period. Amarillo would put 25 shots on goal on the Ice Rays’ goalie in the first period.

Corpus would respond less than a minute into the second period when Nils Forselius converted on a rebound to tie the game. The middle frame would be more even with the Ice Rays testing Connor McDonough, but they could not find the go-ahead goal. Eventually, Chase Davis would hand the Wranglers the lead again with a shot off the crossbar and in for his 14th goal. Later in the period, Preston Brighton would benefit from a tremendous effort from Jack McDonald to get the puck to Brighton, who beat Malant and opened up a 3-to-1 Amarillo lead.

Things would settle down in the third period, with neither offense finding the back of the net. At the 15:20 mark of the third, Cooper Rice would bury a one-time shot for his fifth goal and give Amarillo a 4-to-1 lead. Moments later, Amarillo would have a 5-on-3 advantage with a pair of Ice Rays penalties. Ronan Walsh would convert on the power play to give the Wranglers a four-goal lead. Immediately following the Walsh PPG, Pierce Patterson would fire home a goal of his own.

In the final minute of regulation, Ben Ivey would find the goal sheet with a shorthanded goal and give Amarillo the 7-to-1 victory. The Wranglers have put up 13 goals in their last two wins, and Connor McDonough has picked up back-to-back wins with a 33-save effort Friday night.

With a two-point night, Patterson extends his scoring lead amongst NAHL defensemen with 48 points. The New Mexico Ice Wolves fell to Lone Star Friday night as the Wranglers closed the gap to six points for the final playoff spot in the South division.