CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Seven different Warriors scored goals and goaltender Daniel Duris stopped 38 shots against as Oklahoma took the first of two meetings with the Corpus Christi IceRays Friday at the American Bank Center.
It did not take long for newcomer Owen Carlile to cement his name onto the scoresheet, and the Warriors jumped to a 1-0 lead for the fifth time in eight games. Carlile won a faceoff back on the left side of the offensive zone and defenseman Therien Thiesing rifled home his second goal of the season, matching his career high for goals in a season in just seven games played. Oklahoma wouldn’t score for another 8:51, which would be the longest time elapsed between any of the team’s goals scored Friday. William Lawson-Body led a 4-on-3 zone entry up the middle and passed over for Brendan Williams at the far wall. Williams then sent the puck to a tee’d-up Cole Teleki who ripped a shot into a flurry of bodies in front of the net. Hunter Jones swept it in near the crease for his sixth of the season to make a 2-0 game at 11:27 of the period. The IceRays answered quickly off a broken passing play in the defensive zone and scored from the blueline at the 12:42 mark. Returning Warrior Dominick Rivelli wouldn’t find his name on the scoresheet in his season debut, but he drew what proved to be a costly penalty by Corpus Christi. On the ensuing man-advantage, Drew Sutton zigzagged his way through traffic at the blueline before skating up the far-side wall and through the crease to score his third of the season. Sutton’s 3-1 powerplay goal with 4:19 left in the period was assisted by Joey Delgreco and Malte Hasselgren. Shots after 20 minutes of play favored the Warriors 14-9, and the Warriors would go into the intermission with 55 seconds of a carryover powerplay.
Oklahoma opened the second period with more offensive firepower and got set up on the man-advantage in the zone. Lawson-Body played catch with Delgreco below the goal line and Delgreco swept the puck in from the side of the net to give the Warriors a 4-1 lead just 22 seconds in. Under three minutes later, Lawson-Body sprung himself on a breakaway and soared a backhander over the IceRays netminder to improve the Warriors lead to 5-1. The onslaught continued and minutes later, Rylan Brady and Kaden Nelson busted in on a 2-on-1. Brady floated a behind-the-back pass to the slot and Nelson buried it for his second of the season, making it a 6-1 game just 5:22 into the frame. The Warriors final goal of the night came before the halfway point of the game and once again highlighted defensive lapses by Corpus Christi. Hasselgren worked his stick free of the opposition and dropped it for William Ahlrik. Ahlrik then slipped away from coverage and sent the puck to a wide-open Blaise Miller in the slot. Miller rocketed in a one-timer for his first of the season, and the Warriors 7-1 marker at 7:17 of the middle stanza.
Corpus Christi found the back of the net twice before the end of the game, but the Warriors held strong to a 7-3 victory. The final shots on goal were 41-41 and Duris’s 38 saves are the single-game high for the Warriors so far in the 2022-23 season. Friday’s game was the third time in eight games this year that Oklahoma put up seven goals.
The Warriors are back in action against the IceRays Saturday, October 22, for a 7:05 p.m. puck drop at the American Bank Center.
Many Oklahoma skaters ride multi-game point streaks ahead of Saturday’s game. Delgreco has 5 points (3,2) in his last three games, Jones has 3 points (2,1) in his last three games, Sutton has 3 points (1,2) in his last three games, Brady has 4 points (1,3) in his last three games and Lawson-Body has 3 points (1,2) in his last two games.