David Dudich – Texas Tornado Booster Club: Texas Tornado forward Max Shuart had the game winner in the Tornado 6-1 rout of the Icerays.

Texas was the beneficiary of a tripping penalty whistled on Smith at the 4:19 mark putting the top ranked home power play on the ice. Unlike last night the power play was up to the challenge and knotted the score at 5:25 on a Michael Hoy bomb from the far point. Nick Neville and Jackson Leef assisted on the goal.

With just over 9:00 minutes to go in the second Eric Purcell blocked a shot at the blueline and got behind the defense on a scamper down the middle. Aaron Davis came out to cut down on the angle and forced Purcell to go high over the crossbar. CJ Reuschlein controlled the carom and sprung Justin Greenberg and Max Shuart on a breakaway of the own. Greenberg used his speed to force the defenders to him then gave the puck up to Shuart streaking down the far side. Shuart pulled the puck to the middle, did a spin-a-rama around John Rosium and fired it past Hayden Stewart’s glove hand for the only goal of the period. Time of the Shuart goal was 11:05.

Texas used the momentum from the Shuart tally to jump on the Icerays early in the third. Just as a title conteder does when he gets an opponent on the ropes the Tornado started firing knockout punches. Just 46 seconds into the third. Drew Mayer picked off a pass in the neutral and sent Scott Conway into the offensive zone.Conway skated it to the near circle and ripped a shot off the Iceray on Stewart’s chest. The rebound kicked out to the leftwing circle for Leef to deposit in the back of the net. The Tornado scored again less than five minutes later to take a three goal lead. Jason Eddy put his big body in front of the net to create the screen for a Mousseau slapper from the far point and tipped the puck over Stewart’s left pad at 5:38. Texas was controlling play and had an extended shift around the Corpus Christi cage. Eddy had a couple of point blank attempts turned aside by Stewart but kept working until he found Reuschlein on the left wing. Reuschlein deked the defender and drove to the slot for a wrister that went off the right pad, but Mitch McPherson cleaned up the rebound. The Tornado found the twine again 31 seconds later on a scramble just off the right post and Mayer flipped it over a sprawled Stewart chasing the Iceray’s netminder from the game. Leo Lumm and Hoy were credited with the assists.

Texas outshot the Icerays 36-19 and the power play was 1-3 while the penalty kill was 4-4.  Davis made some big saves and was cool under pressure. He is now 2-1-0 since joining the Tornado giving them another option between the pipes. With a goal and an assist on the night, Leef now has 56 points to tie Brandon Hawkins for the team lead.

The dominating performance from the Tornado is what Texas fans have come to expect, hopefully it will carry over to next weekend as the Tornado travel to Topeka to take on the Roadrunners in a three game set.

David Dudich – Texas Tornado Booster Club: Hayden Stewart stood on his head and got some beneficial bounces to steal one against the Texas Tornado

There was a lot of feeling out between the teams in the first period and even though the Icerays outshot the Tornado, it was Texas who had the better scoring chances. Corpus Christi net minder Hayden Stewart made several point blank saves and had multiple pucks slide just past the posts. Had it not been for the play of Stewart and the bad bounces, the Tornado could easily have taken a two or three goal lead into the first intermission.

In the middle frame it was the play of Hunter Leisner early that kept the Tornado in the game stopping two Corpus Christi odd man rushes. Then at the 17:04 mark the Icerays broke through on a strong individual effort by Charles Baldwin as he brought the puck into the zone, worked around the defense and put it just under the crossbar glove side. Nick Monfils and Ryan McNeely had the assists.

The Tornado took two penalties in the third that dug a huge hole for the defense. First Alexey Soloviev went for hooking at 9:37 then with Soloviev’s penalty about to expire, Louie Rowe was called for checking from behind at 11:25 giving the Icerays a 5 on 3. Immediately off the draw to Leisner’s right Michael Economos  pulled the puck to the middle and ripped a shot on net. Leisner made the glove save but could not hold on, Economos followed his own shot to put home the rebound. Time of the goal was 11:29. Economos scored another quick power play goal just 36 seconds later on a deflection of a Beau Walker shot from the point with the secondary assist going to Emil Romig.

At 13:10 the Tornado began to claw their way back in, Nick Neville brought the puck into the zone down the far side and sent it deep. Neville chased it down and sent a backhand centering pass to Max Shuart who snuck it between Stewart’s left arm and his body. Drew Mayer got another scoring play started when he sent an indirect pass to Shuart off the end boards. Shuart found Michael Hoy sneaking down from the far point for a onetimer over the left pad at 16:33. With time winding down Leisner headed to the bench for the extra attacker and the Tornado began peppering Stewart with shot after shot, but he hung tough and turned aside all the rubber that came his way to hang on for the win.

The Tornado’s special teams play that had been on fire of late did not come through tonight. The power play was 0 for 5 and the penalty kill allowed 2 goals on 6 penalty kills. Texas outshot the Icerays 37-30 including 14 of the last 16 shots on goal.