Hot off their sweep of the Shreveport Mudbugs, the Amarillo Wranglers hosted the North American Hockey League South Division rival Corpus Christi IceRays at the Amarillo Civic Center’s Budweiser Bullpen on Friday and Saturday.

The Wranglers did take the first game in this series with a 3-2 win Friday, however, saw a three-game win streak snapped, with a 4-1 loss to the IceRays on Saturday night.

Amarillo is 12-13-0-1 with 25 points, three points out of sixth place. The top six teams in the NAHL South Division will make the playoffs and a run for the 2025-2026 Robertson Cup National Championship, held in Blaine, MN.

The Wranglers are now back on the road headed to the Permian Basin for a pair of games this weekend at Ector County Colosseum to take on the Odessa Jackalopes. Odessa currently has a record of 12-10-3-2 with 29 points. Odessa holds a slight series lead for this season at 4-3.

Friday’s game

Friday night saw the first glimpse of the Amarillo Wranglers alter ego the Arena Clowns.

The newly branded Amarillo team rocked a unique plaid and rodeo clown themed uniform that will be used five more times throughout the season. These unique and entertaining jerseys will be auctioned off towards the end of the season and proceeds will be shared among numerous non-profit agencies in our community. Amarillo is following the trend of other Junior League hockey teams as well as minor league baseball teams in creating these alternative brands that bring a special level of entertainment and charitable opportunities to their respective markets.

The excitement was quantifiable in the Budweiser Bullpen this Friday night as both teams looked to extend their respective winning streaks.  Amarillo hit the ice with a 2-game winning streak and the Corpus Christi IceRays looked to extend their five-game winning streak going into this game. 

IceRays forward Jonathan Pyluik started the scoring off with a back hand wrister that found the back of the net at the 10:37 mark of the first period, giving Corpus Christi the early 1-0 lead. At the 2:03 mark of the first period, Long Beach native Ty Izadi captured a streamlined pass from Tiernan O’Rourke and he flat hustled it past IceRays goalie Xander Miceli, tying up this game. Both goalies played very well as the score remained 1-1 at the first intermission.

There is a term used in hockey when goalies play well: they are “standing on their heads.” The second period was a perfect example of both goalies standing on their heads. Wranglers goalie Charles Antoine Girard  stopped 15-of-15 shots. Not to be outdone, IceRays goalie Xander Miceli stopped 13 of 13 shots. This game remained tied going into the second intermission.

Within two minutes of the third period, Amarillo assistant captain Daniel Rassega found the back of the net at the 18:33 mark, giving Amarillo their first lead of the night. This was Rassega’s 12th goal of the season and his second goal in as many games. Just two minutes later, the “Scrap Master” Ty Izadi got the biscuit in the basket, scoring his second goal of the night as Amarillo held onto a 3-1 lead.

With just 1:20 left in the game, IceRays forward Easton Swift snuck one past Amarillo goalie Girard, making things interesting. With a commanding defensive performance towards the end of this game, Amarillo held off the one man advantage onslaught with the IceRays goalie pulled and ended this game 3-2.

Amarillo goalie Antoine Charles Girard stopped 47-of-49 shots, giving him his eight win of the season, taking his record 8-5 with a save percentage of 0.927.

Saturday’s game

Saturday night at the Budweiser Bullpen was a very special night as the Teddy Bear Toss took place.

This decade long promotion celebrates the giving spirit of our great community. Fans are encouraged to bring lightly used or new teddy bears that are thrown onto the ice when the Wranglers score their first goal. This year’s event saw three truckloads of teddy bears loaded and taken off the ice to be distributed among numerous charitable organizations throughout Amarillo and the Panhandle. The hockey community in our area did not disappoint as it took almost 20 minutes to clear the ice of all these great toys.

The night started off with a moving and entertaining rendition of the National Anthem that was performed at Center ice by Amarillo‘s own and current Vanderbilt University music scholar Marcello Tortoreo. Tortoreo, a lifelong resident of Amarillo and 2023 Amarillo High graduate, skated to center and played a magnificent version of the Star-Spangled Banner on saxophone.

With a great crowd on hand, Amarillo was hoping to extend a three-game win streak and an IceRays team looking to rebound off the previous night’s disappointing loss, the excitement in the air was palpable.

The first period of this game was a defensive struggle with neither team finding the back of the net as we went scoreless in the first period.

Corpus Christi took a 1-0 lead in the second period at the 13:33 mark when Jack McKenzie rifled one past Amarillo goalie Girard. Amarillo answered back at the 4:41 mark when the assistant captain Daniel Rassega took a magnificent laser pass from line-mate Ty Izadi and scored his 13th goal of the season (he leads the team) and tied this game up 1-1.

The penalty bug reared its ugly head in this period. Corpus Christi scored a power-play goal at the 3:35 mark of the second period as the IceRays took a 2-1 lead into the final intermission. The penalty bug bit Amarillo hard in the third period as the IceRays at the 9:38 mark scored their second power play goal of the night, extending the lead to 3-1. Corpus Christi added an empty net goal with 40 seconds left in the game and closed this penalty-filled game out 4-1.

First Star of the Game

Friday night’s First Star of the Game went to Amarillo Wranglers center and first liner, Ty Izadi. Izadi came to Amarillo towards the end of last season from the Danbury Hat Tricks and has matured and contributed mightily to Amarillo on and off the ice.

Izadi currently has seven goals and 13 points on the year. Izadi has also put together two game-winning goals. His growth and maturity has been interesting to watch as his veteran leadership is organic and has had a positive impact on this team. His community awareness and participation in everything the Wranglers do is done with enthusiasm, real commitment and a true love for this community.

He has immersed himself not just in hockey, but our community as well. Izadi was interviewed on the ice immediately following Friday’s victory by legendary Amarillo PA announcer Chris Albracht.

When asked what he thought about the alter-ego jerseys Izadi replied with his famous dry sense of humor and without hesitation ”Who doesn’t love plaid and rodeo clowns”.  

This was Izadi’s inaugural First Star of the Game in his NAHL career and we here at Press Pass Sports congratulate him.

Editor’s Note

Please listen for Tommy Tee‘s weekly recap of Amarillo Wranglers hockey on the “Drive at Five” with Lance Lahnert every Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m. exclusively on 710-AM KGNC.