HIDALGO, Texas – Recently acquired forwards Dan Kucerovy (Bethel Park, Pa.) and Joe Llaurado (New Berlin, Wis.) made the sort of debuts the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees hoped they would at the State Farm Arena. Kucerovy scored a goal and added an assist and Llaurado notched an assist Friday in the Killer Bees’ 3-2 victory over the Corpus Christi IceRays.

The win was Rio Grande Valley’s fourth in a row and its seventh in its last nine games.

Though the Bees ultimately celebrated Friday, it was the IceRays who had the first laugh when Joey Palumbo staked his team to an early 1-0 lead 2:20 after the opening faceoff after taking several whacks at the puck from the far side of the cage.

Corpus Christi’s lead was short lived, two minutes and 28 seconds to be precise. The Bees knotted up the score 1-1 when Brenden Dunning (Buffalo, N.Y.) knocked in a rebound off of a 1-timer attempt during a man-advantage. Kucerovy and Llaurado set up the goal on a quick rush into the zone.

Kucerovy gave the Bees their first lead in the game a little more than 10 minutes later. After Dunning won a faceoff in the near faceoff circle of the IceRays’ zone, blueliner Luke Bafia (Tampa, Fla.) launched a shot from the near point that was tipped in by Kucerovy.

After a scoreless period that saw the two NAHL South Division clubs combine for just 11 shots, the Bees got back to work early in the third period.

Jared Dedenbach (Warren, Mich.) gave the Killer Bees a 3-1 advantage with 15:50 remaining in regulation when he knocked in a rebound off of Sean Mostrom’s (Wayzata, Minn.) shot from the near point. Dylan Abood (Centennial, Colo.) also assisted, as he fed Mostrom with a D-to-D pass.

Aleksi Luhtalampi (Rauma, Finland) was also critical on Dedenbach’s goal, which counted as the eventual game-winner. Luhtalampi won a faceoff in the Corpus Christi zone, then won a one-on-one battle along the far wall to set up Abood’s D-to-D pass.

Brad LeLievre went on to score just 32 seconds after Dedenbach, but the IceRays were unable to score the game-tying goal down the stretch as the Bees refused to take a penalty over the final 14 minutes of the game.

The IceRays had four power play chances on the night but did not manufacture a goal. Rio Grande Valley scored one power-play goal Friday on three opportunities.

Olli Kalkaja (Oulu, Finland) made 20 saves on 22 shots Friday to earn his 16th win of the season. It was also his third straight win. Ben Myers took the loss. He made 19 saves on 22 shots.

The Killer Bees (26-14-7) will try to sweep the IceRays Saturday. Faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m. After the game, fans are invited to take part in a skate with the Bees. The cost to skate after the game is $5, and skates will be available to rent.

KillerBeesHockey.com