It was legendary college basketball coach Jimmy Valvano who said "Don't give up; don't ever give up." It's a phrase the Wichita Falls Wildcats have taken to heart. Twice this past weekend, the Wildcats saw themselves staring large deficits in the face, but put themselves in position to win each night.The Wildcats got behind by four goals early on Friday night but didn't let it get them down, coming from behind three times en route to a 7-6 overtime victory.
The Wildcats came out playing well in the early part of the opening period, but Topeka eventually struck for three goals before the end of the opening twenty minutes. Erik Higby scored off a 2-on-1 play, Patrick Kirtland found the back of the net off some nifty passing by Martin Sundstedt and Ryan White, and Bryce Johnson tapped one in off a goal-mouth scramble. Nate Milam would score early in the second on a breakaway, giving Topeka a 4-0 lead 55 seconds into the second period.
The Wildcats made a goaltending change, bringing in Phil Graveline for Erick Cinotti, and from there, the offense came alive. Andy Cramer picked up a turnover and put it past Roadrunners goalie Cooper Frederick, making it a 4-1 game. A minute later, Brian Sheehan scored on a 2-on-1, followed less than a minute later by Kyle Gallegos scoring on a 2-on-1 with J.T. Osborn for a 4-3 game. Topeka used their timeout to settle things down a bit. The strategy worked for a while, but the Wildcats would force the tie with 1:47 to go in the period as Gallegos scored his second of the night on a scramble in front of Frederick.
Topeka followed the Wildcats lead, bringing in Eric Rohrkemper in relief of Frederick. The opening faceoff of the third saw a fight between Topeka's Jeff Burke and Broderick Browne of the Wildcats. Burke got the edge, and momentum appeared to be moving their way, as Kurtis Anton found a rebound on his stick. He deposited it in the back of the net for a 5-4 lead, but the Wildcats curbed the momentum shift with Tyler Lundey scoring off an amazing through-the-legs, behind-the-back, halfway-around-Jupiter move that surprised Rohrkemper. His backhander tied the game at 5.
Two minutes later, a turnover led to Patrick Kirtland's second of the night and a 6-5 Topeka lead. Two penalties on the Roadrunners lead to a Wildcats' 5-on-3 power play. Adam Kuhn's cross-ice pass found Daniel Gentzler for an open shot that tied the game at 6. The final 15 minutes of the period would pass with no scoring, sending the game to overtime. And at the 2:15 mark, J.T. Osborn pushed a faceoff ahead, picked up the puck and put a pass across the crease to a wide-open Gentzler for the game-winner.
Zach Ledford, Brian Sheehan, J.T. Osborn, Daniel Gentzler, Tyler Lundey, and Kyle Gallegos each had two-point nights for the Wildcats. Phil Graveline picked up the win, stopping 19 of 21 shots.
On Saturday, despite an excellent effort with two late power play goals, the Wildcats came up just short in the game's final minutes, falling to the Roadrunners 4-3.
Tyler Lundey got the Wildcats on the board on the second shift of the game with an unassisted goal 54 seconds in, but similar to Friday night's tilt, the rest of the first period belonged to Topeka. The Roadrunners outshot the Wildcats 18-7 in the opening frame, scoring three goals, then adding one early in the second for a 4-1 lead.
Adam Kuhn's third period power play goal cut the game to a 4-2 deficit, and Bryan Kozlowski would get the Wildcats even closer with a power play goal, but the Wildcats couldn't find the tying marker. Erick Cinotti stopped all 21 shots he faced in relief of Phil Graveline.
Kuhn and Kozlowski each assisted on each other's goals, while Andy Cramer also picked up an assist on each. Kuhn also dropped the gloves earlier in the third with Kurtis Anton, giving him the famous Gordie Howe Hat Trick. Kuhn registered the team's most recent previous "Gordie" back in January against Wenatchee.
Tempers flared numerous times throughout the game as the teams combined for five fights and 156 penalty minutes, four game misconduct penalties, and a game ejection. The two teams will play again in Topeka on December 31. The Wildcats' next games will be Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21 at the Texas Tornado.
Black Friday Ticket Deals
With the upcoming holiday shopping season kicking off, the Wildcats want to pass some additional savings on to you the fans for the games on November 27 and 28! On the 27th, all tickets are 4 for $35-that's a savings of $21 on lower level tickets! On the 28th, all tickets are buy 2, get 1 free of equal or lesser value, so bring your visiting family members down to see the Wildcats take on their rivals, the Texas Tornado!
Going to be in Dallas this weekend?
Check out the Wildcats as they play in Frisco, TX against the Texas Tornado! Friday's game starts at 7:30, and Saturday's game starts at 7. The Tornado are offering some great ticket packages as well: get premium seats for $20, end zone seating for $13, and upper end zone for $12! Plus, you get a voucher for a hot dog, chips, and a soft drink free! Act fast: tickets must be purchased by Friday at noon through the Tornado office. Contact Brandon Bergman at 972-335-9800 for your tickets!
Wildcats Alumni Update
Zach Trotman picked up the first points of his collegiate career. The blueliner assisted on a first period goal for the Lake Superior State University Lakers in their 3-1 victory over Nebraska-Omaha.
Cal Heeter upped his record to 4-1-1, outdueling another former NAHL South goalie, Riley Gill, as the Ohio State Buckeyes beat Western Michigan on Saturday, 4-2. Heeter stopped 36 of the 38 shots he faced in the victory.
Bemidji State split their weekend series with Minnesota, with former Wildcat Shea Walters picking up a goal and an assists in Bemidji's 6-2 Sunday victory.
Former Wildcats' captain Kyle Kraemer also tallied a goal and an assist as the Northeastern Huskies split a weekend series with Maine. Kraemer's goal came on the power play in Northeastern's 5-2 win on Saturday.
Brett Kaneshiro picked up his first collegiate points, assisting on a goal in Curry's 8-1 win over Southern New Hampshire.
Skylur Jameson had a hat trick on Friday and another goal on Saturday for the Wentworth Leopards in the Fitchburg Shootout. Wentworth won Friday 9-4 over Worcester State, and tied Saturday with Fitchburg 3-3. His brother, former Wildcats defenseman Shaun Jameson, tallied three assists: two against Franklin Pierce last Monday, and one against Worcester State. Mike Jarboe stopped 19 of 23 shots in the victory over Worcester State.
Chad Costello is continuing his point-per-game average in the CHL with Corpus Christi. He tallied a goal on Friday and an assist on Tuesday. He has 4 goals and 4 assists in 7 games.
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