The second period was no friend of the Wildcats this past weekend, as the Texas Tornado did the majority of their scoring in the 20-minute span in two victories over the Wildcats.Things looked good early on Friday, as two first period goals gave the fans hope, but the Tornado picked up three unanswered on their way to a 6-3 victory over the Wildcats.
"This is probably the most frustrating game yet," said head coach John Bowkus. "We outplayed them for two periods.
"I don't want to call it luck, but they're getting the bounces that we aren't."
The Tornado jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 7:26 mark of the first, but the Wildcats would tie things up at the 10:16 mark, as Adam Kuhn tallied a power play goal with assists from Chad Hudson and J.T. Osborn. Just twenty seconds later, Chris Leone's slapper from the blue line was deflected by Brian Sheehan, giving the Wildcats a 2-1 lead. Tyler Lundey picked up the secondary assist.
The Tornado would battle back with three goals in a row in the span of six minutes, taking a 4-2 lead. A power play goal late in the second from J.T. Osborn would cut the deficit to one. Assisting on the goal were Zach Ledford and Daniel Gentzler.
The Tornado would put the icing on the cake in the third period, as Jared Williams' 60-foot shot snuck past Phil Graveline for a 5-3 lead. The Tornado would pop in an empty-netter with just over a minute and a half to go for the 6-3 final.
On Saturday, even periods bookended a second period that was all Texas as the Wildcats dropped the second game of their series against the Texas Tornado by a 6-2 score.
The Wildcats came out flying and got on the board first from a power play goal by Brian Sheehan with five minutes to go in the opening frame. Assisting on the goal were Daniel Gentzler and Zach Ledford. The Tornado would tie the game late in the period.
The accursed second period struck again, as the Tornado managed only five shots on goal but scored four times. By the time the dust had settled, the Tornado found themselves up 5-1. They added a sixth goal just over a minute into the third, with the Wildcats matching it on Taylor Herndon's marker off assists from Sheehan and Andy Cramer. The Wildcats had a couple of chances to cut their deficit down late, but hit a couple posts on shots around the Tornado net. "There's no quit in these guys," said assistant coach Mike Flanagan. "Even down four, they're still getting the puck to the net and working at the offensive end."
The Wildcats won't get much rest before their next game, a rare mid-week affair against Springfield. The Junior Blues take on the Wildcats at 7:05 pm on Wednesday, followed by 7:05 pm games on Friday and Saturday.
Teddy Bear Toss Saturday
It's an annual holiday tradition at the Kay Yeager Coliseum: the Teddy Bear Toss. This year, it will take place this Saturday, December 5 as the Wildcats take on the Springfield Junior Blues. Bring a new stuffed animal to the game and get a voucher for a free post-game skate. All donated stuffed animals will benefit the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks Lodge #1105. The Elks will distribute the stuffed animals to needy children in the area as a gift for the holidays.
Wildcats in the Community
The Wildcats' players will be appearing at some schools in and around Wichita Falls this week as part of the Future of America program. On Tuesday, December 1, the Wildcats will be at Fowler Elementary, and on Thursday, December 3, they will be at Washington Jackson Elementary.
Wildcats Alumni Update
On Saturday, Cal Heeter stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced and Sean Duddy assisted on both goals as the Ohio State Buckeyes beat Bemidji State 2-1 in OT at the Holiday Classic in Grand Forks, ND.
Kyle Kraemer's hot streak rolls on for the Northeastern Huskies, as he picked up a goal in a 3-2 loss to Vermont. The senior forward has a goal in each of his last four games and a point in each of his last six.
Eddie Effinger had three goals for the Amherst Lord Jeffs as they were crowned as champions of the Spurrier Tournament at Wesleyan University. Effinger scored one in a 3-1 victory over Connecticut College and two in the championship game, a 6-1 victory over Wesleyan.
Dan Sexton was named the Sher-wood Hockey ECHL Player of the Week for November 16-22. On November 24, the 22 year old rookie moved up a level, being reassigned to the AHL's Manitoba Moose. In his AHL debut, Sexton picked up an assist, and scored his first AHL goal this past Saturday in a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Wolves. He has a goal and two assists in three AHL games. More on Sexton's ECHL award can be seen be clicking here.
Chad Costello picked up the game-winning goal Saturday night in a 2-1 come-from-behind win for the Corpus Christi Ice Rays over the Laredo Bucks. Costello has five goals and four assists in ten games this season in the CHL.
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