Wildcats Win Game 2 against Topeka, Push Runners to Brink of Elimination
April 30, 2016 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats hosted what could be their final home game until next season on Saturday night, and defeated the Topeka RoadRunners to earn their 20th consecutive home victory, breaking the league record.
Justin Kapelmaster entered Saturday night's game with a .950 save percentage in the playoffs, the best among all NAHL goaltenders. He started just as sharp early in the game Saturday as he was to start Friday, steering aside 15 of 16 RoadRunners shots. However, 5:22 into the game, Topeka peppered him with three tough shots in an extremely quick span. Marcus Russell took the initial one-timer from the circle, which Kapelmaster denied with his stick. He also stopped the rebound shot by Jeff Makowski, but the third chance bounced straight to defenseman Jack Nickels, who finished the job and got the Runners on the board.
Though they didn't respond with a goal of their own within 24 seconds like they did on Friday night, the Cats did level the score. On their first power play of the game, Jonny Lazarus and Nikita Litviak worked the puck along the half boards and created space for Aleksi Poikola, who finished off a centering pass in the low slot to tie the game up at one. The goal was Poikola's fourth of the playoffs and the Wildcats' first power play tally in ten attempts.
Longtime line-mates André Pison and Austin Beaulieu came together 4:32 into the second period to give the Cats their first lead of the game. Pison gained the blue line crisply and found Beaulieu breaking behind the defense down the right wing. Pison found him with a nice pass, and Beaulieu finished the play off for his third goal of the 2016 playoffs.
Throughout the rest of the second period, a penalty killing unit which had so much success through the first round of the playoffs struggled immensely. The Cats found themselves shorthanded twice in the middle frame, and conceded goals to both Topeka power plays. Veteran Runner JB Baker sniped a shot from the high slot glove-side on Kapelmaster to tie the game back up, and a few minutes later Tyler Hayes unleashed a bullet from a similar spot which blew past the Cats' goaltender to regain the lead for the Runners.
The RoadRunners silenced the Wildcats and their fans very early in the third period after Sami Tavernier intercepted the puck in the Wichita Falls slot before faking a shot and then burying the puck past Kapelmaster to make the score 4-2 Topeka. All the insurance goal did for the Runners, however, was add more fuel to the Wildcats' fire. On their very next power play, Adam Goodsir tipped a point shot by Jeff Baum past Niku to bring his team within one. Three minutes later, Austin Albrecht rifled a shot from the left corner which went through Niku's five-hole to tie the game. Late in the period, Poikola scored his second goal of the night by whipping a wrist shot high blocker-side on his countryman Niku, scoring his fifth playoff goal in as many games and prompting the third lead change of the game. A valiant effort by the Runners to tie the game late fell short, and the Cats took Game 2 by a final score of 5-4.
The goaltending was not as dominant in Game 2 as it was in Game 1. Kapelmaster kept his undefeated playoff record intact, stopping 30 of a possible 34 shots for his 5th straight postseason win. Niku was given his third playoff defeat, stopping 27 of 32. The Wildcats head to Topeka to play Game 3 on Monday, May 2nd and will try to eliminate the RoadRunners and advance to the Robertson Cup Semi-Finals.
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North American Hockey League Stories from April 30, 2016
- Wildcats Win Game 2 against Topeka, Push Runners to Brink of Elimination - Wichita Falls Wildcats
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