Bandits steal two from Wildcats
Published on March 16, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
It was a tale of two teams for the Wildcats over the weekend. On Friday, the Wildcats battled hard but came out on the short end of a 3-2 game that went to a shootout. On Saturday, the team struggled with in a 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Bandits.
On Friday, a strong second period kept the Wildcats in the thick of things, but an inability to get any scoring in the shootout led the Wildcats to drop a 3-2 to decision to the St. Louis Bandits. The Wildcats outshot St. Louis 14-2 in the middle frame, including tying the game at one off a goal from Matt Kenline.
St. Louis got on the board in the first with Andrew Hamburg, the NAHL's assist leader, feeding the puck in front of the net to Clinton Bourbonais who put it past Phil Graveline for a 1-0 lead at the 14:41 mark. Kenline's aforementioned goal knotted things up at 14:55 of the second. Assists went to Zach Trotman and Chad Hudson.
The third period was relatively even, with the shots on goal being even at seven apiece, with each team scoring a power play goal. St. Louis did it first with Sean McKenzie in the box for cross checking, Kris Reinthaler unleashed a shot from the point through Anthony Schooley's screen about a foot in front of the crease for a 2-1 lead. The Wildcats would get it back with McKenzie punching it past Keith Kinkaid off assists from Adam Kuhn and Chad Hudson at the 13:45 mark while Reinthaler sat in the sin bin for high sticking.
There was no scoring in the rest of regulation or overtime and so the game went into a shootout. Only one goal was needed, and the Bandits got it from their first shooter, Soren Jonzzen, who put a backhander past Graveline for the shootout's lone goal. Graveline stopped three of four Bandit shooters, while Kincaid stopped all five for the Wildcats.
"I'm pleased with the effort," said head coach John Bowkus. "But we need to get more offense early. Give their goalie credit though; he's one of the best in the league."
A night after proving they can match the Bandits, the Wildcats couldn't get anything started, dropping a 4-0 decision to the Bandits. The Wildcats only managed 10 shots on goal across the full sixty minutes.
"We got out worked in every area of the game," said Bowkus. "It's hard to get anything going when you can't connect on your first pass."
The Bandits got on the board 1:23 into the game with Justin Kirchhevel finding the back of the net off a pass from behind the net. Assists went to Brendan Sheehan and Craig Kitto. The Bandits added two more in the second from Kitto and Dan Olszewski to take a 3-0 lead. Tyler Klein added an insurance marker in the third to cap the scoring at 4-0.
The Wildcats got outshot 28-10, with Nick Hopper stopping 24 of 28 shots he faced. "It's really too bad for him," Bowkus said of Hopper's efforts in net. "He played a good game, but everyone will look at the score, see four goals, and think it's his fault which really is not the case at all."
Upcoming Home Games and Events
The Wildcats go on the road this weekend to Topeka, KS to face the Topeka Roadrunners. Please note that the games have been changed to Thursday and Friday instead of Friday and Saturday. After the brief road trip, the Wildcats finish out the regular season at home against the Springfield Junior Blues on March 27 and 28. Friday the 27th is Kids' T-Shirt Night, while Saturday is the Fan Appreciation Night Prize Patrol.
The Wildcats' End of Season Banquet is coming up on Tuesday, March 24. It will be at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel at 6 pm. The cost is $10 per person. You can reserve your spot at the banquet by calling the Wildcats' office at 940-716-5587.
The Wildcats Golf Tournament will be held on Tuesday, April 7 at River Creek
Wildcats Alumni News
Tournament season rolls on for college hockey and several former Wildcats are on teams that still are alive in their respective tournaments.
The Alaska Nanooks knocked off Ohio State 2-1 in their best-of-three matchup in the CCHA Tournament. Former Wildcat Adam Cardwell had an assist in Alaska's 4-0 victory in the opening game of the series. Alaska will go on to face the University of Michigan Wolverines this Friday in the next round of the CCHA Tournament. The winner of the game will face the winner of Notre Dame-Northern Michigan on Saturday.
Dan Sexton was given an Honorable Mention in the voting for the CCHA All-Conference teams. Sexton led the Bowling Green Falcons in all offensive categories, tallying 17 goals and 22 assists for a total of 39 points in 38 games.
Bemidji State, with former Wildcat Shea Walters, won the CHA Tournament, beating Alabama-Huntsville 4-1 and Robert Morris 3-2. They are an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division I National Championship Tournament.
Northeastern University knocked off University of Massachusetts two games to one in the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinals. Kyle Kraemer scored the first goal of the game in the Huskies' 4-1 victory on Saturday.
Luke Salazar clinched a victory for the Denver Pioneers in the WCHA Tournament's best-of-three opening round. With 48 seconds left in a 2-2 game with Alaska Anchorage, Salazar found the back of the net for the series-clinching goal. Denver will go up against Wisconsin on Friday. The winner will face Minnesota, North Dakota, or Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA Finals.
In Division III, University of Wisconsin-Stout continues onward in the National Tournament. Former Wildcat Jack Wolgemuth scored the game-winning goal in the quarterfinals against St. Scholastica (A game recap and a photo of the goal can be seen here: http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20082009/m/03/14/stsch-wisstout.php). The Blue Devils will face Gustavus Adolphus on Friday. The winner plays the winner of Neumann-Hobart for the Division III National Championship on Saturday.
In Club Hockey, both Lindenwood University and the University of Oklahoma were first-round winners in the ACHA Division I Tournament. Lindenwood beat Penn State-Berks 14-2, with Adam Krefski scoring two goals and picking up three assists. Oklahoma won over Kent State University 9-4. Chris Nicolaou had a goal and Robert Hetrick an assist. Both teams play later today: Lindenwood faces Liberty at 5:30 EDT, while Oklahoma takes on Illinois at 8:30.
Forward Skylur Jameson of the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards was named the ECAC-Northeast Rookie of the Year, while also being named first-team all-conference. From WIT.edu:
Jameson has appeared in all 26 of Wentworth's games and has scored 17 goals and 29 points for a team-high 46 points. His 29 helpers this season tie him for the second-highest seasonal total in the program's history, while his 46 points are the seventh-highest total in a season. Seven of his 17 goals have come on the power play and he has a pair of game-winning markers to his credit. He has scored at least one point in 22 games and had an 11-game scoring streak earlier this season. Three times he was honored as the ECAC Northeast Rookie of the Week.
North American Hockey League Stories from March 16, 2009
- One postseason berth still up for grabs - NAHL
- Phantoms Prepare for Divisional Showdown with Team USA - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Bandits steal two from Wildcats - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- North Stars sweep NAHL weekly honors - Traverse City North Stars
- Former Outlaws Make NCAA Division III Frozen Four - North Iowa Outlaws
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