Beaulieu, Shaw Shine as Wildcats Top Topeka
September 26, 2014 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Austin Beaulieu potted a pair and Austin Shaw made 30 saves, as the Wichita Falls Wildcats fought past the Topeka Roadrunners, 3-1, at the Kay Yeager Coliseum on Friday night.
Cam Knight also had a big night, registering a goal and an assist, while Matt Koch and Colin Staub each tallied a helper as well.
The first ten minutes played out evenly with the two teams trading a couple of quality looks, but the Wildcats were the first to cash in on their chances at the 11:30 mark.
After a Topeka turnover in the neutral zone, Staub picked up the loose puck and raced down the right-wing wall. Taking the puck wide, he created enough space to turn the corner on his defenseman, and played a saucer pass to Beaulieu on the left-hand post, who turned it home for his second of the year.
Wichita Falls had multiple good looks in the second period, with Kevin Charyszyn and Evan Okeley creating one-on-one chances for themselves against Matej Tomek, but both times Tomek was equal to the task to keep the score at 1-0 entering the third.
In the final frame, Beaulieu doubled the 'Cats' advantage on a goal created by two Alabama Huntsville commits. Knight collected the back on the right side of the defensive blue and picked out a great pass to Beaulieu at the offensive blue line. The forward skated into the zone all alone and beat Tomek for his second of the night.
After a pair of penalties on Wichita Falls, Topeka almost leveled the affair. Daniel Rzavsky scored on a five-on-three power play to make it 2-1 Wildcats. Over three minutes of major penalty time remained after that goal, but Shaw stood tall in net, turning aside chance after chance to help the 'Cats kill off the penalty.
Knight then finished off the contest for the Wildcats with 13 seconds remaining, as he sent the puck into an empty net from the point to make it 3-1.
The Wildcats return to the ice for a Saturday matinee when they drop the puck against the Roadrunners on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Fans that cannot make it to the KYC can follow all the action on FASTHockey.com, with an audio-only broadcast available via YouTube.
Stay updated on the latest team news and notes by connecting with the Wildcats on Facebook (WFWildcats), Twitter (@WFWildcats), Instagram (WFWildcats) and on YouTube (Wichita Falls Wildcats).
• Discuss this story on the North American Hockey League message board...
North American Hockey League Stories from September 26, 2014
- Winning Streak Ends in Minot - Austin Bruins
- Beaulieu, Shaw Shine as Wildcats Top Topeka - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Tomahawks Score Early, Defeat Warriors 2-1 - Johnstown Tomahawks
- First Place Soo Eagles Return Home to Face Ice Miners - Soo Eagles
- IceRays Host Childhood Cancer Awareness Night on Saturday - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Wilderness Have Active Home Opening Week - Minnesota Wilderness
- Season's Greetings - Minot Minotauros
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
