Benedict Leads Catters to 4-1 Win Over Sea Wolves
January 26, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Texas Wildcatters News Release
Beaumont, TX-Brandon Benedict scored twice, including the short handed game winner, and Anton Khudobin racked up 29 saves as the Wildcatters (30-4-7) returned to top form with a 4-1 victory over the Mississippi Sea Wolves Friday night at Ford Arena.
Benedict scored his first of the night and fourteenth of the year on a wraparound play after collecting a rebound on a shot by Moises Gutierrez at 1:28 of the first period and tucking it past red-hot Sea Wolf goalkeeper Ryan Munce to give the Catters a 1-0 lead.
Down a man with a face off in their own zone three minutes into the second period, Benedict would win the draw and slip behind the Mississippi defense as Tim Cook would connect with a long pass, springing him on a breakaway. A laserbeam wrist shot later, Texas would lead 2-0 and Benedict would have his fifteenth goal of the season. Kevin Baker would also collect an assist on the play.
Mississippi would try to recover momentum when Chris Cava mustered the courage to drop the gloves with Wildcatters heavyweight Matt Kassian in the game's only fight at 12:08. Cava would take a beating and Max Taylor would make the score 3-0 Texas after taking a shot from the mid-slot and slamming home his own rebound after Munce made the initial save at12:58. Scott Champagne and Cleve Kinley would collect assists on the goal.
Khudobin was phenomenal, covering all sides of the net and managing rebounds to maintain the shutout effort until late in the contest, including a full two minutes of a 5-on-3 Mississippi power play early in the final frame.
All-star Ryan Menei, who attended training camp with the Wildcatters in October, broke the Catters defense when he put home a rebound at 16:54 of the third period and spoiled the Khudobin shutout attempt.
Ross Carlson scored his eleventh of the year at 18:43 to make the score 4-1. Cook and Taylor would each register their second points of the night with assists on the play.
Khudobin would finish with 29 saves, and while the Wildcatters finished 0-for-5 on the power play they managed more scoring chances and shots than their special teams had produced in the final stages of the season's first half.
The win makes Texas the first team in the ECHL to 30 wins, just eleven shy of their record breaking 41-win season in 2006-07. 31 games remain in the 2007-08 season.
The Wildcatters and Sea Wolves face off again Saturday night at 7:05. Need a better job? Join the Wildcatters and the Southeast Texas Workforce Development Board as they host 15 of the region's top employers for the first annual Wildcatters Job Fair from 3:00-5:30 at Ford Arena. Admission to the fair is free and the first 300 to bring a resume will get complimentary tickets to tomorrow night's game.
The Texas Wildcatters are the proud ECHL affiliate of the AHL's Houston Aeros and the NHL's Minnesota Wild! Book your group with the Wildcatters and get great ticket rebates! Call 951-5500!
ECHL Stories from January 26, 2008
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