Brahmas Secure First Round Bye with 5 - 4 Win
March 29, 2015 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Lone Star Brahmas News Release
The final weekend of the season got off to a rather inauspicious start for the Lone Star Brahmas who were looking for a win to secure a first round playoff bye. Just 34 seconds into the contest Wichita Falls' Collin Staub took a pass from Austin Beaulieu and snuck it past the right skate of Jake Kupsky on the first shot of the game. Nikita Litviak picked up the secondary assist on the play.
Caleb Thompson and Anton Santesson teamed up to bring the Brahmas back to even at the 3:20 mark on the power play. Thompson took a pass from Ludvig Larsson at the near point then he and Santesson traded spots along the blueline. Thompson gave the puck to Santesson who delayed then fired a wrister through traffic and tipped past the blocker of Austin Shaw by Oskar Andren. Lone Star went on top just past the midpoint of the opening period when Liam Stirtzinger corralled a loose puck in the Brahmas' defensive zone and flipped a breakout pass to Hogan Davidson who had gotten behind Wildcat's defenseman Jeff Baum. Davidson carried the puck in on net and slid it through Shaw, five hole. Lone Star just missed a second power play goal in the closing seconds of the period when Sebastian Vidmar put the puck off of Shaw's backside and in just a split second after the horn sounded.
Wichita Falls killed off the carryover of the power play, but the Brahmas had the puck deep and were cycling it in the zone when Alexey Solovyev pounded one on net from the far halfwall and off a body in front. Vidmar who just missed to close out the first was stationed just outside the paint on the backdoor and put the loose puck into the twine. Larsson was credited with the secondary assist on the play that came at 0:40 of the second.
The visitors got one back on a broken play with a bouncing puck off of several sticks and onto the tape of Staub at 6:07 with assists to Konstantin Chernyuk and Litviak.
At 10:47, Storm Wahlrab reestablished the two goal lead on a shot from the blueline after Cody Wickline sent AJ Vanderbeck behind the Wildcat's cage and he found Wahlrab all alone at the point.
The back and forth second continued with Wichita Falls' Nick Farmer scoring after a Larsson clearing attempt went off of Jonathan Lazarus and fell right at Farmer's feet in the high slot. He immediately pounded it on net over the glove hand of Kupsky.
Lone Star opened the third period with a bang-bang play that resulted in Chad Guderian beating Shaw glove side off a pass from the far corner by Pat Egan with Thompson picking up his second assist on the night. The Guderian goal came at 2:12 and the Brahmas back up two.
A misplay of the puck by Vanderbeck deep in the Brahmas defensive zone turned Matt Koch loose at the bottom of the near circle. He quickly found Kevin Charyszyn crashing the far post and he put it over Kupsky's left pad at 15:42.
In what turned into a physical high tempo game there were only four penalties handed out. The Brahmas converted on one of three power play opportunities while denying Wichita Falls on their one and only opportunity. Shots on goal were even at 30 apiece. With the win the Brahmas guarantee themselves a first round bye and set themselves up to lay claim to the NAHL South Division Crown.
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North American Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2015
- Jaeckle Makes Commitment to Canisus - Johnstown Tomahawks
- Brahmas Secure First Round Bye with 5 - 4 Win - Lone Star Brahmas
- Hard Fought 2 - 1 Win Earns Brahmas NAHL South Division Crown - Lone Star Brahmas
- RoadRunners Stalled by Wild's 4-3 Win - Wenatchee Wild
- Bulls Fall to Rays 4-2 in Regular Season Finale - Amarillo Bulls
- Home Ice: Ice Miners Complete Sweep of Johnstown, Secure #2 Seed - Keystone Ice Miners
- Bobcats Done in by Five-On-Threes in Regular Season Finale - Bismarck Bobcats
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