Bull-ied by Amarillo
October 8, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats couldn't carry their preseason success against Amarillo in the regular season, dropping a pair of games to them by 8-1 and 5-1 scores on Friday and Saturday. On the positive side, the 'Cats did at least pick up a point on Sunday in a 3-2 shootout loss at Texas.
Friday's disaster started only 1:19 into the game as Clint Carlisle, in typical Amarillo fashion, gave the Bulls an early lead. The Bulls have scored a goal inside the opening three minutes a total of six times in the last ten games against the Wildcats. The Bulls added two more before the period was out, extending their lead to 3-0, outshooting the Wildcats 14-6.
The second period was better, with 9 shots apiece, but the Bulls got the lone goal of the period midway through as Hampus Gustafsson scored the first of his four goals on the weekend, and ended Evan Cowley's night with 15 saves on 19 shots.
Cooper Cook shut the Bulls down for the next 13 minutes, but the third period was none too kind to him either, as the Bulls peppered him with 4 goals on 16 shots. They led 7-0 before Patrick Yudez slammed a puck out of midair from a Corey Schafer shot for his first goal of the year, ending Collin Delia's shutout bid.
Saturday night wasn't much better as a pair of first period goals were all the Bulls needed en route to a 5-1 victory. Paul Berrafato came even closer to a shutout than Delia, going 59:34 before a defensive zone turnover led to Jake Townsend's unassisted goal, breaking the try at the shutout.
The Wildcats recovered nicely on Sunday though, taking the undefeated Texas Tornado to a shootout before leaving Frisco with a single point in a 3-2 shootout loss. The previously porous defense stepped up nicely, while the offense battled back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period. The Wildcats' penalty kill, ranked last in the league coming into the game against a top-ranked Texas power play, killed off three penalties, including two with the game tied in the third.
Charlie Hemstrom got the scoring started late in the first as his blast from the blue line bounced off a Tornado player's leg and slipped past Jerry Kaukinen for a 1-0 lead. Sami Salminen and Kyle Bauman added the assists. The opening period was a festival of offense, as the teams combined to lapidate the goalies with 25 shots (14 against Cowley, 11 on Kaukinen).
The Tornado struck back in the second period, dominating the shots on goal 12-5 and putting up a pair of goals from Brandon Hawkins 2:35 in, followed by Justin Greenberg with just under a minute to go in the period.
While it would be easy for a team to get down giving up the lead goal late in the previous period, the Wildcats stayed strong to start the third. Unsuccessful on their previous 22 power plays to that point, the Wildcats finally broke their skid as Sami Salminen tallied his first American goal from Hemstrom and Bauman to tie things at two-all.
The teams stayed even in the remainder of the third and overtime, leading to a shootout, where the Tornado scored on three of four shooters, while the Wildcats only got goals on two of five, coming from Bauman and Salminen.
Evan Cowley bounced back nicely from the Amarillo games, stopping 33 of 35 in net for the Wildcats on Sunday.
NOTES: Eliot Grauer was out of Sunday's game, with Sami Salminen filling in for him on the top line. Salminen had a goal, an assist, and a shootout goal in his stead.
Preview: Wildcats at Corpus Christi, October 12-13
The Wildcats look for a repeat performance against Corpus Christi, this time down at the American Bank Center in a pair of games this weekend. The 'Cats picked up a pair of shootout wins against the Ice Rays in Wichita Falls back on September 21 and 22.
Eliot Grauer has a pair of goals against the Ice Rays this year, most among either team against the other this season. Corpus Christi's top scorer is Perry D'Arrisso with 10 points, including 8 assists, putting him tied for sixth in the league in that category. Rudy Sulmonte has put the most pucks in the net, tallying five goals in ten games for the Ice Rays.
Upcoming Wildcats' Events
We're on the air! Join us for the Wildcats' Coaches' Radio Show at our new show host, El Mejicano on Wednesdays at 7 pm. The Voice of the Wildcats, Drew Pelto, will interview the Wildcats' coaches and your favorite Wildcats' players. If you can't get to the show, tune in on the radio at 7:30 pm on 94.9, KOLI, The Outlaw. All in attendance wearing a Wildcats' jersey will get 20% off!
Get out on the ice! We have open skating every Sunday in October from 3-5 pm. It's $8 including skate rental, or $6 if you bring your own skates. We also offer birthday party packages at a Wildcats game or an open skating session. Any questions about our ice programs? Contact Sarah Scrivner in the Wildcats office.
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Alumni Report
Cal Heeter picked up the victory in his first professional game, a 6-2 Trenton Titans victory over the Reading Royals in ECHL preseason action. Another teammate of Heeter's with Trenton: Andrew Conboy, who was a +2 with 7 PIM including a fight with Mike Lane.
Unfortunately, Alex Molnar went down injured in his first ECHL shift with the Stockton Thunder, receiving a knee-on-knee hit against the San Francisco Bulls. It is not known at this time how long he'll be out of the lineup.
Brad Shumway had a pair of assists in RIT's 8-1 preseason win over Ottawa.
Upcoming start dates for other North American pro and college leagues:
AHL: October 12
NCAA Div. 3: October 18
FHL: October 20
SPHL: October 26
NHL: Lockout, start date TBA
North American Hockey League Stories from October 8, 2012
- NAHL Announces Divisional Stars of the Week - NAHL
- Tornado Weekly - Texas Tornado
- Bull-ied by Amarillo - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Wild Leave Fairbanks with Three Points - Wenatchee Wild
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.
