'Cats drop two in St. Lou
Published on January 18, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats struck first but couldn't quite hold on against St. Louis, losing Friday 4-2 and Saturday 5-0. The Bandits scored two power play goals each night en route to their victories.
On Friday, the Wildcats got on the board early, with Tyler Lundey scoring off a pass from behind the net courtesy of Brandon Stroud only 24 seconds into the game. St. Louis would tie the game up just under three minutes later as Brad Smith tapped in a cross-crease pass from Dan Olszewski. Ryan Stouffer's power play tally would give St. Louis the lead in the second.
The third period saw the Bandits take a two-goal lead off their second power play goal of the night, this time scored by Chris Ciotti. The Wildcats would make it interesting late, as Andy Cramer scored on the power play, cutting the deficit to one goal. St. Louis would put the game out of reach with an empty-net goal with 45 seconds left to seal their victory.
Kelly Andrew stopped 29 of 32 shots he faced in the loss.
Saturday night's game saw more of St. Louis' high powered offense and some excellent goaltending from Jimmy Hamby as they beat the Wildcats 5-0.
Hamby, in his first game with the Bandits since being acquired from Kenai River, faced down 21 shots from the Wildcats, stopping them all. At the other end, Kelly Andrew faced a barrage of shots from the Bandits, but kept them off the scoreboard until the 6:36 mark of the second when Craig Kitto scored his first of two goals. Kitto and Kevin Zehnder took advantage of a turnover at the blue line and scored on a 2-on-1, putting the Bandits up 1-0. Ten minutes later, the Bandits would do it again-- this time a shorthanded 2-on-1 with Kitto and Dan Olszewski. Olszewski scored the goal for a 2-0 lead through two periods. Over the first 40 minutes, Andrew faced 34 shots, making 32 saves.
Kitto started the third period off with a goal at the 2:46 mark, followed by the Bandit power play turning up the heat. Isak Quakenbush scored on a scramble in front of the net, followed by Olszewski scoring his second of the night, capping things at 5-0. Kitto picked up his fourth point of the night, assisting on the final goal.
Goaltender P.J. Musico made his NAHL debut in mop-up duty, stopping 7 of 7 in the final ten minutes of the game. While Andrew got pulled late in the game, head coach John Bowkus had nothing but praise for his Canadian netminder.
"He played well," said Bowkus. "Those first two goals weren't his fault at all, having to face down an odd-man rush on each. 34 shots in the first two periods is a lot for a goaltender to have to face and he made some tremendous saves."
The Wildcats will continue on the road this weekend as they take on the Texas Tornado in games on Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 3 pm.
Military Appreciation Night
The Wildcats will hold their 6th annual Military Appreciation Night on Saturday, January 30 against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. Anyone with a valid military ID can get a free ticket to the game! For more information, call the Wildcats at 940-716-5587.
Top Prospects Tournament Starts Today
The Annual NAHL Top Prospects Tournament kicks off this afternoon. The South Division team features two players for the Wildcats, forward Brian Sheehan and defenseman Zach Ledford. Sheehan will be wearing his familiar number 7, while Ledford will be in the number 6 sweater. South plays North at 3:30 this afternoon. All games from the Tournament can be viewed on the B2 Networks, at b2livetv.com.
Wildcats in the Community
This season, the Wildcats have visited several schools this season to help promote the "Future of America" program, encouraging kids to do their best in school to improve their own future, as well as the future of the country as a whole. The Wildcats will be visiting two more schools in January, going out to Jefferson Elementary on Tuesday the 26th, and Kate Burgess Elementary on Thursday the 28th.
The Wildcats also will make appearances this week at Double Dave's Pizzaworks and Jump for Joy. The team will be at Double Dave's tonight from 6 to 8 pm signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. They will be at Jump For Joy on Thursday from 4 to 7 pm as well.
Wildcats Alumni Update
For the second time this season, former Wildcats linemates Brett Hartung and Kyle Delaurell scored a goal against each other's team in college. On Friday, Air Force beat Bentley 6-3. Each scored a goal in the third period. Hartung scored his on a power play, and he also added an assist earlier in the period. Delaurell's goal was the game-winner, 40 seconds into the third. Delaurell scored his second game-winner of the weekend on Saturday, scoring first in a 3-0 win over Bentley.
Kyle Kraemer had another two-point night for Northeastern as they won 3-1 over Vermont on Friday. The senior forward leads the team in goals with 9, and is tied for the lead in points on the team with 17.
The Jameson brothers led Wentworth to a two-game weekend sweep of Hobart by scores of 2-0 and 4-2. On Friday, Skylur Jameson scored a goal and assisted on the Leopards's second goal. On Saturday, it was Shaun Jameson's turn to shine, scoring a goal and adding two assists. Skylur assisted on a goal as well, while former Wildcat goalie Mike Jarboe stopped 48 of 50 shots.
Kyle Mattson returned to the Hamline University lineup for the first time since November 21 and scored a goal as the Pipers beat Bethel 4-0 on Friday.
After a month where he was held goalless, Chad Costello had a weekend to remember for the Corpus Christi IceRays. On Friday, he scored 14 seconds into the game against Odessa and added two assists: one in the second and one in the third. Then on Saturday, Chad scored the lone goal of the game, as Corpus Christi beat Laredo 1-0.
Sexton Watch
One shot, one goal.
Dan Sexton didn't get too many chances to put the puck in the net on Sunday, but his lone shot on goal lit the lamp for the Anaheim Ducks as they beat the Calgary Flames 5-4. Sexton also assisted on Bobby Ryan's third period game-winner for the fifth multi-point game of his NHL career. He also had his first career power play goal on Wednesday in a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins.
With 16 points on the season, Dan is inching his way toward the top 10 in scoring among other rookies. He is currently tied for 11th with Evander Kane, Atlanta's highly-touted first round pick from the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The kicker: Sexton has played in only 22 games while Kane has appeared in 46.
Keep up the great work, Dan!
North American Hockey League Stories from January 18, 2010
- Faragher Stops 37 In Team Central Win - Bismarck Bobcats
- NAHL Welcomes Monsters in 2010-11 - NAHL
- NAHL Welcomes the Chicago Hitmen for 2010-11 - NAHL
- 'Cats drop two in St. Lou - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- NAHL Top Prospects Jersey Auction Open Now - Wichita Falls Wildcats
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.
