Cats Skate to Sixth Straight Win Saturday
November 28, 2015 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wichita Falls Wildcats earned their fourth sweep of the season in West Texas on Saturday night, as they decisively defeated the Odessa Jackalopes by a score of 6-3.
The last time Gunner Rivers had started in goal was against the Wildcats in the 8-3 barn burner at the KYC. Seeking an encore of that performance, the Cats came out of the gates with a burning desire to dominate the game, and they did.
Ryan Burnett kicked things off by redirecting a point shot by Noah Gilreath just five and a half minutes into the contest. Austin Albrecht would then tally two consecutive goals just four minutes apart to give the Cats a 3-0 lead. With the two goals, Albrecht moved to fourth in the NAHL in scoring. Late in the period, Erich Jaeger would deflect a point shot taken on the power play by Michael Rounds to give the Cats a 4-0 lead heading into period 2.
The middle frame had a bit of a slow start but it eventually became interesting. Ben Lown would tap the puck between the legs of Rivers after being set up perfectly in the slot by Garrett Van Wyhe to give the Cats their fifth goal. Three minutes later, the Jackalopes would finally answer. The Odessa captain Gray Marr sniped a shot high on the glove side of Julian Sime to put the Jacks on the board. Eric Carreras was set up two minutes later to tuck a shot past Sime and get the crowd back into the game.
The 20's Line silenced the building later on in the second, as Nick Rosa set up Jonny Lazarus on an odd-man rush to give the veteran his seventh goal on the season. Then, after dealing head contact to Jeff Baum, Cooper Zech found himself in a scrap with Jake Dalton. The two defensemen muddled things up for a few seconds but were quickly separated by the linesmen. Dalton would be given a ten-minute misconduct for a continuing altercation while Zech was ejected for the head contact.
The third period was relatively uneventful considering the first 40 minutes. Sime and Rivers turned aside all shots they faced, and the Wildcats skated to their sixth straight win.
Sime made 22 saves on his seventh win, while Rivers made 23 stops in his third defeat. The Wildcats play the Lone Star Brahmas on Thursday night at the Kay Yeager Coliseum.
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North American Hockey League Stories from November 28, 2015
- Lynch Nets Hat Trick in 8-2 Victory over Rebels - Johnstown Tomahawks
- Cats Skate to Sixth Straight Win Saturday - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Game at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Postponed - New Jersey Titans
- Hawks Top Rebels 4-3 - Philadelphia Rebels
- RoadRunners Hold off Jr. Blues - Topeka Pilots
- Bulls Fall to Brahmas 2-0 - Amarillo Bulls
- Knights Thwart Titans' Comeback Efforts - New Jersey Titans
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