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'Cats take three points, cut deficit to two

March 11, 2013 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release


The Wildcats closed the gap a little further and sit back only two points of a playoff spot following a weekend split with the Corpus Christi IceRays. Friday the 'Cats held on for a 2-1 win, but dropped a 5-4 shootout on Saturday.

Friday's game opened with a flurry of goaltending. The IceRays outshot the Wildcats 18-10 in the first, but Evan Cowley was up to the task, stopping them all. Midway through the period came what could easily be considered the fight of the year as former New Mexico Mustang teammates Charles Baldwin and Matt Robinson threw down in a toe-to-toe slugfest that saw a combined 80 punches thrown between the two.

The Wildcats took control in the second period as Sami Salminen, Matt Robinson, and Ben Kucera went tic-tac-toe for the seventh goal of the season for Kucera and a 1-0 lead five minutes in. The Wildcats added a second one with under a minute left as Sam Piazza found Eliot Grauer sneaking into the Corpus Christi zone, and Grauer buried the wrister for a 2-0 game.

Cowley's shutout streak ended at the first 26 shots he faced as Caleb O'Brien's shot from the blue line found its way through traffic and into the net for a 2-1 game. The IceRays outshot the Wildcats 14-8 in the third, but Cowley was solid the rest of the way, including having to face down a late 6-on-4 situation with Chris Knudson in the box and the IceRays' net empty, but the defense held on for the one-goal victory.

Saturday's game started out great for the 'Cats, but they couldn't hold onto a 3-1 third period lead, dropping a 5-4 shootout decision. Kucera and Salminen led the way with a goal and an assist each.

It took less than 90 seconds before the Wildcats got on the board as Conor O'Neil put in an unassisted goal to start things up. Four minutes later, the IceRays' leading scorer, Rudy Sulmonte, tied things up. But yet again the Wildcats struck quickly as Chris Knudson took the puck coast-to-coast and sent the puck past Ben Myers for a 2-1 lead. The second period was dominated by the Wildcats, throwing out hits like candy at a parade-- including two freight train-like hits from Rudy Junda that left IceRays players landing on their wallets-- and outshooting the IceRays 17-6, but Myers, like Cowley in the first period Friday, stopped everything that came his way.

The Wildcats continued the offensive onslaught in the third with another 17 shots, and extended their lead out to 3-1 as Sami Salminen picked up a powerplay goal from Kucera and Tyler Ledford and it looked like a weekend sweep and a fourth-place spot in the South were all but guaranteed.

But a five-minute span in the third changed everything. Brandon Smith cut the deficit to a single goal after poking a puck away from a Wildcat and racing down the ice to a shorthanded breakaway goal. Two and a half minutes later, a bad clearance attempt from the crease ended up on Eric Purcell's stick and he slammed home a wrister from the slot to tie it up. Then with exactly five minutes left, a puck hit off the end boards, off the back of Cowley's leg pad, and snuck inside the post and the Wildcats' 3-1 lead was suddenly a 4-3 deficit.

The Wildcats prepared to get an extra attacker on the ice with a minute to go, but they didn't need it: as Salminen skated out of the neutral zone and into IceRay territory, his pass found Ben Kucera and he sent a one-timer into the net and the game was knotted once again at 4-4.

The overtime period settled nothing, as each team only registered a single shot on goal. But the IceRays ended their shootout slump against the Wildcats, scoring with three of their four shooters, while Myers stopped all but Eliot Grauer's change of-speed through the slot, and it was Corpus Christi coming back to pick up the extra point.

The Wildcats currently trail the IceRays by two points in the race for the final South Division playoff spot.

WEEKEND NOTES: The Wildcats finish the season 6-1-1 against Corpus Christi and are 20-8-4 against them all-time. The Wildcats' current six-game streak with a point is their longest of the season. After being held without a goal since January 2, Sami Salminen has two in his last three games; his current three-game scoring streak ties his season-best. Colin Staub missed both games after aggravating an injury suffered last weekend against Topeka. Marshall Tema traveled with the team this past week. He has been out of the lineup after an injury on November 9.

NAHL SOUTH NOTES: Topeka split with Amarillo, taking a 2-1 shootout win on Friday before dropping a penalty-filled Saturday game 6-1. Odessa dropped a pair to Texas 5-3 and 8-2, extending their losing streak to 12 games. Their last win was January 25 over Corpus Christi, and their last points came February 2 against the Wildcats.

NAHL NOTES: The playoff picture remains as blurry as ever: the only changes are that Austin and Amarillo clinched their divisions' regular season title and will have home ice through the playoffs. The IceRays cling to a two-point lead over the Wildcats for the South's final playoff spot. In the North, a total of six teams will make it in, with the final three spots coming down to a fight between Johnstown (60 points, 4 games remaining, magic number of 5), Port Huron (54, 7, and 10), Springfield (52, 4, and 5), Janesville (50 and 7, currently on the outside looking in), and Michigan (45 and 6, also outside the playoffs right now). In the Central, Minot was still unable to clinch, but needs only to pick up two points before the end of the season to do so. Aberdeen trails them by 13 points. Odessa and Coulee Region are the only two teams officially out of playoff contention.

Scouting the Jackalopes and Bulls, March 13 and 15-16

A busy week is ahead for the Wildcats as they'll play three games in four days, all on the road. On Wednesday, the 'Cats make one final trip to the Ector County Coliseum for a game against the Odessa Jackalopes. Then on Friday and Saturday, they head west to take on the Amarillo Bulls in a pair of games.

The Wildcats are 8-1-0 against Odessa this season, winning their last eight matchups. The two teams last faced off on February 22 and 23 in Wichita Falls, a pair of victories for the 'Cats.

Anthony Olguin leads the Jacks in all offensive categories, tallying 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points. Taylor Portner is tied in assists with 10 as well. He is also the team leader in PIM, having spent 107 minutes in the box. On the back end, both goalies have struggled this season: Nick Deery has appeared in 17 games, with a 5.28 GAA and .875 save percentage. Erick Majerle, a 6'6" 200-pound behemoth between the pipes, has lost all five of his decisions as a Jackalope with a 5.27 GAA and .861 save percentage.

Meanwhile, the Bulls are at the other end of the spectrum. They have clinched the NAHL South Division's regular season championship and currently hold the league's best record. The Wildcats are 0-6-0 against them this season, but have had their two closest games against the Bulls come in Amarillo.

T.J. Sarcona has been the Bulls' top point-getter and assist leader. He has 54 points in 52 games and a total of 36 assists. The top goal scorer is Mike Davis with 21. Omar Mullan leads the team in penalty minutes with 134. The Bulls have been incredibly strong in net, with Paul Berrafato being among the league's leaders with a 1.70 GAA and .925 save percentage. Backup Collin Delia is no slouch either: his GAA is 2.12 with a .904 save percentage.

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! Please note that we will not be on the wir this Wednesday due to the game in Odessa.

Get out on the ice! We have our March open skating schedule on the Games and Ice Events tab at WFWildcatsHockey.com. 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.

Become a fan on Facebook! Get all our updates at http://www.facebook.com/WFWildcats

And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @WFWildcats!

Alumni Report

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

Dan Sexton picked up his fifth goal of the season in Norfolk's 5-1 win over Hershey on Friday.

Zach Trotman appeared in his first game in a month on Sunday, picking up an assist in Providence's 4-2 loss to Connecticut.

ECHL

Kyle Kraemer's scoring streak ended Friday, but he had a three-point game on Sunday to make up for it, scoring two and assisting on a third as Ontario lost to Stockton 4-3.

Cal Heeter was sent back down to the Trenton Titans this week, but picked up a win in his first game back in the ECHL Friday, stopping 24 of 26 shots in a 4-2 victory over Elmira.

NCAA DIVISION 3

Bill Colclough picked up two assists in his final college game with Mass-Dartmouth, a 5-2 loss to Bowdoin in Frozen Four action on Wednesday.

The NCAA Division III Championships will take place Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Oswego (Zack Josepher) will take on Norwich, and Wisconsin-Eau Claire (Tyler Green) faces Utica. The winners will play on Sunday.

From the Desk of Drew

Dear Fans,

In the past few years we have seen some great hockey players and great hockey games in Wichita Falls.

We have witnessed Dan Sexton go from patrolling the 'Cats' top line to skating next to future Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne with the Anaheim Ducks.

We saw future NHL Draft Picks Zach Trotman and Andrew Conboy develop into excellent hockey players who now ply their trade in the high minor professional levels of the AHL and ECHL, respectively. Cal Heeter, Chad Costello, and Kyle Kraemer are seeing their careers blossom in the minors as well.

This season, we've gotten to see another likely future NHL Draft Pick in Evan Cowley.

We've seen great goals, flashy saves, big hits, and toe-to-toe slobberknockers of fights-all four of which were parts of this weekend's pair of games in Corpus Christi.

Next season's ten-year celebration is bound to be a great one. However, after eight seasons as the voice of the Wichita Falls Wildcats, today I am announcing my resignation effective April 1. The time has come for me to hang up the headset, as I have taken a job with Panini Trading Cards as a photo editor. I will be calling my final games over the next three weekends.

It is not without great difficulty that I have made the decision to move on in my career. As the second-longest tenured member in the organization's history, I have greatly enjoyed my time with the Wildcats. I am incredibly thankful to all of the players, coaches, player parents, billet families, fellow broadcasters, owners, and other team employees of the past and present with whom I have had the privilege of working.

And most of all, thanks to you, our fans. Without you, I would not have been here as long as I have. It is your feedback and support that has driven me to bring the best quality broadcast that I can night in and night out since I started here 2006.

Thank you all, and I wish the Wildcats the best of luck next season, and in all the years to come. Hopefully we'll have some playoff hockey coming in April as well. In the famous closing words of Cleveland-area sportswriter Hal Lebovitz, "Stay well, and see you somewhere, I hope."

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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.

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