Cats Trample Bulls for Sixth Straight Win
Published on January 16, 2016 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
In their last game of the season at the Amarillo Civic Center, the Wildcats disappointed nobody but the hometown crowd as they cruised to an 8-0 win over the Amarillo Bulls.
The Wildcats kicked off the first period tremendously after a slow start to Friday night's game. Despite trailing the Bulls in shots after one period, the chances they earned were far superior and they won virtually every puck battle. Aleksi Poikola found an opening at the left point, where he just threw a wrist shot on net which eluded Anton Martinsson, who never saw the shot.
Nine minutes later, Ryan Burnett found the puck on his stick after he was set up by defenseman-turned-forward Holden Cronin. Burnett placed the puck on his forehand and fired a shot high on the glove side of Martinsson to give the Cats a 2-0 lead before the first period had come to an end.
Despite trailing 2-0, the Bulls had not been dominated in the shots department throughout the first 20 minutes. However, that quickly changed in the second period. The Wildcats outshot the Bulls 22-9 in period two and drew several penalties. Frustrated with the lack of production from his power play, Coach LaFontaine decided to mix things up and change the power play unit. The change paid off big time, as André Pison netted back-to-back power play goals to blow the game wide open.
Pison's first goal infuriated Martinsson, who received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which gave the Wildcats the second power play. After Pison converted a second time, Martinsson was handed an "abuse of officials" penalty and was ejected from the game. The ejection caused Jacob Weatherly to take his place, who the Wildcats had not seen prior to the game this season. Michael Rounds rifled a shot from the right point for his third goal of the season.
Playing for nothing but their own pride, things just went from bad to worse for Amarillo in the third period. Austin Beaulieu scored for the Cats' third straight power play goal. Nick Rosa added a seventh goal from the slot, and Beaulieu put an exclamation point on the series by scoring his second of the night, giving the Wildcats an eighth goal.
Justin Kapelmaster stopped all 29 shots he faced throughout the game, earning his third shutout of the season and his 21st victory. Martinsson made 25 stops on 29 shots before he was ejected, and Weatherly stopped 20 of 24. Martinsson was charged with his 20th regulation defeat of the season. The Wildcats play the Lone Star Brahmas at 2 pm on Monday, January 18th at the NYTEX Sports Centre before heading back home to prepare for Children's Miracle Network weekend.
North American Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2016
- "Best Fans in the League" - Lone Star Brahmas
- Johnstown Holds off Titans' Final Charge - New Jersey Titans
- IceRays Drop Heartbreaker to Brahmas, 2-1 - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Cats Trample Bulls for Sixth Straight Win - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Tomahawks Close out Road Trip with 6-4 Victory over Titans - Johnstown Tomahawks
- Johnstown Scalps Rebels 5-2 - Philadelphia Rebels
- Jr. Blues Fall to Ice Dogs - Springfield Jr. Blues
- Bulls Drop 4-1 Decision to Wildcats - Amarillo Bulls
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