Cats Win 9th Straight with Road Sweep of Brahmas
Published on December 12, 2015 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wichita Falls Wildcats became the first team to sweep the Brahmas at the NYTEX Sports Centre since January of 2014 with a 5-1 victory on Saturday night.
The first period could be described as nothing but a battle of the goaltenders. Justin Kapelmaster of the Wildcats and Corbin Kaczperski of the Brahmas stopped 10 and 13 shots, respectively. There were a number of saves from each side that could easily end up on a highlight reel.
Former Wildcat Hogan Davidson stickhandled beautifully around Jake Dalton and earned himself a great scoring chance, but was denied by Kapelmaster's left pad. Moments later, Kaczperski robbed the Wildcats' leading goal-scorer Adam Goodsir off a backdoor play with his blocker.
The Brahmas had the edge in period 2, but were frustrated again on multiple occasions by the defensive play and the stable goaltending from Kapelmaster. Finally, the Cats found an opening. Garrett Van Wyhe utilized his speed and earned himself a 2-on-1 rush with Ryan Burnett. Van Wyhe set the winger up for his 5th goal of the season to open the scoring for the Wildcats.
The third period was action-packed to say the least. After being stymied all evening by the league's best penalty kill, the Wildcats' power play finally scored. Austin Beaulieu was set up in the slot by Austin Albrecht and rifled a shot high on Kaczperski to give the Cats a 2-0 lead. The Lone Star head coach was less than pleased with the way the game had been officiated and was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Brahmas responded as well as they possibly could have, with a shorthanded goal scored by Alex Berardinellli.
With some life back in the building, the Brahmas could sense a comeback. However, three unanswered goals scored by Nikita Litviak, Albrecht, and André Pison would silence the building. The Brahmas were handed their fourth consecutive regulation loss.
Kapelmaster had 30 saves in his 16 victory of the season, while Kaczperski made 20 stops in his 5th regulation loss. The Wildcats and Brahmas will end their six-game standoff on Saturday, December 19th at the KYC before the holiday break. A three-game series will conclude the first half of the season for the Cats, with games on the 17th, 18th, and 19th.
North American Hockey League Stories from December 12, 2015
- Unbearable - Lone Star Brahmas
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- Cats Win 9th Straight with Road Sweep of Brahmas - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Brady Nets OT Winner to Give Titans Weekend Sweep - New Jersey Titans
- IceRays Fight Back But Fall 2-1 to Amarillo - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Tomahawks Drop Road Contest against Rebels - Johnstown Tomahawks
- Rebels Top Tomahawks - Philadelphia Rebels
- Amarillo Bulls Tripped by Corpus Christi and Special Teams 2-1 - Amarillo Bulls
- Shepard, Bobcats Stymie Wings for Third Shutout - Bismarck Bobcats
- Unbearable - Lone Star Brahmas
- Teddy Bear Toss & Star Wars Weekend - Lone Star Brahmas
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