Cook-ing up a win
Published on October 15, 2012 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats ended their five game losing skid on Saturday night with a 4-2 win down in South Texas against the Corpus Christi Ice Rays. Kyle Bauman had a pair of goals, and Cooper Cook stopped 37 of 39 shots in his first start in goal since September.
Friday night's game was a debacle from start to finish as the Wildcats dropped a 7-2 decision to the Ice Rays. Emil Romig scored for the Ice Rays 28 seconds in as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the Wildcats finally got on the board as a puck was knocked in by an Ice Rays defenseman. Erik Ouellette was the last Wildcat to touch the puck. Rudy Junda added one later in the third for a 5-2 game with just over 6 minutes to go, but Corpus Christi tacked on two more late in the game for the 7-2 final.
Saturday's game showed a much more alert and focused team as they picked up their first regulation win since September 13, taking a 4-2 decision. The hitting was fierce early on, eventually leading to Corey Schafer and Brandon Berkley dropping the gloves off a faceoff. Schafer suffered a cut lip, but landed some big shots on Berkley, which seemed to fire the team up. Just three minutes later, the Wildcats responded with a powerplay goal by Kyle Bauman for a 1-0 lead. Not even two minutes later, a miscue behind the net by Ice Rays goalie Ben Myers led to a Patrick Yudez steal, feeding the puck to Nick Farmer who punched it into a wide-open net for a 2-0 lead.
The Ice Rays turned up the heat in the second period, outshooting the Wildcats 18-6, but Cook stopped everything thrown his way. Neither team managed any scoring until a Corpus Christi powerplay early in the third as Ian McGilvrey broke the shutout. But the Wildcats didn't take long to respond: 11 seconds after that, an Ice Rays defensive zone breakdown led to Bauman's second goal of the night for a 3-1 lead.
Corpus Christi mounted a late comeback attempt as Rudy Sulmonte scored, but the Wildcats' defense held tough in the final minutes, aided by a late Ice Ray penalty on a high hit on Patrick Yudez. Eliot Grauer added an empty net powerplay goal to cap things at 4-2.
Colin Staub also picked up a pair of assists, one on each of Bauman's goals. Bauman and Staub were named first and third stars, respectively, while Corpus Christi's John Roisum was the second.
NOTES: Cook is now 2-1-0 in three starts this season (4 games total). Saturday was the Wildcats' first game with multiple powerplay tallies in a month (3 for 7 on 9/13 vs. Janesville).
Preview: Wildcats vs. Texas, October 19-21
The Wildcats get to see the Texas Tornado three times this weekend, twice at home on Friday and Saturday at 7:15 pm, and once on the road on Sunday at 5 pm. The teams have played twice this season, both games coming in Texas. The Wildcats lost 4-1 on September 29 and 3-2 in a shootout on October 7.
The Tornado are currently second in the NAHL South Division with a 9-1-0 record, losing their first game of the season on Saturday at home against Topeka. The Wildcats are fourth in the Division at 4-6-2. The Tornado are facing a slew of potential suspensions this weekend after three players and a coach were assessed game misconduct penalties at the end of Saturday's game against Topeka.
The Tornado are led in scoring by Brandon Hawkins with 15 points. His 11 goals are tied for second-best in the entire NAHL; two of those goals have come against the Wildcats. Their assist leader is Jackson Leef with 10. Hunter Leisner has received the majority of the playing time in goal, playing in 8 of 10 games with a 7-1-0 record, 2.20 GAA, and .920 save percentage.
Upcoming Wildcats' Events
FREE TICKETS THIS FRIDAY! Help us Pack the House on October 19 against the Texas Tornado! All tickets are free for the game. If you need four or fewer, call the Box Office at 940-716-5555. If you need five or more, call the Wildcats at 716-5587.
Saturday night is Breast Cancer Awareness night, with the Wildcats wearing special pink jerseys. The jerseys will be auctioned off via a silent auction during the game!
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!
Get out on the ice! We have open skating every Sunday in October and November from 3-5 pm. It's $8 including skate rental, or $6 if you bring your own skates. 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
Cal Heeter made his AHL debut on Sunday, a 4-0 loss for the Adirondack Phantoms to the Springfield Falcons. Adirondack struggled offensively, going 0/7 on the powerplay.
Chad Costello showed no leftover ill effects from the knee injury that ended his 2011-12 season early. He had a pair of assists for the ECHL's Colorado Eagles over the weekend.
Dakota Klecha picked up his first collegiate goal for Ferris State in a 3-1 loss to RPI on Friday.
P.J. Musico was in net for Penn State's first NCAA Hockey win, a 4-3 OT game against American International College on Saturday. He stopped 32 of 35 shots.
North American Hockey League Stories from October 15, 2012
- NAHL Announces Divisional Stars of the Week Presented by Combat Hockey - NAHL
- Tickets Go on Sale Today, Home Opener is October 26 - Fresno Monsters
- Cook-ing up a win - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Aberdeen Wings Weekly - Aberdeen Wings
- Odessa's Amarillo Drought Continues as Jacks Fall 6-1 - Odessa Jackalopes
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