Delia Outduels Zevnik, as Wildcats are Swept by Amarillo
January 18, 2014 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
WICHITA FALLS, Texas - In a scrappy, defensive-minded contest, the Wichita Falls Wildcats (21-14-3) came out on the short end of a 2-1 score line, as the Amarillo Bulls claimed their ninth-straight victory on Saturday at the Kay Yeager Coliseum.
Jake Townsend scored the lone Wildcats goal, his fifth of the season, while David Zevnik made 27 saves in the contest.
For the second night in a row, Amarillo opened the scoring. After the Wildcats iced the puck, the Bulls won the faceoff back to the blue line, where Patrick Pollock blasted a slap shot past Zevnik at the 17:35 mark of the opening stanza.
It took less than 30 seconds for Wichita Falls to respond, and the equalizer came as a result of a bit of puck luck. Townsend skated out of the Wildcats' defensive zone with the puck and floated a weak dump-in towards the Amarillo net. The puck took a friendly bounce for Wichita Falls, skipping over the outstretched leg pad of Collin Delia to tie the game 1-1 at 18:05 of the first frame.
The middle frame passed without a goal despite both teams recording quality scoring chances, but Zevnik and Delia were equal to the task on a number of looks in the frame.
In the third period, the two teams traded chance after chance without a goal, and it looked like the game would head to overtime until a broken play in the Wildcats' defensive zone. With less than three minutes remaining, the Bulls somehow managed to pry the puck free from the right-wing corner. Brady Ferguson then walked in on Zevnik and found a sliver of room to sneak a shot through, giving Amarillo an advantage they would not relinquish.
Wichita Falls tried to respond in the final ticks of the third period, but could not find an equalizer, as Amarillo completed the weekend sweep with the 2-1 victory.
The Wildcats are next in action on Friday, Jan. 24, when they host the Fairbanks Ice Dogs on Military Appreciation Night. Anyone with a valid military ID (active, retired or family) will receive free admission to that contest, as the Wildcats honor the servicemen and women of the United States Military. Fans that cannot make the game can watch a video stream on FASTHockey.com, while an audio-only broadcast will be available via UStream.com.
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North American Hockey League Stories from January 18, 2014
- RoadRunners Sweep the Blues 6-1 - Topeka Pilots
- Delia Outduels Zevnik, as Wildcats are Swept by Amarillo - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Take Two: Bruins Overcome 0-2 Deficit Again - Austin Bruins
- Heuser, Sturm Each Net First NAHL Goal in 4-0 Shutout of Odessa - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Wings Swept by Austin - Aberdeen Wings
- Tomahawks Fall to Port Huron 5-0 - Johnstown Tomahawks
- Gut Check Time - Minot Minotauros
- Fairbanks Slips Past Wild In Shootout - Wenatchee Wild
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