Hard Fought 2 - 1 Win Earns Brahmas NAHL South Division Crown
March 29, 2015 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Lone Star Brahmas News Release
Saturday night's contest between the Lone Star Brahmas and Wichita Falls Wildcats got off to a bang when Storm Wahlrab delivered a thunderous hit eliminating Nikita Litviak deep in the Brahmas zone and setting the tone for a physical game.
It was Wichita Falls who got on the board first with 5:49 to go in the period after the puck jumped over Alexey Solovyev's stick at the near point. Evan Okeley picked it up on the fly and went streaking in on TJ Black who got a piece of it, but it bounced past him and into the net. Jake Townsend was credited with an assist on the play.
AJ Vanderbeck tied it up at 9:03 of the second after he fished the puck off the end boards and gave it to Cody Wicklinein the leftwing circle. Wickline spun and sent a shot on net that Austin Shawkicked aside, but Vanderbeck who had followed the play sent the rebound over Shaw's left shoulder. Hunter Stanleycontinued his hot hand with an assist on the play as well. A hustle play by Hogan Davidson at 17:22 put Lone Star up one. On the play Shaw came out of net to stop a ring around, but he misplayed the puck giving Wickline the opportunity to center it. Davidson got on his horse and blew past Jeff Baum to put the loose puck into the back of the net on the backhand.
The third period was a fast paced end to end game, but neither team could solve the netminders despite several scoring opportunities. With time winding down, Wichita Falls pulled Shaw in favor of the extra attacker. A defensive zone faceoff with just over 16 seconds left resulted in a flurry of activity in Black's crease with multiple players having a shot at the puck and bodies littering the ice as Brahmas defensemen tried to clear the crease. Black came up big and withstood the barrage to claim the victory and secure the NAHL South Division Crown and lock up home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Wildcats outshot the Brahmas 20 - 16 on the night and both teams were 0 - 3 with the man advantage.
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North American Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2015
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- Hard Fought 2 - 1 Win Earns Brahmas NAHL South Division Crown - Lone Star Brahmas
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