Nichols Cements Eighth Shutout of Season: Wild Net Three Goals on 44 Shots
Published on March 9, 2012 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
DAWSON CREEK, British Columbia - Robert Nichols (Dallas, Texas) stopped all 16 shots he faced Thursday and cemented his eighth shutout of the season to help the Wenatchee Wild best the Dawson Creek Rage at the Encana Events Center, 3-0.
The Wild peppered Rage netminder Paul Bourbeau with 44 shots, scoring one goal in each period.
Wenatchee put 17 pucks on net in the first period, but only got one shot past Bourbeau. The goal came with 6:54 remaining in the stanza when Shawn Pauly (Bellingham, Wash.) set up Chris Kerr (Penticton, British Columbia) with a circle-to-circle pass on a 2-on-1 short-handed rush into the Rage zone.
Wenatchee doubled its lead 2:11 into the second period on Ben Carey's (Centennial, Colo.) team-leading 22nd goal of the season. Carey took a Rage defenseman wide to the near side of the ice and scored on a backhander as he approached the cage unabated. Chris Knudson (North Barrington, Ill.) and Dylan Abood (Centennial, Colo.) picked up the assists.
Max McHugh (Edgewood, Wash.) benefited from a strange bounce of the puck off of the end boards with 70 seconds remaining in regulation for an easy unassisted tap-in goal to close out scoring.
Nichols bettered his record to 21-5-4. His eighth shutout of the season matches the career record that Brandon Jaeger set last season. Bourbeau kept the Rage in the game, making 41 saves on 44 shots.
Neither team scored on the power play. Wenatchee 0-for-4 while Dawson Creek went 0-for-3.
Game 2 of the series between the Wild (30-15-6) and Rage (9-36-3) is Friday. Faceoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PST) and can be heard on 560 AM KPQ. For a small fee, all of the Wild's games can also be viewed live online at www.FASTHockey.com.
North American Hockey League Stories from March 9, 2012
- Walker Scores Two; IceRays Win 5-2 in New Mexico - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Bobcats Close Homestand with Division in Sight - Bismarck Bobcats
- Austin picks up victory - Austin Bruins
- Tornado cash in on power-play in 5-1 victory - Texas Tornado
- Runner Alum To Make AHL Debut Tonight - Topeka Pilots
- Jets Shoot for Milestone Victory - Janesville Jets
- Nichols Cements Eighth Shutout of Season: Wild Net Three Goals on 44 Shots - Wenatchee Wild
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
