Nichols Shuts out IceRays
September 16, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
BLAINE, Minn. - Matt Cope (Lakewood, Colo.) scored on a deflection 47 seconds after the opening faceoff and Robert Nichols (Dallas, Texas) pitched a shutout in his regular-season debut Friday to lead the Wenatchee Wild to a 2-0 win over the Corpus Christi IceRays on Day 3 of competition at the ninth annual Showcase Tournament in Blaine, Minn. It was Wenatchee's first win at the tournament and regular season.
Cope's goal, his first of the season, was scored on defenseman Brendan Vetter's (North Fond du Lac, Wis.) shot from the near point with heavy traffic in front of the net. The IceRays appeared to tie the contest later in the period, but the goal was immediately waived off.
Wenatchee killed off three second-period penalties to maintain its 1-0 lead. Corpus Christi netminder Kale Robertson made sure it stayed a 1-goal game with a few difficult saves in the second half of the frame.
"We're still fighting pucks," Wild head coach John Becanic said, "and we have to figure out a way to find the back of the net."
Trace Redmond (McKinney, Texas) helped Jerad Tafoya (Highland Ranch, Colo.) find the back of the net with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation. During a man-advantage, Redmond slid the puck from the outside edge of the far circle to Tafoya who tapped it past Robertson from the doorstep to give the Wild a 2-goal lead.
Nichols was nothing short of impressive. He endured eight penalty-kills and stopped all 32 shots he faced to earn his first shutout in his regular-season debut. Wenatchee was 1-for-4 on power-play chances and took 17 shots.
"He was very, very good," Becanic said of Nichols. "He's a competitor, scrappy. He got his opportunity today, he played well and he will get the start again [Saturday]."
The Wild (1-2) will close out the Showcase Tournament at 7:30 a.m. Saturday against the Chicago Hitmen (0-5). Listen to all of the action on 1340 AM The Zone or, for a small fee, watch the game live online at www.FASTHockey.com.
Showcase Tournament
Blaine, Minn.
Wenatchee Wild Schedule & Results
Game 1:
Janesville 2, Wenatchee 0
Game 2:
Aberdeen 2, Wenatchee 1
Game 3:
Wenatchee 2, Corpus Christi 0
Game 4:
vs. Chicago - Saturday, Sept. 17, 7:30 a.m.
North American Hockey League Stories from September 16, 2011
- NAHL Showcase Results: Day 3 - NAHL
- Bruins lose to Michigan 7-6 - Austin Bruins
- Bulls Still Unbeaten at NAHL Showcase Beat Bismarck Bobcats 5-1 - Amarillo Bulls
- Bobcats Drop 5-1 Decision to Amarillo - Bismarck Bobcats
- Bruins Fall to Monsters - Austin Bruins
- Polin's Four Goals Push Fighting Falcons Past Mustangs - Port Huron Fighting Falcons
- Nichols Shuts out IceRays - Wenatchee Wild
- Monsters Partner to Find Next Little Caesars Mascot - Fresno Monsters
- McDonald's Powerful Play Lifts Jr. K-Wings - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
- Stars Drop Lead, Shootout to Aberdeen - Traverse City North Stars
- Jr. Blues Fall to Fairbanks - Springfield Jr. Blues
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.
