Only Five Games Remaining in Battle for NAHL South Division
Published on March 15, 2006 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Texas Tornado News Release
It is a "Jacked-Up" hockey weekend as the Texas Tornado prepare for yet another big series, this time against the Wichita Falls Wildcats. First the Tornado will travel to Wichita Falls on Thursday, March 16th for their final regular season road game of the season. Face-off is 7:05pm. Then the Tornado will host the Wildcats on Friday, March 17th and Saturday, March 18th at 7:30pm at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco. For this weekend's games, the Texas Tornado has teamed up with 100.3 JACK FM for the special 100.3 JACK FM/Tornado Ticket Offer... For only $10.03, fans get a premium ticket, a hot dog, and a Dr Pepper to either the March 17th or March 18th games this weekend! That's a ticket, food, and a drink for only $10.03! The Texas Tornado will be wearing special St. Patrick's Day Jersey's on Friday night, and will auction those same jerseys LIVE following the game in Sections 105, 106, and 107. All proceeds from the jersey auction benefit the Mike Modano, Texas Tornado, and Schlegel Foundations. For general ticket purchases, stop by or call the Tornado office at 972-335-9800, or Purchase Tickets Online Now!
The Texas Tornado and the Wichita Falls Wildcats are both fighting for playoff positioning. With a weekend sweep over the Springfield Jr. Blues, combined with a Fairbanks sweep over Texarkana, the Texas Tornado moved back into first place in the South Division with five games to play. Meanwhile, the Wildcats took three of six points in Santa Fe last weekend, and find themselves in the 4th and final playoff spot, just one point behind 3rd place Springfield. However, Wichita Falls has six games remaining. The Tornado has won the past four games against the Wildcats, and their overall season record against Wichita Falls is 5-1-1. Both games can be watched and heard LIVE via the Tornado Hockey Network at www.tornadohockey.com
Tornado hope to have the Luck O' the Irish this weekend!
Tornado Secure Home Ice for 1st Round of 2006 NAHL Playoffs
The Texas Tornado has clinched home ice for the 1st round of the 2006 NAHL Playoffs! The Tornado will host either the Springfield Jr. Blues, Wichita Falls Wildcats, or Santa Fe Roadrunners in a Best of Five 1st round NAHL South Division Semi-Final series. Home Playoff Game #1 of the South Division Semi-finals will be on Saturday, April 1st at 7:30pm, and Home Playoff Game #2 will be on Sunday, April 2nd at 6:00pm, both at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco. Tickets are on sale now for the first two home 2006 NAHL playoff games, and can be purchased by stopping by or calling the Texas Tornado office at 972-335-9800. Playoff tickets may also be purchased online at tornadohockey.com beginning on Wednesday, March 15th at 9:00am.
Tornado Back in First with Sweep
With a weekend road sweep against the Springfield Jr. Blues this past weekend, the Texas Tornado moved back into first place in the NAHL South Division with two weeks remaining in the 2005-06 NAHL Regular Season. Friday night in Springfield it was a seven-goal explosion, as the Texas Tornado creeped to within one point of division-leading Texarkana with a 7-1 win over the Jr. Blues. Despite the Jr. Blues getting on the board first early in the 1st period, the Tornado struck back with a power play goal from #11 Ryan Fuller. #5 Brett Blatchford and #8 Dylan Cooper assisted on the play. The 2nd period saw the Tornado dominate, end to end. It finally paid off as #28 Karl Sellan received a pass from Blatchford from behind the net, and one-timed a blast past Jr. Blues goaltender Adam Roy. #24 Billy Skwarczewski assisted on the play. Minutes later on the power play #6 Devrin Stonehouse blasted home a one-timer from the point, with another assist to Blatchford and Cooper. The Tornado did not sit on their 3-1 lead to start the 3rd period... First, Skwarczewski slid home a nice pass from #9 Justin King to give the Tornado a 4-1 lead three minutes into the final period. Thirty seconds later a #21 Rob Blanchette slapshot found its way top-shelf and the Tornado had a 5-1 lead. Sellan added his first assist while #13 Sean McCauley added his second helper of the night on Blanchette's first career junior goal. Just :14 seconds later, #16 Adam Flink gave the Tornado a 6-1 lead, as he tucked home a 2 on 1 play with #26 Derek Danowski, with Sellan adding the 2nd assist. Sellan scored his 2nd of the night and 36th of the year, as he banged home a rebound shot from Justin King. Tornado goaltender #33 Troy Redmann was as solid as ever, stopping 23 of 24 Jr. Blues shots, bumping his goals against average under 2.00 for the season. The seven goals ties a Tornado high this season.
Saturday, behind #16 Adam Flink's game-winning goal and #8 Dylan Cooper's first career goal, the Texas Tornado completed a weekend sweep of the Springfield Jr. Blues by a score of 4-3. Tornado goaltender #20 Matt DiGirolamo got the win between the pipes, stopping 24 of 27 Jr. Blues shots and moved his record to 9-1-0 on the season. The Tornado opened the scoring just :55 second in, as #11 Ryan Fuller tapped home a rebound from a drive from #56 Tyler Ludwig. It was Ludwig's first point this season and Cooper also assisted on the play. The Jr. Blues would tie the score late in the period on a 2 on 1. The 2nd period opened with Tornado penalties, and the Jr. Blues capitalized with a power play goal to take their first lead of the weekend. Then came one of the prettiest goals of the season from #6 Devrin Stonehouse. Playing shorthanded, Stonehouse carried the puck in the Jr. Blues zone 1 on 1. In a seemingly harmless play, Stonehouse waited for the Jr. Blues defenseman to screen goaltender Adam Roy. Stonehouse then fired a wrist shot through the defenseman past a screened Roy, going top shelf of is glove. The Jr. Blues struck again on the power play to make it 3-2. The Tornado came right back with Dylan Cooper's first goal of the season as he tapped home a nice pass from #28 Karl Sellan. Sellan ended up with five points on the weekend and Cooper had four. Halfway through the 3rd period came the game-winner from Flink, who in his true gritty fashion crashed the net and put home a pass from #5 Brett Blatchford, who also had four points on the weekend. For Flink, it was his second goal in as many nights.
Upcoming Texas Tornado Games:
Thursday, March 16th @ Wichita Falls Wildcats, 7:05pm
Friday, March 17th vs. Wichita Falls Wildcats, 7:30pm
Saturday, March 18th vs. Wichita Falls Wildcats, 7:30pm
Friday, March 24th vs. Santa Fe Roadrunners, 7:30pm
Saturday, March 25th vs. Santa Fe Roadrunners, 7:30pm (Tornado Fan Appreciation - Star Community News/Tornado Water Bottle Night)
Saturday, April 1st vs. Game #1, South Division Semi-Final Series, 7:30pm
Sunday, April 2nd vs. Game #2, South Division Semi-Final Series, 6:00pm (Frisco-Online/Tornado Rally Towel Night)
North American Hockey League Stories from March 15, 2006
- Bozeman Icedogs' Dog Pound Weekly - Bozeman Icedogs
- Trojans to be honored at Stars game Friday - Traverse City North Stars
- O'Brien Earns Player of the Week - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- Only Five Games Remaining in Battle for NAHL South Division - Texas Tornado
- FM Jets Wearing Special Jerseys Friday to Support MDA - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
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