Third Period Collapse Gives Cats Fourth Straight Loss
Published on February 6, 2016 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
In their final game against the Odessa Jackalopes this season, the Wildcats fell apart in the third period and were defeated by a score of 5-4.
Believing Odessa's goaltender Jon Flakne was due for an off-night, the Wildcats got the ball rolling right away. Just 1:24 into the period, Trent Dillinger snuck a shot through the equipment of Flakne for his second goal as a Wildcat. Despite being outshot, Julian Sime stood tall in net for the Wildcats, turning aside all 14 shots he faced in the first period.
Halfway through the initial frame, the Cats came through on the power play. Michael Rounds ripped a heavy slap shot from the left point off the left post and into the net, giving Wichita Falls a 2-0 lead. Late in the period, the young defenseman scored another one after being set up on a nice one-touch pass by Jonny Lazarus. Rounds scored his sixth of the season and his second power play goal of the evening to stun the Ector County Coliseum going into the first intermission. Odessa started the second period with Dartmouth University commit Dean Shatzer after pulling Flakne between periods.
The Wildcats' penalty kill had a difficult time all series shutting down Odessa's top guns. Loading up their most talented players on the power play, the Jacks overwhelmed the Cats and Andrew McLean rifled a one-timer from the blue line to beat Sime for the first time of the night, giving the Jackalopes some life.
Ten minutes later, however, Dillinger hauled the puck down the right wing on a 4-on-2 rush before laying into a powerful snap shot from the top of the right circle, beating Shatzer cleanly for his second goal of the game. The second period concluded with some of the wind taken out of the Jackalopes' sails.
The third period can only be described as a collapse for the ages. The Wildcats were scored on just 40 seconds into the period off a Zach Zech wrist shot on a 2-on-1. Brandon Tucker scored on a wraparound just two minutes later, and McLean scored his second goal of the night at the 6:09 mark of the period at the end of a Jackalope power play to level the score at 4. After the Cats had finally settled things down, Tucker dumped the puck on net from the neutral zone and a fluky bounce propelled the puck through Sime and into the back of the net. The Cats never recovered from Odessa's fourth unanswered goal.
Sime made 48 saves on 53 shots for the Wildcats on a night to forget for his third regulation defeat of the season. Shatzer was given the win after stopping 30 of 31 shots, backstopping the Jackalopes' comeback. The Wildcats are back at the KYC on Friday, February 12th to host the Topeka RoadRunners. They will be sporting specialty jerseys presented by Whataburger in honor of Cancer Awareness Month, and all tickets to the game are $5.
North American Hockey League Stories from February 6, 2016
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- Lone Star Tenders Two Forwards for 2016-17 - Lone Star Brahmas
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- Jr. Blues Get the Sweep - Springfield Jr. Blues
- IceRays Edged in Defensive Battle with Brahmas, 1-0 - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Titans Bounce Back, Beat Tomahawks - New Jersey Titans
- Third Period Collapse Gives Cats Fourth Straight Loss - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Second Period Goals Haunt Tomahawks in Loss to Titans - Johnstown Tomahawks
- Lone Star Tenders Two Forwards for 2016-17 - Lone Star Brahmas
- Wilderness Lose Friday against Bismarck - Minnesota Wilderness
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