Third Period Comeback falls short as Stockton beats \'Catters 2-1

February 24, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Texas Wildcatters News Release


Beaumont, TX - Mathieu Melanson scored both Stockton goals and Devan Dubnyk made 37 saves as the Thunder defeated the Wildcatters (31-15-5-4) 2-1 in front of 2,574 at Ford Arena. In his first two professional games, Melanson has scored all three Stockton goals in the series against Texas. The first goal of the game came at the 3:36 mark of the first period as Melanson with the feed from Beau Geisler beat Wildcatters goaltender Matt Yeats. Then at 10:58 of the first period, Melanson struck again with help from Mike Lalonde and Nathan Martz to put Stockton up 2-0 after two periods.

The ‘Catters looked for some third period magic once again as Daniel Sparre put Texas on the board with his 16th goal of the season. After a pass from Olivier Proulx, Keith MCWilliams fired a shot from the blue line that sailed wide of the goal. Sparre played it off the end boards and jammed it home to cut the Stockton lead to 2-1. Matt Yeats was strong down the stretch and helped the Wildcatters remain in striking distance. However, Texas was held out of the net by Stockton rookie All-Star goaltender Devan Dubnyk and the Thunder evened the series with the 2-1 win.

Both teams went scoreless on the power play. Stockton concluded the game 0 for 3 while Texas went 0 for 6. There were two fights in the game as David Herring dropped the gloves just 24 seconds into the game with Jason Beckett and Olivier Proulx fought Adam Huxley. The game was delayed in the second intermission due to a zamboni issue. The ‘Catters remain in first place, one point ahead in the South Division.

The Texas Wildcatters are the ECHL affiliate for the AHL's Houston Aeros. The next Wildcatters home game is on Sunday, February 25 vs. the Stockton Thunder. There will be an autograph session and a skate with the players following the game. In order to skate, fans must bring their own skates. Don't miss any hard-hitting Wildcatters hockey action. Wildcatters' season tickets start at just $9 per game and feature numerous benefits including free parking and discounted merchandise. Flex Ticket Packages are available and group discount plans are also available by calling (409) 951-5500. For single game tickets stop by the Ford Park Box Office, call (409) 833-7747 or log on to ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit the Wildcatters online at www.wildcattershockey.com.



ECHL Stories from February 24, 2007


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.

OurSports Central