Tornado Edged in Shootout by 'Cats, 4-3
March 12, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Texas Tornado News Release
A late 3rd period goal by Tyler Rostenkowski got the Tornado into extra time, but Texas ultimately fell in a shootout to the Wichita Falls Wildcats in a Saturday afternoon game in Frisco, 4-3. Goals by Marc Biggs and Nate Sliwinski gave the Tornado two separate leads, but two Wildcats goals in the 3rd period sent the game to overtime and then a shootout where the Wildcats edged the Tornado for just the second time this season.
With both teams fatigued from the night before, it took a while for the game to get up to pace, but after a fight between the Tornado ¬â¢s Tom Rizzardo and the Wildcats Drew Allen, a charge was put into the teams and the fans. A minute later, Walker Hyland and Jason McAloon would drop the mitts for the second fight of the game. The Tornado would wear down the Wildcats the rest of the period with two power plays, which ultimately led to the first Tornado goal late in the period. After the Wildcats killed off their second penalty, the Tornado took advantage of the tired group as Jimmy Murray found Marc Biggs streaking to the net for a backdoor goal past a helpless Wildcats goaltender Tyler Green. The Tornado would outshoot the Wildcats 16-9, with Tornado goaltender Jimmy Kruger stopping all nine Wildcats shots.
Fatigue started to rear its head in the 2nd period for the Tornado, as the fresher Wildcats came out of the break buzzing in the Tornado zone. Jimmy Kruger made some great saves, keeping the Wildcats off the scoreboard, but it wouldn ¬â¢t last. With a huge collection of players behind the Tornado net, the defensive zone coverage broke down as a loose puck squirted free to Brian White who crept in the from the point to send a laser past Jimmy Kruger ¬â¢s glove to tie the game at 1-1. The Wildcats would outshoot the Tornado 14-11 in the period.
The stage was set for a wild 3rd period, in which the Tornado regained the lead less than two minutes in as Nate Sliwinski got a great pass from Jackson Leef to put one in an open net in behind Green for a 2-1 Tornado lead. The lead would be fleeting however as just :20 second later, Joe Adams fired a wrist shot from the point that beat a screened Kruger to tie the game at 2-2. The Wildcats would take their first lead of the afternoon as Will Suter got his own rebound on the right side of the net to slide one underneath Jimmy Kruger for a 3-2 Wildcats lead. The Tornado wouldn ¬â¢t say die as on the power play, Tyler Rostenkowski was the beneficiary of a Wildcats turnover in the high slot, as he then wristed home a drive to tie the game at 3-3.
In the OT the Tornado could not convert on a full 4 on 3 power play and the game would go to a shootout. The Tornado struck first as JD Howard scored as the first shooter, but that would be all for the Tornado in the shootout. The last two Wildcats shooters beat Kruger for the 4-3 shootout win.
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North American Hockey League Stories from March 12, 2011
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