Wild Clip Roadrunners in Shootout
Published on February 26, 2012 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
WENATCHEE, Wash. - The Wenatchee Wild swept a 2-game series from the Topeka RoadRunners and extended their winning streak to four games Saturday with a 2-1 shootout victory at the Town Toyota Center.
Parker Johnson (Bloomington, Ill.) brought fans to their feet 6:27 into the first period. After picking up the puck in the neutral zone off of a clear, Johnson raced into the Topeka zone down the right wing and fired a wrist shot from the right faceoff dot. Goalie Bryce Fink denied the shot but couldn't control the rebound, which hit a defenseman and bounced into the net. Michael Lant (Suwanee, Ga.) picked up the lone assist on Johnson's fourth goal of the season.
The RoadRunners evened the score 5:16 into the second period during a 5-minute major penalty when Brian Christie lit the lamp on a one-timer from the near faceoff circle. Cory Ramsey assisted.
Christie's goal was the last of regulation. The game was decided in a shootout after a scoreless overtime session.
Christie scored the first goal in the shootout as his team's third shooter but Trace Redmond (McKinney, Texas), the Wild's fourth shooter, forced a tie on a glove side shot.
Anders Schultz pushed the RoadRunners to a 2-1 lead in the shootout and put a lot of pressure on Max McHugh (Edgewood, Wash.), the Wild's fifth shooter. But McHugh delivered. He lost the handle on the puck momentarily on his approach then used a series of small quick dekes before finishing with a high shot from close range to force another tie.
Robert Nichols (Dallas, Texas) stopped Topeka's next two shooters before Ben Carey (Centennial, Colo.) lifted the Wild to a 2-1 victory with a shot that sailed by Fink's glove.
Nichols made 34 saves on 35 shots to improve his record to 19-5-3. Fink made 31 stops on 32 shots after he took over for Peter Traber early in the first period. Topeka scored one power-play goal on three tries. Wenatchee failed to score on its only man-advantage of the contest.
The Wild (28-15-5) will try to build on their 4-game winning streak when they host the Fresno Monsters in a 2-game series on Saturday and Sunday (March 3-4). Saturday's game will begin at 7:05 p.m. while Sunday's contest will start at 5:05 p.m.
North American Hockey League Stories from February 26, 2012
- Kalamazoo Robbed By Bandits - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
- Bobcats Rock Mintauros 5-1 - Bismarck Bobcats
- Wild Clip Roadrunners in Shootout - Wenatchee Wild
- Bulls Get Three in Third to Over Power Texas Tornado - Amarillo Bulls
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.
