Wild Fall Short in Robertson Cup Championship Game
May 14, 2013 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
FRISCO, Texas - On Sunday the Wenatchee Wild were the better team, but on Monday the Amarillo Bulls were the better team. One day after defeating the Bulls 7-0 to clinch a spot in the league championship game, the Wenatchee Wild suffered a 5-0 loss to the Bulls Monday in the Robertson Cup Championship Game at the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas.
The Bulls came out of the gate hard Monday and claimed a 1-0 lead 7:32 into the first period when Joe Grabowski scored a power-play goal on a slap shot from the point. Clint Carlisle assisted.
Amarillo went up 2-0 a little less than seven minutes later in the first period when Tyler Deresky scored from the near faceoff dot on a shot that entered the far side of the cage. Matt Sieckhaus assisted.
The Wild drew three power plays in the second period but could not score a goal. The Bulls, on the other hand, added two more scores, both of which were notched by Ryan Cole, to take a 4-0 lead into the third period.
Cole's first goal in the second stanza came shorthanded. On a 2-on-1, Wild goalie Robert Nichols (Dallas, Texas) made the first save but couldn't deny Cole's rebound shot. Cole's second goal of the period came with 5:04 left before the second intermission when scored on a 2-on-0 after a Wild turnover.
"We just ran out of gas," said Wenatchee Wild head coach Bliss Littler, whose team played seven games in the last 11 days. "They were the better hockey team tonight. They won the battles for loose pucks and were a little bit quicker. Congratulations to Amarillo. They were the better team tonight."
Omar Mullan scored the final goal of the game with 4:53 left in the third period when banged in a one-timer on a cross-ice pass from Sieckhaus.
Amarillo's Paul Berrafato stopped all 16 Wenatchee shots he faced. Nichols' numbers may not look impressive on paper - he made 19 saves on 24 shots in the loss - but he made multiple difficult saves, including several stops on 2-on-1s to keep the Wild in contention.
Amarillo scored one power-play goal on four tries while the Wild went 0-for-3 on their man-advantage chances.
In spite of the loss, the Wild persevered through a lot of adversity in 2012-13 to achieve a championship-caliber season. They captured the West Division regular season title and won a pair of 5-game series to reach the 2013 Robertson Cup Championship Tournament.
"Absolutely, no doubt," Littler said when asked to reflect on his team's success. "Winning the West Division, winning the playoffs in the West. Those kids are going to remember those game fives in front of our home fans in Wenatchee for the rest of their lives."
In five seasons, the Wild qualified for three Robertson Cup Championship Tournaments and reached the championship game twice.
Following the championship game Monday the NAHL announced the All-Tournament Team. Two Wild players made the team: Forward Chris Kerr (Penticton, British Columbia) and defenseman Dylan Abood (Centennial, Colo.).
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North American Hockey League Stories from May 14, 2013
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- Wild Fall Short in Robertson Cup Championship Game - Wenatchee Wild
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- Amarillo Bulls Win 2013 NAHL Robertson Cup National Championship - NAHL
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