Wild Power Surge
December 9, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release
ODESSA, Texas - The Wenatchee Wild took the best road power play in the NAHL Friday to the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa, Texas. The unit did not disappoint. Wenatchee scored four power-play goals en route to a 4-1 victory over the Odessa Jackalopes.
Wenatchee's first man-advantage goal, scored by Sam Johnson (Dallas, Texas), forced a 1-1 tie with 4:58 remaining in the first period. From the point, Chris Knudson (North Barrington, Ill.) set up Johnson, who was stationed in the near circle, on a one-timer. Shawn Pauly (Bellingham, Wash.), who started the play with a faceoff win in the Odessa zone, also assisted.
Johnson's goal came after the Jackalopes drew first blood near the midpoint of the opening stanza on Josh Obregon's backhander. Tyler Poulsen and Curt Rau assisted.
The Wild took a commanding 4-1 lead on three second-period power-play markers, two of which came during a 5-minute major penalty. Dylan Abood (Centennial, Colo.) scored his first goal of the season to give his team a 2-1 lead 73 seconds into the second stanza on a 5-on-3 situation. Abood scored on a one-timer from the point off of a pass from Pauly. Ben Carey (Centennial, Colo.) also assisted.
During a 5-minute major, Chris Kerr (Penticton, British Columbia) made it 3-1 when he banged in a rebound off of an Abood slapper with 9:35 remaining in the period. Pauly picked up the second helper, his third of the game for his second playmaker in the last two games. Wenatchee claimed a 3-goal lead 38 seconds later when Blake Saylor (Centennial, Colo.) redirected another Abood shot into the cage. Carey earned the second assist.
Robert Nichols (Dallas, Texas) turned aside 25 of the 26 shots he faced to improve his record to 7-1-3. Odessa netminder Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves on 25 shots in the loss. The Wild scored four power-play goals on nine chances while the Jackalopes went 0-for-4.
Pauly, who had three helpers Friday night, is riding a 6-game point streak. He has 14 points (6G, 8A) over the stretch with a hat trick and two playmakers. Abood notched his first goal of the season and added two assists for a 3-point game while Carey chipped in with a pair of assists.
The Wild (13-7-4) will try to sweep the Jackalopes (9-13-4) Saturday. Faceoff is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. (PST). Fans can listen to the game live on 560 AM KPQ. Chris Hansen will call all the action. Pregame generally begins 15 minutes prior to faceoff. In addition, for a small fee, all of the Wild's games can be viewed live online at www.FASTHockey.com.
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