Wildcats Battle with Tornado
Published on December 18, 2006 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats traveled to Frisco on Friday night to take on their rival, the Texas Tornado. The Tornado proved to be tough competition for the Cats on their home ice, and the Wildcats fell short 6-4. Saturday night, the Wildcats were back home at the KYC to play Texas again. However, Texas was able to take an early lead that the Cats could not recover from and the Cats would lose 5-1. The Wildcats currently sit in 5th place in the NAHL South Division.
Friday night the Wildcats were able to score first at the 5:29 mark during a powerplay. Joel Sauer and Sean Nealon assisted Ricky Doriott who slid the puck past the Tornado goalie to score his fourth goal of the season. Unfortunately, the Cats lead did not last long, and at the 9:37 mark, the Tornado would tie the game. Before the period was over, Texas would get one more past Heeter and have a 2-1 lead going into the first intermission. The Tornado scored two goals early in the second frame and were leading the Cats 4-1 when our guys finally got a break. At 9:38, Eddie Effinger got control of the puck and set-up Michael Hrtus who scored and narrowed the margin 4-2. Before the Cats were able to score another and put themselves within one point, Texas would score again. The Wildcats would not give up though and with only fifteen seconds left in the period, Adam Cardwell scored a powerplay goal and the Cats trailed 5-3 going into the final frame. The Wildcats showed a lot of determination during the game, and when all hope seemed lost, the Cats would get another powerplay with only a few minutes remaining. Luke Salazar capitalized on the situation and the whole dynamic of the game changed as the Cats trailed by only one. Mula was pulled to get an extra man on the ice, but the Cats couldn't catch another break. Before the frame was over, Texas scored an empty net goal and defeated the Cats 6-4.
The Wildcats faced the Texas Tornado Saturday hoping to avenge the tough loss from the night before. That would prove to be a difficult task as the Tornado jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. The Wildcats Luke Salazar would get the Cats on the board with a goal at the 12:40 mark of the first period, prompting the 1,535 fans in attendance to shower the ice with stuffed animals. Saturday was the Wildcats annual Teddy Bear Toss Night, and once again the Wildcats fans did not disappoint. An estimated 350 stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes were collected and will be sent to Iraq in conjunction with the Toys for Iraqi Children Program. The 80th Flying Training Wing from Sheppard AFB were on hand to help with the clean up, and will be responsible for getting the toys to the children in Iraq. The Tornado added one more goal before the end of the first period to increase their lead to 3-1. This goal would be the end of the night for starting goaltender Ryan Mula as he was pulled in favor of Thomas Billick who was dressed in a back up role Saturday. The second period produced only one goal by the Tornado, and one penalty, giving the Wildcats a powerplay opportunity they were unable to convert. The third period was scoreless until the 17:49 mark when the Tornado scored an empty net goal as the Wildcats pulled Billick for an extra attacker. This was the final goal of the night, and the game ended 5-1 in favor of the visiting Tornado and handed the Cats another tough loss.
The Wildcats next action will be in St. Louis on December 22-23 as they face the Bandits, who currently lead the South Division. The team will then have a short Christmas break before they travel back to Frisco to face the Tornado on December 29th. The next home games for the Wildcats will be on January 5-6 when the Tornado are back in town, giving the Cats a chance to equal the score with their closest rival. The puck drops at 7:05 pm!
North American Hockey League Stories from December 18, 2006
- IceDiggers head into NAHL break on winning note - Alpena IceDiggers
- Texas Tornado holiday update - Texas Tornado
- Wildcats Battle with Tornado - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Fairbanks to host Robertson Cup National Championship Tournament - NAHL
- Jets Split Weekend Games - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
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