Wildcats Blanked by Bridges, Topeka to Open Second Half
January 3, 2014 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
TOPEKA, Kan. - David Zevnik made 22 saves for Wichita Falls but the offense could not match his effort, as the Wildcats (21-11-3) were blanked by the Topeka Roadrunners, 2-0, on Friday night.
The Roadrunners opened the scoring and did so on the power play. After a scramble in the slot, the puck trickled to Jake Kamrass unmarked at the post, and he roofed it past Zevnik to give Topeka a 1-0 lead at the 12:21 mark. The goal broke a stretch of 31 straight opposing penalties killed off for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats gradually broke down the Topeka forecheck and generated a number of quality opportunities in the middle frame as a result. First, Josh Haverstrom skated down the right wing with space to shoot, but his shot whistled just over the crossbar. Minutes later, Colin Staub had a good look at the net, cutting in from the left side and testing PJ Bridges with a backhand shot, but his effort was turned aside.
Topeka doubled its advantage early in the third period, making the hill to climb that much steeper for Wichita Falls. Mike Gornall picked up his fourth of the year, stepping out of the corner and walking through traffic before roofing a backhand shot past Zevnik.
The Wildcats responded well to the goal, outshooting the Roadrunners 12-6 in the frame. Kyle Bauman proved a handful in the final stanza, thrice going in for clean breakaways, but Bridges stopped every bit of rubber thrown his way to earn his fifth shutout of the season.
The loss halts the Wildcats' winning streak at six games.
Wichita Falls and Topeka reconvene on Saturday to complete this two-game series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Video streaming is available on FASTHockey.com, with an audio-only broadcast accessible via UStream.com.
North American Hockey League Stories from January 3, 2014
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- Malo Ville's Two Goals Not Enough in 6-3 Loss to Amarillo - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Tomahawks Fall to Eagles 3-0 - Johnstown Tomahawks
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