Wildcats Extend Home Win Streak to Eight
February 26, 2016 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats extended their league lead in consecutive home victories on Friday night with a 4-1 win over the Amarillo Bulls.
The first period was one of the most lopsided 20 minutes of the entire season for the Wildcats, who stomped the Bulls 18-3 in shots on goal. Playing in just his third game in a Bulls uniform, goaltender Brian Baker denied all but one of the shots he faced. Halfway through their first penalty kill, the Wildcats snuck the puck past Tyler Gernhofer at the left point to send Nikita Litviak and Adam Goodsir on a 2-on-0 rush. Litviak took it upon himself to deke Baker and slide the puck past him for his first shorthanded goal of the season. Julian Sime turned aside all three shots he faced.
The second twenty minutes were far more evenly matched. Early in the period, the Wildcats were relentless on the forecheck, and it paid off. After Aleksi Poikola stole the puck on an Amarillo clearing attempt, he fired the puck towards the net and it was redirected in by Garrett Van Wyhe for his 10th goal of the season.
Halfway through the period, Trent Dillinger scored a rebound goal in the final seconds of a power play to extend the Cats' lead to three. Scoring a goal in his first game against his former team, Dillinger now has more goals in just six games played as a Wildcat than he did in 25 contests with the Bulls this season. Late in the period, however, the Bulls found some life after a fortunate bounce caromed off of George Mika's right skate after going off of the end boards, ending the shutout bid of Sime.
The Bulls rode their momentum into the third period and scored another goal just 2:50 into the frame. Jake Houston set up Jeff Solow in the deep slot on an Amarillo power play who fired the puck through traffic on a power play, and it was redirected past Sime by Coale Norris to bring the Bulls to within one. The Wildcats finally responded when Austin Beaulieu took advantage of a defensive breakdown after Solow lost his stick in his own zone.
Amarillo's leading scorer Joey Molinaro showed off his stickhandling ability and sliced through the Wildcats' defense before batting the puck past Sime to again cut the Cats' lead to one. Refusing to go down quietly, the Bulls pulled Baker for a sixth attacker but could not get any sustained pressure in the Wildcats' zone. André Pison found the puck on his stick before backhanding it all the way down the ice from his own zone and into the empty net for his 8th goal of the season to seal the deal for the Wildcats.
Sime stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced for his 10th victory as a Wildcat, while Baker denied 32 of 36 tin his second defeat as a Bull. The Wildcats will host the Bulls again on Saturday, February 27th on $5 ticket night at the KYC. The Cancer Awareness jerseys presented by Whataburger which the Wildcats have sported throughout the month of February will be auctioned during the third period of the game from the Guest Services Table.
The game began sourly for the Cats after a defensive zone breakdown led to an open-net goal from Dominic Lutz just 23 seconds into the contest. Though it was not the start they were looking for, they bounced back shortly thereafter as Nikita Litviak snapped a 12-game goalless drought to tie the game up after sniping the puck over the glove of Tyler Johnson from the top of the left circle.
A thorn in the RoadRunners' side all season long, Jeff Baum blasted two goals past Johnson from long range in the first period. His first came just seconds into a power play in which he unloaded from the mid-point, and the second came after hopping onto the ice fresh off a line change before rifling a one-timer from the left point. Of the ten goals the veteran defenseman has scored this season, half of them have come against the RoadRunners.
Topeka bounced back in the second period in terms of puck possession. They managed 11 shots on goal to the Wildcats' six, but were unable to solve Justin Kapelmaster. The Cats' goaltender weathered the storm despite spending a large portion of the second period shorthanded with Adam Goodsir serving a cross-checking penalty and Aleksi Poikola in the box for a four-minute double minor for high sticking Yu Hikosaka.
Ryan O'Connor was set up by Topeka captain Cam Strong on a shorthanded rush early in the third period before backhanding the puck past Kapelmaster. The Runners' attempt at a comeback fell short, however. Jonny Lazarus ripped a shot from the left circle on the glove side of Johnson to extend the Cats' lead to two.
Litviak scored his second goal of the night after capitalizing on a takeaway in the RoadRunner zone. He deked Johnson out of position before firing the puck into the net. Nick Rosa would add an insurance goal at the end of the game after one-timing the puck past Johnson to seal the deal for the Cats.
Kapelmaster earned his 24th win of the season after stopping 31 of 33 shots, while Johnson was handed his 10th defeat after turning aside 21 of 27. The Cats host the Runners again on Saturday, February 13th at the KYC for the second game of a two-game home series.
North American Hockey League Stories from February 26, 2016
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- Brown gets OT winner, extends point streak to 13 - Odessa Jackalopes
- IceRays Force Overtime, Fall 3-2 to Jackalopes - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Wildcats Extend Home Win Streak to Eight - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Rebels Down Tomahawks 5-1 - Johnstown Tomahawks
- RoadRunners Name Lutz Co-Captain; Plays 100th Game - Topeka Pilots
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