Wildcats Fall In A Pair Of High-Octane Thrillers
Published on March 22, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats dropped the final two games of the season against the Roadrunners in a pair of high-scoring affairs. Friday night saw a 7-4 final score, while Saturday was 8-5.
Friday night started out with Topeka jumping out to a 2-1 lead before Daniel Gentzler got the Wildcats on the board off a cross-crease pass from Brandon Stroud, the first of five assists for Stroud on the weekend. J.T. Osborn picked up the second assist.
The teams traded goals early in the second, with Kyle Gallegos picking up a rebound of a Kevin Liss shot and depositing it behind Topeka goalie Eric Rohrkemper. But the Roadrunners would jump out to a lead of four, scoring three goals in the final eight minutes of the period, including two shorthanded tallies.
The Wildcats, as they have done several times previous against Topeka, fought back in the third. Ryan Frost scored at the 6:25 mark with Tyler Briola assisting, then J.T. Osborn cut it to a two-goal game with just under three minutes to go off an assist from Stroud. But the Wildcats weren't able to capitalize with the net empty behind them, and Topeka's Cole Schneider, in a precursor to what he would do on Saturday, scored an empty netter to ice the game at 7-4 for the Roadrunners.
Saturday night was another blazing start offensively for both teams, with each team scoring only 1:13 into the contest. Off the opening faceoff, former Wildcat Michael Hill took the puck, streaked down the ice, and roofed a shot for a 1-0 lead only 5 seconds in. The Wildcats would strike back with Daniel Gentzler scoring his second goal on the weekend off Stroud and Osborn's assists. Topeka would score three more by the 11 minute mark of the period, including two from the aforementioned Schneider for a 4-1 lead. But again the Wildcats would claw back to within two, as Osborn scored at the 11:26 mark, courtesy of Gentzler and Stroud. Gentzler though would have to be satisfied with "only" two points, as he was given a major and game misconduct for a hit from behind only six minutes later.
Remarkably, the Wildcats would control the second period, outshooting Topeka 10-8, and outscoring them 2-1. Though Hill would score again for the Roadrunners early in the period, the Wildcats would get goals from Jason McAloon (aided by Sean Keane and Mac Olson) and Brian Sheehan (from Ryan Frost and Kyle Gallegos) to make it a 5-4 game.
But that one goal deficit would be as close as the 'Cats would get. Topeka tallied two goals in the first four minutes of the third via special teams: Alec Hagaman continued his scoring streak to five games via a power play goal, and Cole Schneider's shorthanded goal capped off his hat trick. Broderick Browne would cut the deficit back to two goals with an absolute laser of a shot from the left wing, sneaking the puck over goaltender Evan Karambelas' glove and just inside the corner of the goal for a 7-5 game. Stroud and Briola added assists. But the Roadrunners would put the nail in the coffin with 7 to go, as Hill completed his hat trick for the 8-5 final.
Four players from the weekend were awarded Honorable mentions for the Sherwood-NAHL South Player of the Week: for Topeka, Hill and Schneider's hat tricks got them listed, while Brandon Stroud's 5 assists and J.T. Osborn's four-point effort got them on the list as well.
Gallegos to Tufts
Kyle Gallegos will be plying his trade for the Tufts Jumbos next year. They are part of the NCAA Division 3 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).
"It's a good engineering school," Gallegos said. "It sounded like a good option for me."
Gallegos is the third Wildcat to commit to a college next season. Aaron Quick, now of the Bismarck Bobcats, committed in September to Air Force, while Zach Ledford committed to Bentley. Both are in the Atlantic Hockey Association.
In his Wildcats' career, Kyle has scored 9 goals and added 11 assists for 20 points in 41 games (playoffs included), and tallied 8 goals and 5 assists in 42 games this season.
"Kyle is deserving of this opportunity," said head coach Mike Flanagan. "He has been a good player for us this season after coming up from midget AAA last season for 9 games from the Pikes Peak program. We are confident in his abilities both as a player and student to succeed at such a prestigious university renowned for its academic curriculum."
"I'd also like to say thanks to the fans, the coaches, and the whole organization," Kyle said. "They've really helped me out a lot over the past year."
Congratulations Kyle, and best of luck at Tufts!
2009-2010 Season Awards Banquet
The Wildcats will be hosting their annual Awards Banquet this Thursday, March 25, at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel. Dinner will start at 6:30 pm, with awards being presented at 7:15. The price is $10 per person. To get your tickets, call the Wildcats' office at 940-716-5587!
Wildcats extend Flanagan for 2010-2011
The Wichita Falls Wildcats have announced that Mike Flanagan has been named the team's head coach for the 2010-11 season. Flanagan has held the post on an interim basis since January.
Under Flanagan's leadership, the Wildcats have posted a 8-10-1 record after opening the season with a 10-23-5 mark.
Flanagan previously served as head coach of the Kenai River Brown Bears during the 2007-08 season.
The Wildcats have also announced that Thomas Billick has been named an assistant coach. Billick, the Wildcats' goaltender from 2004-07, coached the Western States Hockey League's Tulsa Rampage during the 2008-09 season.
Wildcats Alumni Update
NCAA D1 Frozen Four
A total of four former Wildcats will have their college teams playing for the NCAA Division 1 championship over the next month. Opening round play begins on Friday, March 26 as Denver (Chris Nutini, Luke Salazar) takes on RIT in Albany, NY. On March 27, Alaska (Adam Cardwell) takes on Boston College in Worcester, MA, while in Fort Wayne, IN, Bemidji State (Shea Walters) faces Michigan. The Frozen Four National Championship will take place in Detroit, April 8-10.
NCAA D3 News
Congratulations to Eddie Effinger. A forward on the 2006-07 Wildcats team, Eddie was named captain of the 2010-2011 Amherst Lord Jeffs squad. Effinger just completed his sophomore year with the Lord Jeffs, where he scored 10 goals and added 12 assists for 22 points. He was third on the team in each offensive category.
Pro Levels
Chad Costello and the Corpus Christi Ice Rays begin their CHL playoff run tonight against the Texas Brahmas. They will play a best of three series, facing the winner of Allen vs. Laredo.
Jack Wolgemuth had a busy night, picking up two assists, going +3, and dropped the gloves in a late-game brawl as the Mississippi Surge beat the Pensacola Ice Flyers 7-0 on Saturday. Mississippi is currently the #1 team in the SPHL.
After a brief visit to the ECHL, Nick Klaren returned to the Surge, where he had played earlier in the season. In two games over the weekend, the defenseman scored two goals, one of which was assisted by Wolgemuth.
See puck, hit puck, puck goes in net. It didn't get much tougher than that for Andrew Conboy this weekend. In two games, the Hamilton Bulldogs forward put two shots on goal, scoring on each. The Bulldogs beat Lake Erie on Friday 5-3, but lost in a shootout to Toronto on Saturday, 4-3.
Sexton Watch
The Anaheim Ducks are living by the old adage that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." So although Dan Sexton has been held off the scoreboard the past three games, the Ducks are riding a four-game winning streak. Over that streak, Sexton has an assist, while being a +2 and has averaged 14:10 of ice time per game. The Ducks, who are currently 7 points out of a playoff spot, play three times this week, and will face the Dallas Stars next Monday, March 29 in Anaheim. The game will be on Fox Sports Southwest, starting at 9 pm CDT.
As soon as hockey season comes to a close, we'll have stats for you on every former Wildcats player from their respective 2009-2010 seasons in college and the pro levels.
North American Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2010
- Regular-Season Title Still Up For Grabs - NAHL
- Wildcats Fall In A Pair Of High-Octane Thrillers - Wichita Falls Wildcats
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