Wildcats Fall Short on the Road
December 4, 2006 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats traveled to Santa Fe this weekend and played the Roadrunners both Friday and Saturday night. The Roadrunners currently are the second place team in our division and proved to be tough competition for the Wildcats. The Cats are currently in fifth place in the NAHL South Standings and are only three points behind Fairbanks.
The Wildcats had a slow start Friday night as the Santa Fe Roadrunners came out and were able to score three goals in the first period, one being on a powerplay. The Cats would then trail 3-0 after twenty minutes of play. The Cats would not be let down as they scored the lone goal of the second frame, capitalizing on one of only five shots during that time. The Wildcats first goal would come at the 13:31 mark when Eddie Effinger found Michael Hrtus who took advantage of a scoring opportunity, sliding the puck past the Roadrunners goalie, and getting the Cats on the board. Then, at the 6:51 mark of the third stanza, the Cats would narrow the Roadrunners lead when Ville Aman scored his fifth goal of the season, off an assist from Ricky Doriott, and the Cats were now down only 3-2. However, before the period was over Santa Fe would score three more goals, the final one coming in the last ten seconds of the game on an empty net and defeated the Wildcats 6-2. The Santa Fe defense were able to hold the Cats offense to only twenty shots on goal the entire game, two of which were goals. Cal Heeter played a tough game saving 38 of the Roadrunners 44 shots.
Saturday night the Wildcats came out during the first period and took an early lead against the Roadrunners. At the 6:47 mark Adam Krefski and Kyle Matson found Brett Hartung who took advantage of his position and slid the puck past the Santa Fe goalie to give the Cats a 1-0 lead. The Cats held the lead through most of the first frame, then with less than a minute left, the Roadrunners were able to score their first goal and the game would be tied 1-1 going into the first intermission. The Wildcats would take sixteen shots on goal but were never able to capitalize again. The Roadrunners pelted Billick with thirty-one shots on goal during the next two frames, and before the game was over, they had capitalized on seven of those shots. The Wildcats fell short 8-1.
The Wildcats next home games will be Thursday, December 7, Friday, December 8, and Saturday, December 9 against the Santa Fe Roadrunners. Thursday home games this season are Powerade PowerZone Night and for only $5 you can get a ticket in the PowerZone, a voucher for a free coke, and a free t-shirt. Limited seating is available, so make sure and call early to reserve your seats. December 8 is Military Appreciation Night and everyone who shows their military ID will get a free ticket to the game. Saturday, December 9 is Kids Jersey Night and the first 500 kids through the door will receive a jersey. The puck drops at 7:05 pm!
North American Hockey League Stories from December 4, 2006
- Wildcats Fall Short on the Road - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Calm After the Storm, FM Jets Return to NAHL Play this Week - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- Alpena wins in Marquette - Alpena IceDiggers
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