Wildcats Snap Four-Game Losing Skid
Published on February 12, 2016 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
In their return to the KYC after a long two weeks on the road, the Wildcats pleased their home crowd with a 6-2 victory on Friday night.
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 12, 2016
- Beach Party - Lone Star Brahmas
- IceRays Drop Midway Game in a 4-3 Shootout - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Jr. Blues Fall to Ice Dogs - Springfield Jr. Blues
- Jacks lose seesaw battle to Bulls, 8-5 - Odessa Jackalopes
- Wildcats Snap Four-Game Losing Skid - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Glander Backstops Tomahawks to 2-1 Win - Johnstown Tomahawks
- Wings Weekend Preview - Aberdeen Wings
- Bobcats Face Divisional Contenders as Playoff Push Heats Up - Bismarck Bobcats
- Johnson & Johnson (& Johnson) - Lone Star Brahmas
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
