Wildcats Split at Home
December 15, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats rode the momentum from a strong road trip into this past weekend at home, splitting a weekend series against the St. Louis Bandits. The Bandits won Friday's game by a 4-3 score in overtime, while the Wildcats returned the favor on Saturday, with a 4-3 shootout victory.
Friday's game was a hard-hitting affair for all sixty-plus minutes. The Wildcats scored first with Anthony Iaquinto finding the back of the net on a two-on-one from Ricky Brown and Matt Shost three minutes into the first period. St. Louis tied things up just under seven minutes later, but the Wildcats were able to take a 2-1 lead to the locker room at the end of the first, with Brett Hartung scoring his team-leading 12th goal on the season, assisted by Kyle Delaurell and Sean Coffey.
St. Louis evened things up in the second, but the Wildcats regained the lead early in the third period. At the 1:18 mark, Ricky Brown added to his earlier assist, tallying a goal on a nifty shot that went in the upper right corner of the goal to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead. Five minutes later though, the Bandits struck again, with Jordan Bourgonje tying things at 3. With no scoring the rest of the period, the Wildcats and Bandits went into overtime.
While the Wildcats' penalty killing units were able to fend off a two-minute St. Louis power play at the end of the third and the start of overtime and stopped a total of eight St. Louis power plays, the Bandits were able to score in the extra frame, with Grant Gorczyca blasting a shot past goaltender Philip Graveline for the victory. Graveline stopped 25 of 29 Bandit shots in the loss. The three stars of the game were Brett Hartung with a goal, Ricky Brown with a goal and an assist, and Anthony Iaquinto with the Gordie Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist, and a fight.
The Wildcats would get revenge for the loss on Saturday night. Despite falling behind by a 3-1 score at the start of the final period, the Wildcats pulled it out in a shootout, winning 4-3. Zack Rourke got the Wildcats on the board in the first, knocking home a rebound off the end boards from a shot by Jason Nash. Adam Kuhn was credited with the secondary assist. The Bandits followed with three goals in the second period, two coming on the power play and one shorthanded to take a 3-1 lead. They outshot the Wildcats in the second period to the tune of 11-2.
But it was the Wildcats captain, Brett Hartung leading the way in the third period. Hartung scored at the 1:44 mark and tied things up on the power play at the 9:13 mark of the final frame to send the game into overtime. Kyle Delaurell assisted on both goals, while Rourke and Chad Hudson each assisted on one. The Wildcats poured on the offense all through the final twenty minutes, averaging nearly a shot on goal per minute, as they outshot the Bandits 17-7.
The Bandits would score twice in the shootout, but it was the Wildcats' trio of Chad Hudson, Kyle Delaurell, and Zack Rourke who would score for the victory. Goaltender Mike Jarboe stopped 27 of 30 shots in 65 minutes, followed by stoning three of five St. Louis players in the shootout. Rourke was named the first star of the game for his game-winner in the shootout, while Brett Hartung and Kyle Delaurell were named the second and third stars, respectively. For the second week in a row, Hartung was given an Honorable Mention in the race for Sherwood/NAHL South Player of the Week honors after tallying three goals on the weekend. His fourteen goals on the season currently tie him for ninth in the NAHL.
The Wildcats are 6-0-2 for 14 points in their last eight games, holding their spot in third place in the NAHL South Division, five points ahead of Springfield and nineteen points behind St. Louis for second place. They hope to finish out the 2008 calendar year on a strong note playing at home this weekend against the Topeka Roadrunners. The teams face off Friday, December 19, and Saturday, December 20. Both games start at 7:05 pm.
Upcoming Home Games
The Wildcats will be back at the KYC this weekend taking on the Topeka Roadrunners on December 19th and 20th. Friday, December 19th is Guns N' Hoses Night. All police and fire personnel will get in to the game free, while their families can purchase tickets for $6. All free and discounted tickets must be purchased in advance through the Wildcats office. Saturday, December 20th is Ugly Christmas Sweater Night. Wear the ugliest Christmas sweater you have while you cheer on the Wildcats!
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