Wildcats Split On the Road
Published on February 24, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
Two goals in the span of a minute by Springfield were all the Springfield Junior Blues needed in their shutout of the Wildcats. Goaltender C.J. Groh stood tall in net, stopping all 27 shots he faced, while the Wildcats' Nick Hopper stopped 33 of 35.
Springfield got on the board late in the first via the power play, with Jack Callahan firing a low hard shot from the point that hit off a Wildcat in front, giving Springfield a 1-0 lead with only 17.7 seconds left. Only 30 ticks into the second, they added another on Trent Frey's redirection of a Randy Cure shot for a 2-0 lead. Jon Gaffney would add an empty-netter late in the third to ice the game at 3-0.
"We didn't play a full sixty minutes tonight," said Wildcats head coach John Bowkus. "We had to shuffle our lines a bit, some guys didn't get a lot of ice time because they weren't getting things done."
On Saturday, two first period goals put the Wildcats ahead permanently en route to the weekend split with the Junior Blues. Philip Graveline stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced, while Adam Kuhn, Sean Coffey, and Brett Hartung scored the Wildcats' goals.
Kuhn's goal came off a feed from behind the net, beating C.J. Groh through the five hole to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Sean McKenzie and Zack Rourke assisted on the goals. Springfield would tie it up a few minutes later with Kyle Verbeek dancing through a few Wildcats before ripping a shot past Graveline to tie the game at 1. Four minutes later, Sean Coffey took a pass from Victor Karlsson and fired off a shot from just inside the blue line to put the Wildcats on top 2-1.
Neither team scored in the second, but on a power play in the third, Brett Hartung found the back of the net for a 3-1 lead, with assists going to Ryan Amin and Chad Hudson.
Coffey's goal, the game-winner, resulted in his getting the second star of the game, while first star went to Graveline.
The Wildcats will play the Junior Blues again on March 27 and 28.
Hartung Headed for Bentley
Wildcats' captain Brett Hartung has committed to play for Atlantic Hockey's Bentley College Falcons in the 2009-2010 season. Hartung, currently the Wildcats' leader in goals with 23 and points with 39 will get to face another Wildcat forward often in college, as Kyle Delaurell committed to the U.S. Air Force Academy, another Atlantic Hockey school, earlier this season. Brett is the second player in Wildcats' history to go on to play at Bentley. Former Wildcat Sean Nealon was a member of the Falcons in the 2007-08 season. Hartung is the fifth player to play in a Wildcats game this season who will be moving on to a Division 1 hockey program next year. Congratulations Brett and good luck at the next level!
Upcoming Home Games
The Wildcats play at the Kay Yeager Coliseum this weekend, Friday, February 27, Saturday, February 28, and Tuesday, March 3 to take on the Alaska Avalanche. Friday is Mardi Gras Night, while Saturday is our annual Children's Miracle Network Jersey Off Our Back Auction Night. Each year, the jersey auction is a major fundraiser and a fun even for the players and fans alike. In 2008, the jersey auction raised over $80,000 for CMN! Tuesday is Adult Jersey Night.
Wildcats Alumni News
Andrew Conboy got his first AHL point on Sunday in the Hamilton Bulldogs' 3-1 loss to the Syracuse Crunch. Conboy assisted on teammate Ryan Kinasewich's goal at the 15:10 mark of the first period.
Dan Sexton scored twice as the Bowling Green Falcons beat Michigan State 4-0 on Saturday. Sexton, a sophomore, has averaged a point per game, leading the team. He is tied for 7th in the CCHA in goals and points.
Chris Ochoa is currently fifth in Atlantic Hockey in goal scoring with 15 goals in 24 games within the conference. He has a total of 16 goals on the season as a whole, tops on the Connecticut Huskies.
Shea Walters picked up two assists for Bemidji State in a 4-1 victory over Niagara on Friday. Walters is the second leading freshman scorer for the Beavers. He has four goals and 9 assists for 13 points on the season.
Luke Salazar had a goal and an assist in Denver University's 5-0 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday. He has 14 goals on the season, tied for the top spot on the team. His 11 goals in conference play tie him for sixth in the WCHA.
Skylur Jameson and Dave Lewandowski each had two goals as the Wentworth Leopards picked up wins over Framingham State and Johnson & Wales, 9-1 and 4-3, respectively. Jameson is tied for third in the ECAC-Northeast in points, and tied for the conference lead in assists.
Joel Sauer added another two goals to his total in games against the St. Olaf Oles this past weekend. In 25 games, Sauer has 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points. He is in the top 10 in the conference in every scoring category.
Eddie Effinger scored two goals as part of a third period explosion for the Amherst Lord Jeffs in a 6-0 victory over Williams College on Saturday. Effinger has six goals and six assists for 12 points on the season.
Kent Detlefsen picked up a goal for the Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets in their 4-3 victory over Lake Forest in the NCHA tournament. Detlefsen leads all UW-Superior defensemen in scoring, with six goals and seven assists for 13 points on the season.
Four Wildcats are still alive in the Division 3 NCHA's tournament. UW-Superior's Kent Detlefsen and Kevin Huck
North American Hockey League Stories from February 24, 2009
- Rangers Tender Four - Marquette Rangers
- Robertson Cup Format Announced - Bismarck Bobcats
- RoadRunners Delivering Free Tickets to National Guards Nickell Armory - Topeka Pilots
- U.S. National Under-17 Team Downs Mahoning Valley, 5-3 - U.S. National Team
- Phantoms Rally Falls Short Against Team USA - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Wildcats Split On the Road - Wichita Falls Wildcats
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