Wildcats Split with St. Louis
Published on September 25, 2006 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The 2006-2007 Wildcats took to their home ice at the Kay Yeager Coliseum for the first time this weekend, and the fans were pleased with what they saw. The team played the St. Louis Bandits tough, splitting the two game set, and earning two points. The Cats are currently tied for 4th place in the NAHL South Division, and trail the 1st place Bandits and Santa Fe Roadrunners by only four points.
On Friday night the Wildcats came out strong in front of their fans, and won an overtime thriller 3-2. The first period was played evenly, with both teams having chances to score, but the Bandits eventually capitalized and led 1-0 after the first frame. The second stanza was played almost identically to the first, however this time, the Cats were the ones who took advantage of their opportunities. At the 11:12 mark, Dan Decato, off an assist from Eddie Effinger and Kyle Mattson, put the puck in the back of the net and the game was tied 1-1 after forty minutes. The Wildcats were ferocious in the third period, peppering the Bandits goal with 18 shots, and their hard work paid off when Adam Cardwell put the Cats ahead 2-1. Unfortunately, their lead would not hold, as St. Louis would score a shorthanded goal, and the game headed into overtime. The overtime period was physical and it looked like the game was headed into a shootout, but with less than a minute remaining, the Bandits committed a roughing penalty and put the Cats on the powerplay. That was all the team needed, and with 32 seconds left in OT, Sean Nealon beat the Bandits goalie and sealed the victory for the Wildcats. Tom Billick was solid in net, stopping 29 shots to earn his second victory of the season.
Head Coach Brian Meisner was pleased overall with his teams' performance, "It was a good hard fought game. We had great chances to score throughout, but couldn't finish during regulation. Thankfully we took advantage of the powerplay in overtime".
The Wildcats came out slow in Saturday night's game, and were never able to recover, as they lost 2-1. The game opened in ominous fashion for the Cats as the Bandits took the opening face-off, and scored just 20 seconds into the period. The Wildcats solidified their defense from there on out, and for the next forty minutes the game was played evenly. Both teams had chances to score, but the goalies for each team were on top of their game, and after two periods, the score remained 1-0. Just when it was not looking like the night for the Wildcats, their determination and perseverance paid off, when Kyle Pidde put the Cats on the scoreboard and tied the score 1-1 with three minutes left in the game. The game seemed destined for overtime, but with one minute to go, Wildcats goalie Tom "Choo Choo" Billick was screened and the Bandits slipped one over his shoulder, and went on to win 2-1.
Head Coach Brian Meisner believed the tone was set at the very beginning of the game, "We lost that game in the first period, or in the first twenty seconds for that matter. St. Louis came out to play and took advantage of us not being ready. It is a tough loss when you are only one minute away from earning a point in the standings".
Now the Wildcats must turn their attention to the Santa Fe Roadrunners, who they play on September 29th and 30th in Santa Fe. They sit atop of the NAHL South Division, and with two games this weekend, it provides an excellent opportunity for the team to make up ground in the standings. "This will definitely be a challenge. From top to bottom our division is deep, and we are playing the hottest team right now. It is going to be interesting to see where we stack to with them", said Brian Meisner.
North American Hockey League Stories from September 25, 2006
- Wildcats Split with St. Louis - Wichita Falls Wildcats
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