Wildcats Travel to Odessa for Two-Game Set
February 27, 2014 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Wichita Falls Wildcats News Release
The Wildcats eight-game road swing continues this weekend when they head to Odessa for two games against the Jackalopes. A weekend preview is attached, and can also be found below. For more information, please do not hesitate to reach out.
The Matchup This weekend will see the Wildcats and Jackalopes conclude their regular-season series. Wichita Falls is 7-1-0 against Odessa through the first eight head-to-head meetings this year, and is 19-8-0 all-time against the Jackalopes. When these two teams met for two games last weekend, the Wildcats claimed the sweep as Kyle Bauman and Will Vosejpka continued their scorching performances against Odessa. Bauman now has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven games against the Jacks, while Vosejpka has tallied 10 points on six goals and four assists in eight contests against Odessa this season. On the other side of the ice, Chad Guderian (four goals, two assists), Mathieu Briand (four goals, two assists) and Lukas Laub (three goals, three goals) each have six points against the Wildcats to lead the Jackalopes in head-to-head scoring against Wichita Falls.
Back at it against the Jacks The Jackalopes enter this weekend's action after losing three games last week, and are currently mired in an eight-game losing streak. Following a sweep by the Wildcats last Friday and Saturday, Odessa was on the wrong end of a 4-1 decision against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. The Jacks currently sit in last place in the South Division with 30 points in 50 games played, and are the only team in the division who are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Lukas Laub has been a bright spot for the Jackalopes this season, posting 14 goals and 11 assists for a team-high 25 points in 44 games played. In net, Yoshihiro Kuroiwa and Eric Hancock have split time for the Jackalopes. Kuroiwa is 7-22-0 with a 3.59 goals against average and .898 save percentage, while Hancock is 6-11-4 with a 3.19 GAA and .902 Sv%.
Playoff Push As the regular season enters its final month, the Wildcats currently have a magic number of seven points to clinch the final playoff spot over the Corpus Christi IceRays. Any combination of Wichita Falls earning points and Corpus Christi dropping points that totals to seven will see the Wildcats lock up the South Division's fourth postseason bid. Wichita Falls can clinch that playoff spot this weekend if either of the following scenarios occur: a) the Wildcats earn four points against Odessa, while the IceRays fail to pick up more than one point (thus, dropping three points), or b) the Wildcats earn three points against Odessa, while the IceRays earn no points (i.e., drop four points) in their weekend series against the Lone Star Brahmas.
Potent Power Play A combined 15 goals were scored when Wichita Falls and Odessa locked horns last weekend, with Wichita Falls accounting for 11 of those tallies. The offensive onslaught from the Wildcats was not unusual, as they are averaging 4.50 goals per game against the Jackalopes, but notably, a potent power play proved pivotal in the Wildcats' weekend success. Wichita Falls went four-for-eight on the man advantage over the two games, including a three-for-four showing in Friday's 7-3 triumph which equaled a season-high in power-play goals for the Wildcats. Wichita Falls had previously posted three man-advantage markers in a 6-2 win over the Jackalopes on Sept. 14.
Bauman Bashing the Jacks With a four-point effort (two goals, two assists) last weekend, forward Kyle Bauman continues to torment the Jackalopes. Bauman is averaging almost two points per game against Odessa this season, posting six goals and six assists in just seven contests, while also recording four multi-point outings against the Jacks. The Apopka, Fla.-native now has a 13-14--27 line in 19 career games against Odessa.
Ledford Climbing the Leaderboard Forward Tyler Ledford wrote his name in the Wildcats history books recently. With two assists against the Odessa Jackalopes last weekend, the second-year player became just the seventh player in the history of the franchise with more than 50 career assists. With 26 helpers last year and a further 25 assists thus far in 2013-14, the Air Force-commit currently has the seventh-most career assists in Wildcats history with 51. Adam Cardwell, who played for Wichita Falls from 2005-2008, holds the record for most career regular-season assists with 123 in 176 games played.
Hail to the Victors Wildcats defenseman, and team captain Sam Piazza announced his commitment to play Division I hockey at the University of Michigan Wolverines on Monday. Piazza is the first player in team history to commit to the University of Michigan, and will attend the school beginning in the fall of 2014. The Darien, Ill.-native is the sixth current-Wildcat with a DI commitment, joining Will Vosejpka, Tyler Ledford, Ben Kucera, Matt Koch and Evan Okeley, who are all slated to attend the Air Force Academy.
Broadcast Information Fans may follow the weekend's action in a variety of ways. Video streaming is available on FASTHockey.com, with an audio-only broadcast available by visiting our Ustream channel. Fans can also follow along on Twitter (@WFWildcats) for score updates throughout the contest.
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