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Wildcatters Begin Road Trip with 6-4 Win Over Rays

February 29, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Texas Wildcatters News Release


Charleston, SC--The Texas Wildcatters began a four-game road trip with a bang Friday night in South Carolina with a 6-4 rollercoaster victory.

The Wildcatters (41-6-3-6) took an early 2-0 lead when they beat South Carolina goalie Davis Parley on their first two shots of the game. Colin Nicholson tallied his fourth of the season at 1:39 (Welch, McNabb) and again when Max Taylor lit the lamp at 5:47(Champagne, Carlson).

Chris Chaput would help the second place Stingrays (35-19-2-1) take a bite out of the Texas lead with an unassisted marker near mid-period, but John McNabb deflected a David Schulz shot past Parley for a power play goal at 18:55, giving the Catters a 3-1 lead at the first intermission.

Texas' John Adams and Scott Romfo dropped the gloves at 13:59 of the frame in the period's only fight. The altercation would result in an additional two minutes for Adams (roughing) and a ten-minute misconduct penalty for Romfo.

A wild, five-goal second period began with the Stingrays putting up three goals on the Wildcatters in the first ten minutes.Steve Pinizzotto scored to make the score 3-2 just 1:14 into the period and Pierre-Luc O'Brien would tie the game just two minutes later.

Chaput recorded his second goal of the night to give the Sting Rays a 4-3 lead after collecting his own rebound and tucking it past starter Jeff Pietrasiak on the short side for a power play goal at 8:43.

Pietrasiak was pulled in favor of Kris Tebbs after the fourth goal and the Wildcatters would tie the score just a minute later when McNabb scored his second of the night,crashing the net hard and sliding the puck past Parley in the ensuing pileup to make the score 4-4.

The Wildcatters would regain the lead when Brandon Benedict took a feed from Scott Champagne and slung a wrister past Parley at 12:24 to make the score 5-4.

Matt Kassian, who collected an assist on the Benedict goal, would give Grant McNeill a pummelling during a fight at 14:57 despite being temporarily blinded as McNeill pulled the jersey over his head. Kassian would connect with a fistful of left hands despite being unable to see his opponent, eventually taking McNeill to the ice and ending the altercation.

Tebbs and the Wildcatters would kill another South Carolina power play late in the period to take the 5-4 lead into the final frame.Three times in the final period Tebbs would make several back-to-back saves on a huge pileups in front of him, each time managing to corral the rebounds despite being caught in a scrum and keep the puck out of the cage.

Taylor would add an empty net goal with 9 seconds remaining to bring his season total to 23--trailing only McNabb's 25--and secure the 6-4 victory for Texas.

Pietrasiak would allow four goals on 19 shots in 29:38 of play and Tebbs would make 11 saves in his half of the game. Parley would settle down in the final frame and end the game with 28 saves for South Carolina despite the early goals and eventual loss.

The Wildcatters finished 2-for-5 on the power play and held the Stingrays to one goal in five power play chances.

The Catters leave Charleston tonight and head for Gwinnett, where they face the Gladiators in back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday before wrapping the trip up Tuesday night in Augusta.

Catch the Wildcatters as they return home to Ford Arena March 7-9 for a three-game series versus the Pensacola Ice Pilots. Book your group today, call 409.951.5500!

The Texas Wildcatters are the proud ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and the AHL's Houston Aeros.

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