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Wildcatters hand IceGators 4-3 loss

November 15, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


Lafayette, LA – Josh Snowden scored two goals and Davis Parley turned aside 46 shots, as expansion Texas Wildcatters held on for a 4-3 victory over the Louisiana IceGators at the Cajundome. Tim Branham scored and former IceGator Tony Lawrence's third-period goal went down as the game-winner for Texas, which won for just the third time this season (3-8-1) and avenged a 3-1 loss to Louisiana last Saturday.

Ben Storey and Konstantin Kalmikov each had power play goals, Armands Berzins scored his first pro goal and Derek Gustafson finished with 18 saves for Louisiana, which saw its five-game winning streak snapped. The IceGators, who nearly rallied all the way back from a 3-0 deficit, play host to Pensacola on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. Bennigan's presents Skate with the ‘Gators after the game.

The teams, who combined for 193 penalty minutes last Saturday, had two fights in the opening stanza. The IceGators outshot the Wildcatters 14-9 in the first period, but Texas scored twice.

Texas put one on the board at 11:59 of the first. Snowden picked Jim Vickers' pocket in front of the net and one-timed the puck past Gustafson for his third goal of the season.

Louisiana's Kenny Goetz and Texas' Ashlee Langdone fought for the third time in two weeks, just three seconds after the Snowden goal. The duo battled for close to two minutes, energizing the crowd and exchanging pats on the shoulder on the way to the penalty box.

Masa had a chance from point-blank range inside of seven minutes, but he rifled one over the top of the net in an attempt for his 500th point.

The IceGators' Dennis Shiryaev and Texas' Jeremy Chadsey renewed acquaintances with 6:46 remaining in the first, with Shiryaev landing several rights to begin the bout.

Louisiana had several swipes at a goal on the power play with 3:45 left in the stanza, but Aaron Smith cleared the puck away.

Branham then put Texas up 2-0 with 1:28 remaining in the stanza. The IceGators again failed to clear the puck, and Branham kept it in at the blueline. He wristed one on net, and the puck changed direction in front for his third goal of the season. The score gave Texas just its second two-goal lead this season.

With the help of a couple outstanding saves by Parley, the Wildcatters killed off 1:36 of 5-on-3 time early in the second.

Texas then gained its first-ever three-goal lead with 12:47 left in the second. Bobby Cunningham, behind the net, fed a streaking Snowden in the lower left circle, and Snowden one-timed the puck short side on Gustafson for his second of the game and fourth of the season. Cunningham's helper gives him a point in 10 straight games.

Storey stretched his point streak to six games with 10:21 gone by in the second, as he scored to cut the lead to 3-1. Kenny Corupe fed Storey at the right point, and the defenseman slapped one over Parley's shoulder for his third goal. The tally was Louisiana's first, on its 30th shot of the night. Corupe's helper pushed his point streak to eight games and his assist streak to seven.

Parley again came up big later in the stanza, this time with his team on the power play. Louisiana's Jamie Johnson broke in alone on Parley shorthanded with 4:48 left in the second, but the netminder stacked the pads to stone the rookie.

With a delayed penalty called with 1:25 left in the second, the IceGators' Ben Kilgour rattled one off the post. Louisiana then got several chances in the waning seconds of the period, but Parley didn't let one past.

Cory Morgan nearly made it 4-1 early in the third, when he blocked a shot at the blueline and raced the length of the ice ahead of the pack. Gustafson pokechecked the puck away at the last second, losing his stick in the process.

Masa made good on that 500th point, assisting on Berzins' score with 5:51 gone by in the third period to draw the IceGators within one at 3-2. Masa took a pass from Berzins at the top of the right circle, and with Brian Herbert creating a screen, Masa banked one in off Berzins, the rookie's first pro goal and point.

Lawrence appeared to have sealed the game though with 6:39 left, when he redirected a Clint Cabana shot from the left circle. The puck went up and over Gustafson for his fourth goal of the season and the eventual game-winner

Kalmikov got the IceGators back into it with 4:03 left, on the power play. Kalmikov carried the puck into the zone along the right boards and ripped a wrister high on Parley for his fifth goal of the season..

The IceGators pulled Gustafson with 1:15 left, but Shiryaev was called for boarding nine seconds later to end the advantage. Shiryaev was also handed a 10-minute misconduct and shown the gate.

Kalmikov had a chance 1-on-3 with 30 seconds left, but he was hauled down from behind. The IceGators got a faceoff to the left of Parley with 11.5 seconds left. Herbert won the draw back to Josh Mizerek, but the puck trickled out to center.

Louisiana went 2-for-6 on the power play, while Texas finished 0-for-3.

Gator Bites:

Louisiana dropped its first game against a Central Division opponent after seven straight wins.

Tonight was the first game that Storey had a point and the IceGators lost (7-1-0). Storey had a point in each of the team's first seven wins.

Corupe's eight-game point streak (2g, 7a) is one shy of his career-high, set in 2001-02 with Odessa. His seven-game assist streak is a personal best.

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