January 5, 2008

Tornado rally falls just short, lose 7-5
by John Tranchina

Well, the three-game winning streak came to an end, but it’s pretty clear the days of nine-game losing streaks are over.

The Wichita Falls Wildcats scored four times on the power play and despite a valiant comeback effort in the third period, the Texas Tornado fell just short as they fell 7-5 Saturday night at the Frisco Dr Pepper StarCenter’s DejaBlue Arena.

For the second straight night, the Tornado entered the third period trailing by multiple goals, but this time, the late rally wasn’t quite enough and their season-long three-game winning streak was snapped. But the Tornado, who had lost nine in a row and had gone 1-15-2 in the previous 18 before starting the win streak last weekend, showed a lot of heart and grit in battling back against one of the NAHL’s best teams.

“Not the end result we wanted, but I thought, for the fourth or fifth consecutive night, I really thought that we really showed up to play, we competed,” Tornado coach Dwight Mullins said. “I think that special teams was the difference, I think we had a couple of really good opportunities that just maybe couldn’t finish. I thought our power play looked 100 times better tonight, but couldn’t maybe finish at times we needed to, and they scored four power play goals.”

The Tornado were led offensively by Sam Goodwin, who scored two goals, while Andrew Blazek, captain Sean Roadhouse and John Kruse each had a goal and an assist. Ben Van Lare, one night after netting a hat trick, also contributed two assists.

Tommy Callaghan, who was named the South Division’s Player of the Week last week, surrendered six goals on 21 shots and wasn’t quite as stellar as he has been lately.

“I think Tommy has been really good for us and I think tonight’s one of those nights where you’d like to see the rest of the guys try to bail him out,” Tornado assistant coach Craig Ludwig said. “But the bottom line is our special teams is what it is - we’ve given up four goals on their power play.”

The loss leaves the Tornado with a 10-23-3 record for 23 points, in fifth place in the South Division, nine behind Alaska for the final playoff spot, pending their outcome later Saturday night against Fairbanks. Wichita Falls, meanwhile, improves to 22-11-1 to lead the South Division and second only to St. Louis in the entire league.

With another 11 home games in a row coming up, including three against Alaska and four against Kenai River, the team just behind them in the standings, the Tornado are hoping to make their move into playoff contention.

“I wanted to make a strong point to our hockey club that we are by no means the same team that we were three or four weeks ago,” Mullins said. “Tonight was a different way of losing, a different loss and we can’t let that tear down what we’ve tried to create here. The biggest thing is we have to continue to take steps forward and we have a big stretch here over the next couple of weeks that really could determine the outcome of our hockey season. I think that we need to be positive and build off of that effort and know that’s a first place hockey team and really a bounce here or a break here or there and we end up with two wins here instead of one.”

Trailing 6-3 entering the third, Texas got one back just 1:09 into the final period as Roadhouse connected for his ninth of the season. Controlling the puck along the left sideboards, Roadhouse stepped into the lower left face-off circle and fired a sharp-angle wrist shot that somehow squeezed between Wichita Falls netminder Mike Jarboe and the near-side post and in.

There were two fights a few minutes later as Augie Hoffman squared off with the Wildcats’ Jeff McNeil and then Stu Jacobson dropped the gloves with Wichita Falls’ Dustin Nowick.

The Tornado very nearly got another goal back about nine minutes into the third, while shorthanded, as Van Lare received a nice pass from Mike Cifelli and raced in on a breakaway. After making a move to his backhand, Van Lare lifted a shot past Jarboe, but off the near-side post.

Texas continued to apply offensive pressure throughout the third, but didn’t get another prime opportunity until Goodwin pulled them to within 6-5 with just 2:57 remaining in regulation. After taking a short pass from Jason Zawacki, Goodwin cut across the top of the face-off circles into the high slot and launched a wrist shot that zipped over Jarboe’s shoulder for his second of the night and eighth of the season.

The Tornado then pressed for the equalizer, pulling Callaghan for an extra attacker, but were unable to solve Jarboe again. While pressuring in the Wichita Falls zone, Wildcat defenseman Sean Duddy lifted a clearing pass out that rolled on its edge into the empty net with 26 seconds to go.

For the second consecutive night, the Tornado jumped out to the early lead, as Goodwin scored just 2:47 into the contest.. After Blazek stole the puck behind the net from Mike Sturdevant, he passed it out front to Goodwin, who ripped a one-timer past Jarboe for the 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats came back to tie it 1-1 with their first power play goal, by Salazar at 6:44, just 20 seconds after the man-advantage began. After Adam Cardwell made a sweet no-look pass from the top of the circles, Luke Salazar ripped a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Callaghan over the shoulder for his 21st of the year.

On another power play, Wichita Falls took the lead at 8:04 on McNeil’s fifth of the season. Sturdevant’s slap shot from the blue line was deflected in the high slot by Skylur Jameson, and Callaghan made the save, but McNeil banged the rebound home through the five-hole to make it 2-1. Jameson ended the night with four assists and was named the number one star.

Just 33 seconds later, Nick Shkreli scored his first goal of the season. Branson Yost fired a wrist shot from the right sideboards, and Shkreli, stationed in front of Callaghan, made a deft deflection to make it 3-1 at 8:47.

Blazek then brought the Tornado back to within one with a power play goal at 12:03. Kruse’s shot from the left circle went wide, but the puck ricocheted off the end boards right to Blazek at the right post. His quick backhander was deflected by a diving Jarboe straight up into the air, but the puck came down on top of Jarboe’s arm and bounced into the net. It was Blazek’s third goal in his fourth game since the Tornado acquired him from Des Moines of the USHL. He led all players on both teams with five shots on goal.

The Tornado then lost all the momentum they’d gained by giving Wichita Falls another power play, and once again the Wildcats capitalized, as Sean McKenzie picked up his ninth goal of the season. Jameson stepped out of the right corner and whipped a sharp angle wrist shot towards the net, that McKenzie, cutting in front of Callaghan, tipped it past him for a 4-2 lead at 13:36, after just 23 seconds of PP time.

Just 1:03 into the second period, Kruse made it a one-goal game again with the Tornado on a power play, skating out of the left corner and wiring a wicked wrist shot over Jarboe’s shoulder for his fifth goal of the season. Texas went 2-for-6 with the man-advantage on the night.

Wichita Falls restored the two-goal lead again on Sturdevant’s second goal of the year, on yet another power play, at 12:29 of the second. Jameson, with the puck in the left circle, fed Sturdevant in the high slot, and Sturdevant blasted a one-timer that beat Callaghan just inside the far post for a 5-3 Wildcat lead.

“I just think that there’s opportunities to capture pucks or clear pucks and when that happens, guys get fatigued and you lose a step,” Mullins said of the penalty-killing difficulties. “At the same time, maybe you’re looking for your goaltender to step up and maybe steal one on you. I don’t think that happened tonight. I think looking at those two things were maybe the difference.”

That was just another example of the Tornado controlling the play, but giving up momentum on a power play against.

“I think the big thing is, when we do get some opportunities, their goalie seems to make that save and then they come down the other end of the ice,” Ludwig said of the multiple momentum swings. “I think when you’re down a goal, or two or three, you’re always putting a little bit extra pressure on, you’re trying to take a chance to cut it down. When you do that, you’re going to open things up in the back.”

Cardwell made it a three-goal lead for Wichita Falls with 3:07 left in the second with his 20th goal of the season. On a pretty tic-tac-toe passing play, Grant Everett behind the net fed Salazar on the goal line to the right of the goal, and then Salazar found Cardwell alone in the slot and his one-timer quickly found the back of the net behind Callaghan.

That set the stage for the Tornado’s almost-comeback in the third, which impressed coach Mullins.

“I think with the effort that guys are giving, we have the opportunity to battle and stay in it,” Mullins said. “We did a great job of keeping the puck low, cycling and generating some things at the net, and we got in trouble when we just couldn’t kill a penalty and get out of it. I thought we got better towards the end of the second period, third period, but maybe a couple questionable goals out of the first period from our goaltending and you find yourself chasing. But I can’t be disappointed with the effort.”

With the Kenai River Brown Bears coming to Frisco next weekend, with games Friday and Saturday, both 7:30pm starts, the Tornado are looking to rely on their top players and make up some ground in the standings.

“We’re getting some big efforts from guys that we really need to - (Blazek) and Roadhouse and Van Lare and those types of guys,” Mullins said. “It’s the time of the season now where we’re going to determine our fate.”

THREE STARS

3. Troy Puente, Texas (two assists, +2) 2. Mike Sturdevant, Wichita Falls (one goal, one assist) 1. Skylur Jameson, Wichita Falls (four assists, three shots on goal)

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