It wasn’t quite they way they drew it up, but they’ll take it.

The Texas Tornado overcame an incredible performance from the opposing netminder, coming from behind to defeat the Kenai River Brown Bears 3-2 in overtime Saturday night at the DejaBlue Arena in Frisco’s Dr Pepper StarCenter.

Despite outshooting Kenai River 51-28, the Tornado were stymied over and over again by Matt Wichorek’s outstanding goaltending and found themselves trailing 2-1 late in the third period before rallying to tie it on a goal by John Bullis with 5:33 remaining to send it to OT.

Sam Goodwin then scored his sixth goal in the last five games to win it for Texas 48 seconds into the extra period.

After beating Kenai River 5-2 Thursday night, Saturday’s triumph marks the Tornado’s season-high fifth straight and gives them a 10-3-0 record in their last 13 contests, all at home. It also extends their lead over Alaska to five points for the fourth and final playoff spot in the South Division. The Brown Bears, who haven’t played a home game since Dec. 1, still gained a point in the standings, their first one after nine consecutive regulation losses.

“I think that (getting the two points) was most important, but I think that the way that we did was real entertaining for everybody,” Texas coach Dwight Mullins said. “The thing that I like is that when they scored that goal to go ahead 2-1, we had a lot of talk on the bench and we went out and pretty much took it to them for the rest of the hockey game. I felt that we had numerous opportunities to tie it before we did and then, even after we tied it, I felt we had a really good shot at winning it in regulation. It’s nice to see the guys believing in themselves.”

In addition to Bullis and Goodwin, Ryan Fuller also scored for the Tornado while skating in his franchise-record 200th career game. Sergei Korostin had a four-game goal-scoring streak snapped, but he did contribute two assists.

Heading into the third tied 1-1, the Tornado ratcheted up the offensive pressure, but were denied at all turns by Wichorek, who made 48 saves on the evening, with few better than the three straight just over a minute into the period.

First, he stopped Matt Tennyson’s wrist shot from the top of the right face-off circle through a screen, then denied back-to-back point-blank rebound chances from Ben Van Lare in the slot.

Five minutes in, Wichorek made a beautiful sliding pad save on Gustav Bengtson’s deflection from near the right post of a nice pass from Augie Hoffman.

Tommy Callaghan, who played another solid game in goal for the Tornado with 26 saves, then came up with a big one on Paul Jenkins’ backhander from the slot through a screen.

Texas had several golden opportunities on a power play midway through the third, but were unable to convert. First, Bengtson had the puck hop off the top of his stick and go just wide while staring at an open net in the crease after Wichorek made a save on a Bullis wrist shot, then Wichorek watched as Korostin boomed a slap shot from the top of the left face-off circle that clanged off the post behind him, but bounced out.

Kenai River took a 2-1 lead at 10:40 on Tad Norris’ first goal of the season, on somewhat of a fluke play. Norris wound up for a slap shot at the left point, and without a Brown Bear near the net, Texas defenseman Tyler Bowman tried to block the shot, but instead, it deflected off his stick and went up over Callaghan’s shoulder.

It could have been a deflating goal against, especially with the opposing goaltender playing so well, but the Tornado battled back more determined than ever.

“We just couldn’t bury a few of the rebounds we had, we had tons of chances, but we knew it was going to happen if we kept on putting pucks on the net, which we did,” Fuller said.

As the Tornado kept pressing, they finally broke through Wichorek’s force field, as Bullis connected for his fifth goal of the season and second in as many games with just 5:33 left in regulation. Bengtson bulled his way out of the right corner and Wichorek stopped his point-blank shot. But the rebound ricocheted into the slot, where Bullis fired it past Wichorek, who was down on his stomach, for the equalizer.

“I think that we really missed him, especially through some of the stretches there in November, and we really missed him he’s really just starting to get his feet back again and get in the groove,” Mullins said of Bullis, who missed six weeks earlier in the season due to a shoulder injury. “He’s come back at a good time, he’s kind of given us a spark, and I thought that tonight, in the third period, he really started to look like the John Bullis of old.”

Just 15 seconds later, the Brown Bears nearly went ahead again, as Adam Krefski ripped a wrist shot from a sharp angle on the right side of the net that appeared to go off Callaghan’s shoulder and bounce off the crossbar before falling in the crease.

The Tornado quickly counterattacked, and Bowman found himself going in on a partial breakaway. He made a move to his backhand, but Wichorek made a nice pad save.

Then with 2:40 remaining, Andrew Blazek, who had collected 10 points (three goals, seven assist) in the previous four games, ripped a shot from the left side of the crease that beat Wichorek but bounced off the near-side post and sailed through the crease and out the other side.

With all the great opportunities they had, outshooting Kenai River 21-8 in the third period, the Tornado were still forced into overtime, but continued to persevere.

“I don’t think we were really expecting to battle that hard, because it’s their last game down in the southern part of the United States,” Fuller said of the strong effort from the last-place Brown Bears. “They surprised us, but we answered right back.”

The OT period did not last long, as Goodwin deposited the game-winner just 48 seconds in. Korostin set up the winner by controlling the puck in the Brown Bears’ zone, curling up the right sideboards and cutting across the blue line before shooting into the slot area, where Troy Puente deflected it over to Goodwin, who made a wide move to his forehand and swept it around Wichorek and in.

It was Goodwin’s 15th goal of the season and gives him 10 points (six goals, four assists) in the last five outings. Meanwhile, Korostin has four goals and nine points in his last five games.

“I think that Sam Goodwin has continued to be one of our best players and Sergei Korostin had another gear tonight,” Mullins said. “I just think (Korostin) is starting to get comfortable, he’s getting his legs underneath him, he’s playing and he’s excited, and you could just see that he’s kicked it to another notch, and the nice thing is, he’s dragging four or five other guys along with him

It was a dramatic and triumphant conclusion for Tornado fans, but one couldn’t help but feel for Wichorek, who delivered such a fantastic effort for his struggling team, only to come up short.

“I hate to try to dig back into the past, but that kid’s done that to me personally before, with my midget hockey team in the past,” said Mullins, who coached the Dallas Stars AAA Midgets until hired by the Tornado last summer. “We had one of the number one-rated teams in the country last year and he came in on a Sunday afternoon and closed the door, kind of much like what he did tonight, so I think it’s something he’s got personal against me - I don’t know what it is, but I wish we could work it out - but he’s done a great job.

“That team, for where they’re at and what they’ve been through, competed extremely hard. That’s a credit to their coaching staff and to those kids over there, because it hasn’t been easy for them, either.”

While they didn’t start the game with quite the same fire as they did Thursday night, the Tornado did have the first prime scoring opportunity of the game as Wichorek made a big save on Goodwin 2:20 in. After receiving a pass from captain Sean Roadhouse out of the left corner, Goodwin made a slick move in the slot to evade a defender and then deked to his backhand, but Wichorek made the pad save. The puck lay loose for a few seconds before Blazek swept in and took a swipe at it, but Wichorek had the post covered.

Five minutes later, Fuller came close to picking up his first of the night, as his wrist shot from the slot off the rush was deflected by Wichorek’s shoulder and ended up going just over the crossbar.

Just past the midway point of the period, John Kruse had a chance in front, but again Wichorek turned it aside, and then 15 seconds later, Wichorek made a big sliding pad save on Korostin’s one-timer from the left side of the crease after he received a nice cross-crease pass from Kruse.

Texas then took the 1-0 lead at the 13:47 mark of the first, as Fuller connected for his 15th goal of the season and 63rd of his career, moving him to within two of Tom Train for second on the franchise all-time list. Kruse carried into the Kenai River zone and fed Korostin cutting through the slot. Korostin made a move to his backhand, but Wichorek made a nice pad save, but the puck rolled loose in the crease and Fuller charged in and poked it in.

Things looked good for Texas going into the second period up by a goal after outshooting the Brown Bears 12-6 in the first, and things got even more exciting for the large DejaBlue Arena crowd, as just off the opening face-off, Stu Jacobson squared off with Kenai River’s Dan Christianson for an epic fight. In a pretty lengthy bout, Jacobson clearly had the edge, eventually taking down Christianson after landing several solid punches in a row.

Then just 23 seconds later, the Brown Bears’ Scott Deur challenged Jason Zawacki, and another fight ensued. This time, Deur got the better of the scrap and the penalty boxes began to fill up.

Texas had the period’s first big scoring opportunity, as Bengtson and Van Lare raced into the Kenai River zone on a 2-on-1 rush 2:50 in, but Wichorek made a nice blocker save on Bengtson’s quick wrist shot from the right circle. Bengtson led all skaters with 10 shots on goal in the game.

At the 5:10 mark with Kenai River on a power play, Goodwin stole the puck at the Texas blue line and sped into the offensive zone on another 2-on-1 as Mike Cifelli joined him. Goodwin opted to shot, wiring a wicked snap shot from the slot over Wichorek’s shoulder, but off the crossbar.

With the Brown Bears still on that power play, Jed McGlassen scored his third of the year to tie it 1-1. Aaron Nell fed a nice pass out from behind the net to McGlassen, all alone in front, and his one-timer beat Callaghan at 6:14.

The game’s third fight followed about 1:10 later, as Jacobson took on Jesse Brown in a pretty even bout that resulted in both players being ejected from the contest.

Not long afterwards, the Tornado enjoyed a 59-second 5-on-3 advantage, but were unable to cash in. Korostin had the best chance, but Wichorek made a nice pad save on his one-timer from inside the blue line with 9:35 left in the second.

With 4:39 to go in the period and the Tornado on a power play, Kenai River very nearly took the lead, as Tony McDonald skated in on a breakaway, but Callaghan came up big on his point-blank wrist shot.

After scoring three on the power play Thursday, Texas was 0-for-5 with the man-advantage.

Now that the Tornado are riding their longest winning streak of the season, they will finish off their monumental 15-game homestand next weekend with contests Friday and Saturday nights against the NAHL’s overall leader, the St. Louis Bandits (both 7:30pm starts - watch or listen to Tommy Daniels and myself with the call on b2 networks). It will be a big test facing the league’s top team, but the Tornado feel they are up for the challenge.

“I think we’re ready to go,” Fuller said. “We’re playing the best hockey we’ve played this season.”

“It’s been an important stretch here for us, we want to enjoy this, a lot of fun, and we’ll go to work Monday and we’ll see how we fare against what is supposedly the best team in the league,” Mullins added.

THREE STARS

3. Gustav Bengtson, Texas (one assist, 10 shots on goal)
2. Matt Wichorek, Kenai River (48 saves)
1. Sam Goodwin, Texas (game-winning goal in OT, four shots on goal)

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