Lone Star Brahmas – Wichita Falls Wildcats Preview
By Kirk Estes
Wednesday evening will be Military Appreciation Night at the NyTex Sports Centre and the action on the ice should be fitting. Both the Brahmas and Wichita Falls Wildcats are coming off a weekend where they were swept by their opponents. Tickets are free for all Active Duty, Reserve and Retired service members. Plaza or Terrace level seats are just $5.00 for military dependents and family members. All in attendance are invited to skate with the Brahmas players immediately following the game with free skate rentals.
The Brahmas went into Corpus Christi over the weekend with a chance to claw their way out of the NAHL South basement, but the Icerays had other ideas. On Friday, Matt Lison and Liam Stirtzinger’s strong work in the corner put the Brahmas out front in the first. Lison’s goal was his fourth in the last five games. However, Corpus Christi came back with three unanswered goals to complete the 3 – 1 win.
On Saturday the Icerays jumped out to a two goal lead early on in the second period. Todd Koritzinsky pulled the Brahmas within one on a two on one rush with Conner Enciso after Enciso laid a big hit on Kyle Froese knocking the puck loose. With just 1:26 to go in the second, Jan Hudecek was whistled for a checking from behind double minor. Froese jumped Hudecek in retaliation sparking a melee. As players came together Jesse Shelton grabbed Alex Dagnal and threw him to the ice. Dagnal bounced back to his feet and Shelton tried to put him in a headlock. Dagnal responded by starting to throw rights landing three square on the button. There were a total of 38 minutes of penalties handed out to 5 different players as a result. Corpus Christi got another goal in the third for the 3 – 1 final. Brahmas goaltender TJ Black, who was making his debut in the league, stopped 50 of the 56 shots he faced on the weekend.
The Wildcats also lost a pair of 3 – 1 games to the Fairbanks Icedogs. Will Vosejpka and Ben Kucera had the goals for Wichita Falls while Zevnik and Munroe split duty in net.
| Last 5 Games | W | L | OTL | Pts |
| Brahmas | 2 |
3
0
4
Wildcats
2
3
0
4
Special Teams
Special Teams have been a black hole for The Brahmas this season. They are next to last in power play efficiency and last on the penalty kill. Power play goals by their opponents have been the margin of victory in 6 of Lone Stars 17 losses this season. The Brahmas have now misfired on 41 straight power play opportunities during an eight game stretch.
The Brahmas’ home power play is currently ranked 22nd in the league at just 10.0% converting 5 of 50 opportunities. They will be trying to get the monkey off their back while facing a fairly strong Wildcats road penalty kill that is 8th in the league allowing 7 goals on 59 times short handed or 88.1%
Lone Star’s home penalty kill ranks 19th in the league at 82.3%. They have allowed 11 goals on 62 penalty kills. They will skate against a Wichita Falls road power play that is 7 for 51 this season or 13.7% to rank 13th in the league.
Goaltending Comparison Last 5 Games
GP |
W
L
OTL
SO
GA
GAA
SV
SV%
Brahmas
5
2
3
0
0
13
2.60
135
.912
Wildcats
5
2
3
0
0
11
2.20
133
.924
Who is Hot (Last 5 Games)
| Brahmas | G |
A
Pts
Matt Lison
3
0
3
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
0
1
Todd Koritzinsky
1
0
1
WildcatsG
A
Pts
Will Vosejpka
2
0
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
0
1
1
0
1
Inside the Game
There will be two Defensemen in the series that rank in the top 12 in Defensemen scoring. Wichita Falls’ Sam Piazza is tied for 7th with 14 points on 3G – 11A. The Brahmas’ Anthony Mousseau is tied for 12th 3G – 9A for 12 points
Wildcats Defenseman Andrew Kerr is fourth in the league in PIM’s while Forward Stan Sojka leads the league in Major Penalties with 6. The Wildcats team leads the league with 25 Major Penalties.
The Brahmas are currently the second most penalized team in the league at 23.70 minutes per game. Wichita Falls is third with 22.63 minutes per game.
Wichita Falls goaltenders David Zevnik and Chase Munroe are 7th and 9th in the league with goals against averages of 1.97 and 2.12.
Wichita Falls has 2 shorties on the road and 3 at home to lead the league with 5.
The Brahmas have a -342 shots on goal differential while the Wildcats are +132. Lone Star is the only team not averaging at least 20 shots on goal per game.
Recent Roster Movement
Neither team has made recent roster moves.
Tickets are still available for Wednesday night. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Lone Star Brahmas Sales Office at 817-336-4423 or at the NyTex Box Office.