David Dudich – Texas Tornado Booster Club: Texas Tornado netminder Hunter Leisner.

Head coach Tony Curtale must have had some choice words for the team in the locker room as they came out with some jump in the second period reversing the flow from the first and firing 21 shots at Ben Myers. Unfortunately for the Tornado Myers was up to the task and turned aside everything that was thrown his way.Texas kept up the pressure in the third period and finally broke through at 7:46 off an offensive zone draw to Myers’ left. Jackson Leef pulled the faceoff back to CJ Reuschlein who walked it to the high slot and fired a shot over the crossbar. Louie Rowe flipped the rebound back out front and Leef who was just off the left post slammed it into the back of the net.

Approaching the mid point of the period the Icerays were putting pressure on in the Tornado zone and a scrum for the puck in front of the Tornado net almost tied it up as Leisner was knocked off his skates by the heavy traffic. With Leisner seemingly down and out, Charles Baldwin reeled in the loose puck in the slot and fired a wrister at the open net. Leisner threw up the blocker and swatted the puck away to preserve the Tornado lead.

The Tornado had to weather two penalty kills in the last half of the period allowing Corpus Christi only a single shot on goal with each man advantage. Then with time winding down and the Icerays net empty for the extra attacker, Justin Greenberg broke up a pass in neutral ice along the far boards and hit Scott Conway at center. Conway went into the zone, deked Beau Walker and fired it into the empty net to seal the deal. Time of the goal was 19:57.  The shutout was Leisner’s first of the season.

After having only seven shots in the first period the Tornado finished with 44 on the game while Corpus Christi had 29. Neither team converted a powerplay opportunity as the Tornado were 0-4 and the Icerays were 0-3.

Elsewhere in the NAHL South Division, the Amarillo Bulls took a tongue lashing from head coach Dennis Williams following last night’s loss to Topeka. “Our powerplay was terrible,” Williams said. “Our penalty kill was terrible. They are better at special teams, and right now we look like third-place hockey team. Up 3-1 and losing is unacceptable.” Tonight they rolled over the Roadrunners 7–2 in another game filled with rough stuff and 78 combined penalty minutes. In Wichita Falls the Wildcats cruised to a 9-3 victory over the Odessa Jackalopes in another rough and tumble affair that had three fights of its own.

The Texas Tornado have now won six in a row and 11 of their last 12. They will return home next weekend to face Odessa who was the last team to defeat the Tornado.

Hunter Leisner looking on during warmups (Photo credit: Robert Dombkowski)

I had the opportunity to interview goaltender Hunter Leisner  to talk about his success with the Texas Tornado and how hockey has made a huge impact in the state of Texas.

Texas and the sport of hockey have grown since the Dallas Stars of the NHL, came to Texas in 1993 after they moved from Minnesota. Texas has been known as a football town but with the help of the likes from Mike Modano, who hails from Michigan, people started liking hockey. Now Texas has many hockey rinks and leagues around especially the Texas Tornado of the NAHL (North American Hockey League) who has two players who are from Texas: one of them is being goaltender Hunter Leisner, who is from Garland, Texas. This is Hunter’s second year with the Texas Tornado after a trade last season that sent him from Aberdeen, South Dakota to Frisco, Texas.

“I was really excited to come back and hopefully we can repeat for next year,” Leisner said about being with the Texas Tornado for another year. He went onto talk about the trade last year. “It was a dream come true to play for the hometown Texas Tornado. Yeah the Aberdeen Wings treated me very well up there but it was a great feeling to come back home and play for a top organization.”

Last year was an even more memorable year for Hunter and his teammates as they won the Robertson Cup Championship in front of their hometown fans at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. To win a championship in the same state that you were born and raised is a great feeling, especially for Leisner. “It was by far the best experience to really win it with a great group of guys and great organization and to be here at home with a team that I had watched growing up, it was a great moment.”

Hunter grew up in Garland, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, Texas and he started playing hockey at the age of 8 after seeing his hometown Dallas Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999. “I was 8 years old. That was after when the Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup is when I wanted to start playing hockey,” Hunter told me about when he started really playing hockey. He said that his hockey inspirations were his parents, Emily and Rick. “A lot was my parents,” Hunter said but then went on saying that his reason to play hockey is Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. “But my big person I kind of looked at was Martin Brodeur. He was a goaltender of the New Jersey Devils.  He is my icon. I read his book and everything.”

He would go on and describe his style of playing being a hybrid goalie. “I would try to say a hybrid goalie. I try to take a lot of different skills, try it out and see what works best for me,” Hunter said about his style of play.

Over the summer, Hunter Leisner was invited to the Dallas Stars Development Camp and that the experience was a great moment for Leisner. “That was really cool to kind of see and be with the Dallas Stars,” Hunter said of the experience. “I grew up watching them so it was cool to be on the ice with them and I learned a lot there.”

Right now Leisner is trying to help his team win another championship and try to get a scholarship but he said if he did make the NHL that it would be an icing on the cake. “Yes. You know right now I am just trying to get some college scholarship,” Hunter said of the dream to make the NHL. “But that would just be the icing on the cake after all this hard work.”

Hockey in the city of Dallas, Texas has grown especially for a goaltender like Leisner. Hopefully this season and year, he can win yet another Championship with his Texas Tornado. Right now, he is playing the sport that loved since he was 8.

Facts about Hunter Leisner:

Born: September 13, 1992 in Garland, Texas

6’0” /175

Nicknames: Leis

Most Memorable save? I would probably have to say the good glove saves. You have a few here and there.