Wildcatters win commandingly

[KFDM COOP]

Wildcatters win commandingly

BEAUMONT - Leon Hayward looked more like be belonged on a football field than in a hockey rink when he peered over his left shoulder and raised a hand Saturday night in Ford Arena.

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The Texas Wildcatters forward caught a puck and dropped it in front of him. With no one - not even a goalie - between him and the net, Hayward had little trouble punching in the Wildcatters' second empty-net goal in the final minute of their 4-1 victory over the Florida Everblades.

Olivier Proulx scored the first empty-netter from the far side of the ice with 42 seconds left and then flipped the puck to Hayward, who scored with 21 seconds left.

"I felt like I was playing football again," Hayward said about catching the puck near center ice. "I just wanted to make sure the puck didn't jump over my stick. I skated as far as I could and put it away, so it was a good feeling."

Those goals allowed Matt Yeats to breathe a sigh of relief. The goalie pulled into a tie for the ECHL lead in wins with his 14th. The victory came one night after he picked up his second shutout this season but was handed the loss in a shootout.

Goals by Daniel Sparre and Jason Beeman in the first period gave Yeats a much-needed cushion. In the end, Yeats stopped 46 of 47 shots.

Florida scored with about four minutes left and pulled goalie Craig Kowalski for a sixth attacker in the final minutes but was unable to score an equalizer before the empty-net goals.

Texas has 20 wins in 29 games and has an ECHL-best 43 points. Florida, also with 20 wins, has played 30 games and has 40 points, good for second in the division. Teams earn two points for wins and one point for overtime or shootout losses.

Texas won the opener of the three-game series against Florida on Thursday and lost in a shootout Friday. With Saturday's victory, the Wildcatters earned five of the six points possible to widen their division lead.

The Wildcatters played without leading goal-scorer Kevin Baker, who was sent to play for Toronto of the American Hockey League. He is one of four Wildcatters to be sent to an AHL team within the past two weeks.

With 20 victories, the Wildcatters are two shy of pulling even for the team record. Texas won 22 games in its first season, 2003-2004. The Wildcatters have a chance to reach that mark in a three-game series against Columbia that begins Friday in Ford Arena.

Yeats fended off a two-man disadvantage for the Wildcatters that lasted 90 seconds or longer for a second straight night. Three penalties in a span of 1:02 put the Wildcatters two players short for two minutes and at least one player short for 3:02 midway through the second period.

Although the Wildcatters had three players in the penalty box at the same time, rules prevent teams from having fewer than three skaters on the ice at any time.

Sparre scored the first goal in regulation or overtime for either team in more than 85 minutes to give the Wildcatters a 1-0 lead early in the first period. Kowalski appeared to stop a shot by Mike Bayrack, but Sparre nudged the puck inside the post to Kowalski's left.

Beeman flipped a left-handed shot past Kowalski to give Texas a 2-0 lead with 3:23 left in the first period.

Texas's Riley Emmerson and Florida's Bill Kinkel followed with a fight two seconds after the goal. Both players held up their fists and circled each other before fighting near center ice for the second time in three nights.

Brandin Cote deflected a high shot into the net early in the second period, but the apparent goal was waved off because he was called for high-sticking.

Miroslav Kopriva, normally the backup goalie, suited up for the Houston Aeros but did not play for a second straight night. Wildcatters forward Casey Lee was listed as the team's backup goalie.

[Guest emonarch777]

thats a nice article seems like someone was actually at the game last night. Coop was you there?

[KFDM COOP]

Actually went for 30 minutes with the Camera man.

[hockeyfan]

You were there?

You should have come by section 107/108 and sat by the fanatics.

Although most people can't handle the sound of the cowbells and then they move to another area. 

Photos from all three games are up:

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[AshlyHasBeen]

Kopriva played 25 minutes last night for Houston, update on him and J.F. David on www.kbmt12.com/sports/localsports

From Aeros website

"Miroslav Kopriva made his Aeros season debut in relief and was perfect on 10 shots."

[hockeyfan]

People on the Aeros' board are talking about how when we get a goalie back(Kopriva was only called up because the Aeros' starting goalie, Josh Harding, was out with the flu), which one it will be.

Kopriva or Quesada?  ???

Probably Kopriva, but you never know.

An update on Marco Rosa(with Providence):  6 games; 1 assist; -6 on the +/-

[DenisGScott]

and JF David scored tonight for Binghamton in their game against the Toronto Marlies now with Kevin Baker, JF was a +2 tonight with a goal and earned 3rd star of the night.