It’s time for round two of the “Battle of the Cattle” and the Brahmas come in with a 1-0 lead in this year’s version of the rivalry. Back on September 19th the boys opened their season with a 2-1 victory over the Bulls thanks to goals from Cody Wickline and Peter Kessel.
That loss was the first in the current stretch of seven that Amarillo is enduring. A winless NAHL Showcase and sweep courtesy of the Corpus Christi IceRays have this weekend’s visitors sitting at last in the south with a record of 1-5-2. During these seven games the Bulls have only scored 12 goals, displaying signs of a struggling offense. Led by their top line of Joey Molinaro, George Mika and Johan Lundgren the Bulls have strength up top, but depth has been an issue for them thus far.
On the Brahmas side of things, the team is coming off of a disappointing weekend in Topeka, which left them with a 0-1-1 road trip. Corbin Kaczperski started both games for the team in net, his second and third starts since joining the team in Blaine. It was a forgettable weekend for him personally, so expect him to try and turn things around if he gets a start this weekend. If he does not, it’ll be Conor O’Brien between the pipes. Although he has only started three of the team’s eight games this season he enters the weekend with the league lead in goals against average at a mere 1.30.
Keep an eye on special teams this weekend as the Brahmas come to battle with the NAHL’s best penalty kill (93.55%) and the Bulls enter with the league’s worst (65.38%). A big reason behind why Amarillo has spent so much time shorthanded is the fact that the team already has three major penalties this season, accompanied by two game ejections and misconducts.
Puck drop for the Friday night’s game, which includes the banner raising ceremony, is scheduled for 7:35 P.M. here at NYTEX. The two will go at it again at the same time Saturday. Tickets are still available by calling 817-336-4ICE, clicking HERE, or purchasing them at the door.