BILOXI, Miss. � Steffon Walby and Jeff Hutchins each registered a goal and two assists, to lift the Mississippi Sea Wolves over the Texas Wildcatters, 4-2.
It was the first-ever game between the teams, in the battle for the Nextel Cup, before 3,623 fans at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
�The guys regrouped after a tough second period,� said Sea Wolves coach Bob Woods. �We knew that if we played the way we could and take care of business, we�d come out on top. Matile played great as well and it was good for his confidence. It was a much better weekend for us.�
Mississippi (2-1-2) captain Steffon Walby found the net to open the score on the power play at 2:38. Walby let go with a wrist shot from the left circle, past Texas goaltender Davis Parley, for his fourth of the campaign.
Sea Wolves continued their magic with the man advantage. Travis Lisabeth made some nifty moves in close to score his first of the season at 14:21. Louis Dumont and Sergei Kuznetsov collected assists.
In the second, Texas (1-5-1) cut Mississippi�s lead in half. Bobby Cunningham extended his goal scoring streak to five games, scoring his seventh over that span. Cunningham beat Sean Matile with the 18th Wildcatters shot, at the 16:50 mark.
On the next shift, Sea Wolves� Travis Lisabeth was hauled down on a breakaway. Lisabeth was awarded a penalty shot and he subsequently shot the puck high and wide.
Late in the period, Texas tied the score on a controversial goal. The Wildcatters had a three-on-one break, Cunningham sent the puck towards the net, forcing Matile on his back. Referee Jamie Koharski along with linesman Craig Ross, asked for a conversation with the goal judge. As a result, Cunningham was credited with the goal. Matile responded by slamming his goal stick on the end glass and breaking it. That delay caused the teams to be sent to the locker room early, and the remaining 1:57 of the second period, was added to the third.
In the third, Austin Miller tallied the eventual game-winner, unleashing a shot from the right circle at 10:21.
Hutchins added insurance for Mississippi at 16:39, netting his fifth goal of the year to round out the scoring.
Mississippi went 2-for-8 on the power play, while Texas failed to tally on seven chances with the man advantage. Sea Wolves outshot the Wildcatters, 44-23.
Earlier in the day, Mississippi added Chuck Thuss as emergency backup goaltender.
Mississippi begins a three-game road trip at 6:05 p.m. CT on Wednesday in Duluth, Georgia to play the Gwinnett Gladiators. Listen live on ESPN Radio WXBD-AM 1490 and across the internet, through the Sea Wolves web site at msseawolves.com.
The Sea Wolves next home game is at 7:35 p.m. on Friday, November 7 against the Louisiana IceGators. Promotions include 2-for-1 military, courtesy of Kessler Federal Credit Union. In addition, the first 2,000 fans will receive Thundersticks.
Individual game tickets, start at $9 for children and $11 for adults. Tickets are available at all TicketMaster locations, the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office and by calling 228-594-3707.
Season seat packages, flex plans and discounted group tickets are still on sale by calling 228-275-WOLF.
--- Box Score ---
DATE - 10/26/03 Texas (2) at Mississippi (4)
SCORE BY PERIODS
Texas 0 2 0--2
Mississippi 2 0 2--4
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Mississippi-Walby 4 (power play) (Gauvreau; Hutchins) 2:38. 2, Mississippi-Lisabeth 1 (power play) (Dumont; Kuznetsov) 14:21. Penalties: Morgan, TEX (Holding), 2:01. Kuznetsov, MIS (Tripping), 7:56. Pereira, TEX (Slashing), 11:04. Cardwell, TEX (Holding), 12:34. Blais, MIS (Roughing), 15:34. Dumont, MIS (Slashing), 19:34.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 3, Texas-Cunningham 7 (Lawrence; Fisher) 16:50. 4, Texas-Cunningham 8 (Lawrence; Guinn) 18:03. Penalties: O'Rourke, MIS (Roughing), 3:05. Maxwell, MIS (Hooking), 6:16. Branham, TEX (Hooking), 8:32. Morgan, TEX (Cross checking), 8:52. O'Rourke, MIS (Holding stick), 11:46. Fisher, TEX (Kneeing), 19:31.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 5, Mississippi-Miller 1 (game winner) (Walby; Hutchins) 10:21. 6, Mississippi-Hutchins 5 (Walby; Lupandin) 16:39. Penalties: Lisabeth, MIS (Tripping), 3:40. Lawrence, TEX (Goalie interference), 11:58. Fisher, TEX (Tripping), 16:56.
SHOTS ON GOAL
Texas 7 13 3--23
Mississippi 11 17 16--44
Power Play Conversions: Texas - 0-of-7, Mississippi - 2-of-8.
Goalies: Texas-Parley (44 shots, 40 saves; record: 1-1-1). Mississippi-Matile (23 shots, 21 saves; record: 1-0-1).
A: 3623. Referee: Jamie Koharski. Linesmen: Craig Ross; Nate Stanton.
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