Win A Flat Screen TV Friday Night at Snipers vs. Cobras

Snipers vs. Cobras on Friday December 14th: Win a Flat Screen TV on Cobra Youth Night!

Event Preview:

On Friday December 14th, the St. Louis Cobras will host the defending PIHA Gateway Champion Southside Snipers at the Matteson Triplex on Cobra Youth Night. The Pro games begin at 8:00 PM and fans are encouraged to come early for Minor Pro (6:30 PM) and stay late for AAA. As a special promotion, all youth Cobra players who tried out for ANY youth Cobras team will get to attend the games for FREE and get autographs from the pros! In addition to the BEST INLINE HOCKEY IN THE WORLD, fans will be treated to plenty of entertainment including:

- A Chance to win a FLAT SCREEN TELEVISION during UPS Chuck-A-Puck!
-Need energy? Get energized with FREE 180 Energy Drink!
-Prize packs including FREE 12-packs of Pepsi products, car washes, and Tour hockey hats for select fans.
-Stick around for for the “Mini Cobras” playing a 10-minute game at halftime.
-Kids bring your pens, grab a free autograph book, and head to the Pepsi Autograph Booth to meet your favorite player!

...plus more surprises!!! Admission is only $5 and kids 8-and-under are always FREE. Season tickets will be on sale throughout the evening ($50 for your favorite team’s home AND away games and $75 for an All Access League Pass to every PIHA Gateway game plus a great gift from our sponsors!) Visit our website: www.pihagatewayhockey.com.

The Matteson Triplex is located at: 3051 Industrial Park Place West St. Peters, MO 63376


Game Preview:
In the Pro division, both the Southside Snipers and St. Louis Cobras are coming off winless weekends. The Cobras, after a hot start which included a mauling of the River City Whalers, were snake bit last weekend against the stifling Midwest Tornados who held the Cobras to only one goal in two games. Look for Cobras offense to pick it up against the Snipers. With talent including “Johnny Mac”, Jeff Hill, Brandon Marchand, and other explosive offensive weapons, it will be difficult to keep the Cobras off the scoreboard. On the other side of the rink, the Snipers got off to a slow start against the River City Whalers who avenged last year’s playoff elimination at the hands of the Snipers. Although the Snipers lost both games by only one goal, the normal Sniper defensive shutdown showed some cracks that will have to improve this weekend.

Who is hot?
St. Louis Cobras: Jeff Hill (3g 2a) leads the Cobras in offensive production
Southside Snipers: Jeremy Scott (1g) with increased playing time this year will be an impact player with the Snipers.

In Minor Pro, the undefeated Snipers take on a Cobras team heating up after finding the net five times against the Midwest Tornados in the second game this past weekend. Damion Matteson, returning from injury, recording a hat-trick in his first game of the season. The Snipers AAA team lost a close overtime game against the Whalers and will be looking to brothers Eric and Kyle Middendorf to lead them past the Cobras who have numerous talented offensive weapons including their very own set of brothers: Josh and Jeremy Bruce.

Travis Tornado
A special feature by James Lambert

Midwest Tornados sweep St. Louis Cobras; Fudge named Pepsi Star of the Game twice

Travis Fudge scored three goals and put up five points as the Midwest Tornados swept the St. Louis Cobras 2-0 and 4-1 on Saturday night.

BALLWIN, Mo. - The Midwest Tornados opened the season with a doubleheader sweep of the visiting St. Louis Cobras in PIHA Gateway action Saturday night at Midwest Sport Hockey. Travis Fudge scored twice to lead the Tornados to a 2-0 win in Game 1, and also had points on three of Midwest 's four goals in the 4-1 Game 2 triumph.
Fudge and the defending regular-season division champion Tornados were outstanding at both ends of the floor Saturday night. The Tornados enjoyed a 23-9 shots-on-goal edge in Game 1, building a 2-0 halftime lead on two goals by Fudge while outshooting St. Louis 12-2. At one point during the second half, the shot tally was 18-4.

Jake Menzel earned the shutout, highlighted by a crucial early-second-half glove save of a point-blank backhand bid by Ryan Marchand.

In Game 2, Midwest goalie James Cash, the 2007 PIHA Gateway Most Valuable Goaltender, stopped 19 of 20 shots to lead his team to a 4-1 victory.

The Cobras took the early lead when John McGuinness scored just 1:23 in. But it was the only goal the Cobras would score all night. From a first half full of scoring chances for both teams, the Tornados would emerge with a 2-1 halftime lead thanks not to Fudge's goalscoring, but to his playmaking.

Late in the first half, Fudge and rookie Patrik Wuennenberg failed to convert on a 2-on-1, as Wuennenberg chose to shoot from the right wing instead of attempting a pass to Fudge in the slot. Wuennenberg's wrist shot was over the net. But the Tornados quickly regained, regrouped, and broke in 3-on-2. Fudge attacked down the right wing, pulled the puck wide, and found Wuennenberg, the third man in, at the top of the "triangle." With the advantage of a better scoring angle -- straight down the center lane -- Wuennenberg buried his first goal as a PIHA Pro to tie the game 1-1 with 2:19 left in the first half.

In the waning seconds of the half, Fudge set up Drew McCann on the doorstep, and McCann broke the tie and gave the Tornados a lead they would not relinquish.

Kyle Gouge put Midwest ahead 3-1 at 5:29 of the second half.

Fudge's shorthanded empty-netter with :31 to play was the third goal and fifth point of the evening for the Springfield , Mo. , native.

NOTES / ANGLES / OPINIONS

The only weakness the Tornados showed Saturday night was a shockingly futile 0-for-5 performance on the power play. The Cobras penalty kill, featuring Brandon and Ryan Marchand and goalies Brian Coleman and Steve Reed, deserves much of the credit for that.

Other than the power-play struggles, Midwest is a machine; maybe even better than last season. To hold the talented Cobras to just nine Game 1 shots on goal was very impressive. And in Game 2, Cash showed that his MVG '06-07 season was no fluke. Gouge, George Collins, and Mike Inouye are dangerous new offensive weapons. So far, the Tornados look like the most balanced team in the division.

The Cobras played better than the result would seem to indicate, but long stretches of puck-possession dominance by Fudge, Gouge, and Brandon Barnette, particularly in Game 1, kept St. Louis from sustaining an attack.

In Game 2, Cash was the biggest difference. Following McGuinness' goal, Cash shut out the Cobras for the remaining 22:37 of game time, stopping 17 shots during that span.

Cobras netminder Steve Reed put on a performance in Game 2 that may have been the best of his PIHA career, despite the loss. Reed's '06-07 season ended in disappointing fashion when he lost to the Tornados during the playoffs back in April despite being spotted an early 2-0 lead. But upon returning to the same rink for the first time since, Reed bounced back strong and gave the Cobras a chance to win. He was under heavy fire all night long, and ended up stopping 21 shots.

But when it comes down to it, Fudge took control, and showed why he is one of the best roller hockey players alive, when his energy and athleticism are channeled in the right direction. Fudge was more than just a sniper last night; he also played an exceptional game on the defensive end. And, of course, he notched five of the nine points scored by the Tornados. Gouge, McCann, Wuennenberg, and Nick Syrigos had the other four.