Game Preview: Tulsa vs. Rapid City - Tonight at 7:35 p.m.
December 19, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Tulsa Oilers News Release
Tulsa Oilers vs. Rapid City Rush - 7:35 p.m. at BOK Center
TONIGHT'S PROMOTION
Garry Unger Night - The Oilers will honor their former coach and NHL legend with a pre-game ceremony
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
November 14 - Rapid City 4 at Tulsa 6
TEAM CAPSULES
Tulsa Oilers
Overall: 13-10-1-2 (29 points)
Home: 9-6-1-1
Road: 4-4-0-1
Rank: 2nd in Central Division
Rapid City Rush
Overall: 7-14-0-2
Home: 4-8-0-1
Road: 3-6-0-1
Rank: 6th in Central Division
SETTING THE SCENE
The Oilers and Rush face off for the second of 12 total meetings this season and the second of seven contests at the BOK Center. Tulsa is 1-0-0 against Rapid City after posting a 6-4 victory in the first encounter of the season on November 14. Jon Booras led the Oilers' attack with a pair of goals and Kevin Carr recorded 33 saves as Tulsa jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead and cruised to the finish line. Rush forward Robin Soudek tallied three points and Danny Battochio made 21 stops in a relief effort. In the all-time series against Rapid City, the Oilers are .500 (14-14-3) with a 9-6-1 mark at the BOK Center.
LAST TIME OUT
After five consecutive victories over their arch-rival, the Oilers suffered a 2-1 loss to the Wichita Thunder on Wednesday night on home ice. Charles Lachance scored Tulsa's lone goal and Wichita netminder Tim Boron made 29 saves to help the Thunder skate away with two points. Despite the setback, the Oilers are 6-2-0 against the Thunder this season and hold a commanding lead in the chase for the StoneWolf Casino Cup.
DIVISION UPDATE
Only 11 points separate the top five teams in the Central Division and the Oilers sit in second place, four points back of the Allen Americans. Tulsa continues to lead the division in games played (25), goals against (94), penalty minutes (524), home wins (9), and shootout wins (4).
HOME STAND FINALE
Tonight the Oilers conclude a season-long five-game home stand. Tulsa is 2-2-0 on the current home swing with 13 goals scored and 11 goals allowed. The Oilers will begin another five-game home stand on December 28 before embarking on a seven-game road trip.
POWER RUNS OUT
The Oilers were 0-for-6 on the power play on Wednesday night and snapped a string of three-straight games with a power play goal. Tulsa had registered five power play goals in 16 opportunities for its best three-game stretch of the season.
SOMETHING IN COMMON
In each of their last four losses the Oilers have scored just a single goal. The Tulsa offense has mustered only two goals in its last two games, the lowest output for any two-game stretch of the season. However, for the season, the Oilers are averaging 3.5 goals per game, the seventh-highest average in the ECHL.
VOID IN THE MIDDLE
Jon Booras, the Oilers' leading scorer, is out of the lineup tonight for the fourth straight game. The veteran center was hurt last week against Wichita but despite sitting on the sidelines, Booras is still tied for fourth in the league with 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists).
SALUTING A LEGEND
Former Oilers head coach and NHL legend Garry Unger will be honored tonight in a pre-game ceremony. Unger played for the Oilers in the 1960's and went on to spend 16 seasons in the National Hockey League where he was a seven-time All-Star and set a record with 914 consecutive games played. Unger spent seven seasons behind the Tulsa bench and guided the Oilers to the 1992-93 CHL Championship.
OIL DROPS
T.J. Caig saw his five-game point streak come to an in Wednesday's loss to Wichita...The Oilers have dropped back-to-back games in regulation only twice this season...Tommy Mele ranks fifth in the ECHL with 87 penalty minutes
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