3rd Period Penalties Doom Tornado in 6-5 Loss on Friday
January 22, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Texas Tornado News Release
Leads of 1-0, 3-1, 4-3 and 5-4 were not enough as 3rd period penalties and two Fairbanks goals doomed the Tornado as they fell to the IceDogs in Fairbanks on Friday night, 6-5.
J.D. Howard scored two goals in the Tornado loss.
In almost exact opposite fashion as Thursday night's game, it would be the Tornado scoring first on the power play in this game as less than four minutes in some nice passing between Tyler Rostenkowski and Marc Biggs got the puck to J.D. Howard who scored his team-leading 18th goal of the season to give the Tornado a valuable 1-0 lead.
However, less than two minutes later Alec Hajdukovich would equalize with a shot that beat Tornado goaltender Jake Stafford to tie the game at 1-1.
The Tornado would answer right back to regain the lead just :23 seconds later as Mike Fleming poked home a loose puck to make it 2-1 at the end of the 1st period, as both teams fired nine shots on goal.
An active 2nd period saw the Tornado increase the lead to 3-1 on a shorthanded goal as J.D. Howard scored his second of the game as defenseman George Malliaras made a great individual effort down in the Fairbanks zone to maintain the puck and get to an open Howard in the front of the net.
But, the lead would not last long as back-to-back breakaway goals tied the game for the IceDogs in front of the raucous home crowd.
First, Jared Linnell scored on a breakaway as he got behind the Tornado defense and slipped a backhand past Stafford.
Then, Hajdukovich would streak in on a 1-1, elude the Tornado defender and somehow slid a shot under Stafford to tie the game once again.
The see-saw scoring continued as the Tornado regained the lead as Rock Einersen scored his 19th goal of the season, breaking a six-game goal scoring slump, as he took a nice pass from behind the net by linemate David Rigatti to put the Tornado back on top, 4-3.
But again, Fairbanks had an answer.
This time, Jared Linnell would come down the left wing 1 on 1 and fire a shot over the catching glove of Stafford that rang off the post and in to tie the game at 4-4.
Seven minutes before the period ended, the Tornado would get their third lead of the game as a shot from the point by former IceDog John Kirtland was stopped by Fairbanks goaltender Steve Perry, but the loose rebound was smashed home by Jack Prince for a 5-4 Tornado lead heading into the intermission after a combined six goals in the 2nd period.
Just as they had in the 2nd period, the Tornado could not hold the lead as Alec Hajdukovich scored his 2nd goal of the game as Taylor Munson tucked a shot home on the back post past Stafford to tie the game at 5-5 just over four minutes into the 3rd period.
Thanks to more needless Tornado penalties, the IceDogs would capture their first lead of the night on the power play as Sean O'Rourke found the back of the net as he fired a shot from the point past a screened Stafford.
Any thoughts of a comeback for Texas were squashed by countless trips to the penalty box as the Tornado dropped their fourth game of the season to Fairbanks.
The Tornado were whistled for the last seven penalties of the game, including six in the 3rd period alone and have now allowed 11 goals in two games in Alaska.
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North American Hockey League Stories from January 22, 2011
- Bulls Look To Return To Win Column Tonight - Amarillo Bulls
- Win Streak Climbs To Eight - Topeka Pilots
- 3rd Period Penalties Doom Tornado in 6-5 Loss on Friday - Texas Tornado
- Pauly Nets Two Goals: Monsters Top Wild, 4-3 - Wenatchee Wild
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