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NAHL Amarillo Bulls

Bulls Fall to St. Louis 3-2 as Their Season Comes to An End

May 7, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Amarillo Bulls News Release


FRISCO, TX - The incredible season for the Amarillo Bulls came to an end on Monday afternoon.

The Bulls surrendered two goals 63 seconds apart and dropped a 3-2 decision to the St. Louis Bandits at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, TX.

The season featured so many high points that included 46 regular season wins, 99 points that set a new NAHL mark, and more banners to raise at the Budweiser Bull Pen in the Amarillo Civic Center.

"This tournament ended 24 hours earlier then we wanted it to," said Bulls Head Coach Dennis Williams. "I told the guys that we accomplished a lot of great things this year and we are only a second year program. I like what we have done and that is to send 13 players off to college. If there is a bright side in all of this is that we have many guys that will come back with a bad taste in their mouth."

Williams also thanked the fans for their support of the team both on the road and at home.

"To our fans it was a great ride again, and we appreciate them coming down there this past weekend to support the team," he said. "It will be our job to make sure we give them another good hockey team for next season."

This national semi-final game was everything that was expected and then some. The Amarillo Bulls and the St. Louis Bandits both worked hard. It was a fast-skating contest with plenty of hard play and solid goaltending.

The Bulls opened the scoring when Karl Beckman's blast found the back of the net at 2:55 of the opening period. Bandits' goaltender Spencer Viele didn't see the shot come through. Omar Mullan and Zane Popilock earned assists on the marker. Just over five minutes later, the Bandits tied the game on a deflection in front of the net. But Amarillo regained the lead 2:15 later when John Gustafsson's rocket beat Viele on the far side. Joe Kozlak and Mike Erickson added assists on the goal.

There was no scoring in the second period but the Bulls applied tremendous pressure on the St. Louis net but couldn't beat Viele who kept his team within striking distance. The Bulls outshot St. Louis 10-8.

In the third period, the Bandits scored two goals 1:03 apart to take a 3-2 advantage. Down the stretch the Bulls applied pressure but had a hard time breaking through the St. Louis defensive coverage.

The Amarillo Bulls outshot the St. Louis Bandits 25-24. There were just three power plays in the game with neither team scoring a goal.

There will be one final Amarillo Bulls Radio Show of the year on Monday at 6pm at Hooters located in the Westgate Parkway. The program airs live in the restaurant as well as on ESPN1440 and www.amarillobulls.com.

Season Tickets for 2012-2013 are now on sale at the Amarillo Bulls office located 301 South Polk, Suite 101 in the Amarillo Building. For further information please call 1-806-242-1122 or visit www.amarillobulls.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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