Bulls Rally to Top 'Runners
November 28, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
The Topeka RoadRunners jumped out to an early lead but Amarillo was able to chip away, taking their first lead of the game with under two minutes to play and finishing the comeback with a 4-2 win on Saturday in the Kansas Expocentre.
Topeka was pressuring the Bulls crease midway through the first period, and an Amarillo clearing attempt was kept in the zone by Trace Strahle who snapped a crisp pass to Ryan Doucet on the opposite side who fired the one-timer behind Bulls goalie Gregg Gruehl for a 1-0 lead at 11:10 of the first period. At 15:08 the lead doubled to 2-0 as Dan Dupell and Ryan White cycled the puck in the right wing corner, with Dupell then stepping out in front through the slot where he stuffed a low shot past Gruehl, Dupell's 9th goal of the season. The lead was cut in half when Brooks Behling fired a shot from the high slot through a screen at 16:42 and it was 2-1 Topeka after one period.
The second period saw 'Runner goalie Peter Traber stop a Bulls breakaway about 5 minutes in with a nice left leg pad save. Earlier, in the periods opening minute an apparent RoadRunner goal by Brian Christie was washed out because it was ruled the goalie was pushed across the goal line with the puck in his control, The second period ended with Topeka still ahead 2-1.
Amarillo got the game tying goal at 2:28 of the third, scored by by Greg Gibson. In a hard fought third period, the Bulls comeback was complete at 18:46 as Gibson laced a shot through a pile of bodies for the Bulls first lead of the game. Topeka pulled Traber for the extra attacker but Brooks Behling hit the empty net from deep in his own zone for the 4-2 lead that would hold up as the final. The Bulls completed the weekend sweep, taking 3 of 4 in Topeka for the season and 5 of 6 overall.
Topeka (14-10-2) finished their 6 game homestand and head south to Corpus Christi (10-10-0) for a pair of games Friday and Saturday. The games will be broadcast on countrylegends1069.com and videocast at nahl.fasthockey.com.
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North American Hockey League Stories from November 28, 2011
- Jr. K-Wings Weekly - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
- Cats beat Bulls in OT - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Bulls Rally to Top 'Runners - Topeka Pilots
- Rays Report: Weekend Split - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Bulls' Third Period Burst Dooms 'Runners - Topeka Pilots
- Tornado Weekly - Texas Tornado
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