Bulls Top 'Runners as Road Trip Begins
October 15, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
In a South Division matchup that promised to be a battle, it was that and more as Amarillo took the first of eight regular season meetings by a 5-3 margin Friday night in the Texas panhandle.
The first period alone saw three goals and three fights as the young rivalry picked up right where it left off at the end of last season. Matt Johnson scored for Amarillo just :18 seconds into the game, punching a quick shot through the leg pads of Josh Hillegas on a feed from behind the goal line. At 5:47, Kevin Patterson fought Amarillo's Tyler Deresky after Deresky charged into Hillegas. At 10:59, Brooks Behling ripped a shot through the leg pads of Hillegas for a 2-0 lead, sending Hillegas to the bench to be relieved by newcomer Peter Traber. Topeka cut the 2-0 deficit in half when Brian Christie flipped a shot into the top half of the net at 18:32, his sixth goal of the year. On the following faceoff, Ryan Doucet dropped the mitts with Omar Mullen in a spirited bout, and at 19:40 John Rey and Chris Bond went at it. Amarillo held the 2-1 edge after 20 minutes of play.
The second period settled down some, and Topeka outshot the Bulls thanks in part to a 5-on-3 power play for 1:45. Amarillo padded their lead on a power play goal at 5:17 as John Gustafsson blasted a one-timer off Traber's body and in from the top of the right wing circle. The 'Runners pulled back to within a goal as captain Cory Ramsey netted his second of the season at 14:52, also on the power play.
Another power play goal for Amarillo ended up being the game winner in the third as Behling tallied his second of the night, a backhander through a screen walking out of the right corner at 2:11. The 'Runners continued to battle, though, and cut the lead to a single goal once again as Brian Christie backhanded a rebound home, assisted by Ryan Doucet and Gage Hough at 7:47. The 'Runners came close to tying the game as a Mick Bruce shot clanged off the iron, but in the final minute a diving Matt Johnson directed the puck into the empty net as Topeka had opted for the extra attacker, leading to the 5-3 final.
Topeka (6-4-1) immediately boarded the bus for the 6.5 hour ride to Frisco, TX where they will face the Texas Tornado (6-1-2) in a pair of games. Texas, like Topeka, had a four game win streak snapped on Friday as the Tornado fell 5-4 in overtime at Wichita Falls. Topeka now trails Texas by a point, and Amarillo by three points. Faceoff for Saturday's game is 7:30 pm. The game will be broadcast with streaming audio via countrylegends1069.com and also available for pay-per-view with FASTHockey.com. Topeka and Texas meet again on Sunday at 5:00 pm. This is the RoadRunners only scheduled visit to Frisco this season. The Tornado visit Topeka twice for a total of four games in Kansas.
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North American Hockey League Stories from October 15, 2011
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- Port Huron Falls to Kalamazoo 3-2 - Port Huron Fighting Falcons
- Kalamazoo's Road Victory Makes Eight of Nine - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
- Bulls Top 'Runners as Road Trip Begins - Topeka Pilots
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- Jacks drop first of two in Wenatchee - Odessa Jackalopes
- Bulls Beat Topeka 5-3 as the Rivalry Is Renewed - Amarillo Bulls
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