Ftorek's overtime winner gives Gorillas 5-4 win over Scorpions
March 19, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release
Amarillo, TX 3/19/09 - Amarillo Gorillas defenseman Sam Ftorek scored 1:54 into overtime to help the hosts dispatch the New Mexico Scorpions 5-4 at the Amarillo Civic Center Thursday night.
The scoring began early in the game, as New Mexico needed only 15 seconds to get on the board. Adam Blanchette held in a Gorillas' clearing attempt at the right point, feeding the puck to Chris Robertson in the right circle. Robertson wristed the puck behind Gorillas' starting netminder A.J. Bucchino to hand New Mexico a 1-0 lead. New Mexico goaltender Kyle McNulty stopped all seven Amarillo shots faced in the first period to make the one-goal lead stand up through twenty minutes of play.
Amarillo would tie the game up on a 4-on-4 goal from Joe Guenther mid-way through the second period. With the Gorillas' James Jernberg and the Scorpions' Chris Robertson in the penalty box following coincidental minors, Amarillo's John Snowden sped into the New Mexico zone. Snowden dropped a pass to a trailing Guenther, who tossed a wrist shot between the legs of McNulty, knotting the score at 1-1.
It would be nearly nine minutes of playing time after the Guenther goal before Amarillo could take their first lead of the game. With the Gorillas on their first power play of the night, Guenther tipped a Stuart MacRae face-off win back to defenseman Jamie McKinven, who skated into the left circle and ripped a wrist shot past the glove hand of McNulty. The hosts would soon build on their 2-1 lead with a Gordon Bell goal coming at 15:29 of the second period, bumping the Amarillo lead to 3-1. New Mexico answered with just 50 seconds remaining in the middle frame, getting a power play goal from Jordan Foote on a wrist shot in the deep slot. Still, Bucchino stopped 13 of 14 Scorpions shots in the second, holding Amarillo's 3-2 lead intact through two periods.
The lead would turn out to be insufficient for Amarillo, as New Mexico battled back to score just 5:14 into the third period. Seth Leonard scored with an assist from Tom Maldonado to tie the game up at three and give the Scorpions momentum. Amarillo's Austin Sutter, who was presented with the 2008-09 CHL Man of the Year award before the game, snapped a shot by McNulty to return the Gorillas to the lead, 4-3. Moments later the Scorpions would tie the game once again, as an Andrew Smale shot from the point deflected off a skate in front and by Bucchino. Both teams skated to a scoreless final eight minutes of the third, forcing overtime.
After a Seth Leonard shot rang off the goalpost early in the extra frame, the Gorillas controlled the next minute of play. McNulty held strong in net, until Sutter and Sam Ftorek skated into the Scorpions' zone on an odd-man rush. Sutter fed Ftorek at the right circle, as the Gorillas' captain deflected a shot off McNulty's equipment and across the goal line, giving Amarillo the 5-4 victory. It was Ftorek's second overtime winner of the season, with the previous goal coming back in October 2008 against Texas.
The Gorillas (18-41-3) will play next in Broomfield, Colorado Friday night as they take on the Rocky Mountain Rage. They will return home for their final game of the 2008-09 season on Saturday, as they battle the Rage in a 7:05 PM start at the Amarillo Civic Center. Tickets are available for the game by calling (806) 242-PUCK (7825).
The AMARILLO GORILLAS are celebrating their seventh season in "The Jungle" by offering special ticket prices to groups and parties! Call the Gorillas ticketing office at (806) 242-PUCK (7825) for more information, or drop by the Gorillas' new office at 901 S. Buchanan in downtown Amarillo.
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