Gorillas defense stands tall in 5-2 defeat of Rage
March 7, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release
Amarillo, TX - Three special teams goals and spectacular goaltending by Mike Gorman led the Amarillo Gorillas to a 5-2 victory over the Rocky Mountain Rage Saturday night at the Amarillo Civic Center.
Amarillo's Jamie McKinven kicked off the scoring in the game, taking a pass from Gordon Bell in his own zone with the Gorillas on the penalty kill. McKinven skated the puck down the ice, maneuvered past Rocky Mountain's Aaron Davis and backhanded a shot into the net behind Rage netminder Scott Reid, giving the Gorillas an early 1-0 advantage.
Bell would follow McKinven up with a goal of his own, scored during a 5-on-3 powerplay for Amarillo. The center took a pass from Austin Sutter and one-timed it by Reid for Amarillo's second goal of the game. Former Gorilla Scott Wray put the Rage back within one, slamming a rebound behind Gorman at 16:40 of the first period. However, former Rage skater John Snowden wristed a shot from the point past Reid for a power play goal with just 27 seconds left in the period to keep the hosts up by two, 3-1, at the first intermission.
Aaron Davis would strike quickly for Rocky Mountain in the second period, scoring following a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush for the Rage. The score would remain 3-2 in Amarillo's favor for the remainder of the period, as Gorman and Reid both stood strong in their respective creases.
The Gorillas pulled away for good in the third, capitalizing on an odd-man rush of their own. Joe Guenther took a feed from Stuart MacRae and buried it behind Reid to give Amarillo its third two-goal lead of the evening. Rookie Jake Morissette would add an empty netter with 1:10 remaining in the game, extending the eventual winning margin to three.
Amarillo (17-37-3) went 2-for-8 on the man advantage in the 5-2 victory. Gorman, meanwhile, stopped 34 of 36 shots to earn his tenth win of the season between the pipes for the Gorillas, who put a season-high 45 shots on goal in the triumph. It was the first occasion in 12 contests that the Gorillas allowed fewer than four goals to their opponent.
The Texas Panhandle's only professional hockey team will be back in action next Wednesday, playing on the road against the Arizona Sundogs. Opening face-off is scheduled for 8:05 PM Central Time, with coverage of the game on 1010-AM "The Canyon" in Amarillo and worldwide via a free Internet video feed through the CHL Network.
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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