Gorillas Lose in Shootout

Published on November 3, 2007 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release


Amarillo, TX - On Friday night. the Amarillo Gorillas were 12.6 seconds away from their first victory of the 07-08 campaign. It was not to be however, as the New Mexico Scorpions got a shorthanded breakaway goal from Konrad Reeder (his second shorthanded goal of the game) which tied the game at 2-2, sending the Scorpions into a frenzy and the game into overtime.

Dan McWhinney got his sixth start in net for the Gorillas, playing opposite Mike Minard who started in goal for the Scorpions. Period number one had both teams playing strong, defensive hockey backed by solid play in net from both goaltenders. The Gorillas out-shot the Scorpions 10-8 in the first period, and the teams skated to their dressing rooms deadlocked at 0-0.

In the second frame, Amarillo held the advantage in shots 14-7 and controlled play for a good portion of the 20:00 session. However, it was New Mexico who scored the first goal of the game, as Reeder converted a Kevin Harvey pass for a shorthanded tally 13:18 into the period. Amarillo continued to push, and a familiar face got things going offensively when player/Asst. Coach Chris Lipsett scored his third goal of the year at 18:22 to tie the game at one. Lipsett was parked in the slot when he received a pass from Matt Miller out of the corner and beat Minard five-hole to square things up going into the final period.

In period 3, Amarillo came out swinging early with a goal from rookie Grant Selinger just 1:22 into the final period. The Gorillas took the lead 2-1, marking the first time all year that they have led in the third period. Amarillo continued to shutdown the Scorpions attack, led by stellar play from McWhinney, until a break down late in the third period. With New Mexico's Kevin Harvey serving a 5:00 major for charging after he flattened McWhinney in net, the Gorillas looked to be on their way to win number one. However, New Mexico had one desperate rush left as Minard went to the bench in favor of an extra attacker with only :59 left on the clock. As time wound down, the Scorpions threw everything they had at the Gorillas, and Reeder was able to chip the puck past the defense at the Amarillo blue line, skating in alone on McWhinney and beating him glove-side for the tying goal with 12 ticks left on the clock.

The game went into a 5:00 overtime session, and because of the carry over of Harvey's late penalty, Amarillo had a 4-on-3 advantage for 4:19 to start the extra session. Despite heavy pressure and 7 shots, the Gorillas could not put the game winner past Minard, even after the Scorpions took another penalty at 4:19 for having too many men on the ice. Amarillo had a 4-on-3 for the entire 5:00 overtime period. The game headed to a shootout, the second shootout at the Amarillo Civic Center in the young season.

New Mexico came out strong, carrying the momentum from their late game-tying goal into the shootout, as their first three shooters all beat McWhinney and Amarillo could only get one from Lipsett to force a fourth shooter. Craig MacDonald was New Mexico's fourth shooter, and was stopped by McWhinney keeping the door open for Amarillo, but Bill Vandermeer was unable to convert his penalty shot to keep the shootout going. New Mexico escaped with a 3-2 shootout victory despite being out-shot 42-29 in the game.

Amarillo fell to 0-5-2, with 2 points on the season, while New Mexico improved to 2-4-1. The Gorillas will face a tough task tonight, still searching for win number one and playing host to the defending league champion Colorado Eagles.

TONIGHT'S GAME

The game tonight (Saturday the 3rd) will be broadcast on The Energy 99.7 FM. Also, there is a post-game party scheduled at Mulligans Sports Pub (2511 Paramount Blvd) to take place immediately following the finish of the game. Fans are invited to come out and see the Gorillas coaching staff and players at Mulligans!

Game: Amarillo Gorillas vs. Colorado eagles; Amarillo Civic Center, Amarillo, TX; 7:05 PM CST

Radio: 99.7 FM The Energy

Internet Video: CHL NETWORK, www.nifty-tv.com/chl

Post-Game Party: Mulligans' Sports Pub - 2511 Paramount Blvd.

FUN FOR THE WHOLE GROUP:

This season bring your group out to the Gorillas game for a night of fun and entertainment. Whether you're a business looking to have a night out for your employees, celebrating a birthday party, or just a group of people looking for an excuse to get out and have some fun we've got the group package for you. You can get your group tickets for as little as $8 per ticket! For more information call the Gorillas office at 242-PUCK.

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Central Hockey League Stories from November 3, 2007


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