Gorillas outrun by Rocky Mountain in marathon, 5-4

November 28, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release


Amarillo, TX - In a game that lasted four hours from start to finish, the Rocky Mountain Rage outlasted the Amarillo Gorillas, 5-4, Friday night at the Amarillo Civic Center.

The scoring began early for the Rage, as Colt King backhanded a rebound past Mike Gorman to give the visitors a 1-0 first period lead. Sam Ftorek answered moments later, slamming a shot from the point behind Rocky Mountain netminder Scott Reid to tie the game at one entering the first intermission.

It was Amarillo that struck first in the second period, getting a power play goal from Joe Guenther just one minute into the middle frame. The only Gorilla lead of the evening would not last long, with Aaron Davis scoring a pair of goals to put Rocky Mountain up 3-2 mid-way through the second.

Ftorek netted his second of the game with the Gorillas on the power play at the 13:06 mark of the middle period to tie up the game at three. However, Nathan O'Nabigon tossed a wraparound past Gorman moments later to ensure a Rocky Mountain 4-3 lead headed into the second intermission.

It was in the second intermission the activities at the Amarillo Civic Center took a turn for the absurd. One-third of the way through its sweep of the ice, Amarillo's Zamboni broke down in the neutral zone. For a short period of time, Civic Center personnel struggled to get the machine off the ice surface, before finally being towed off by a forklift.

The problems did not end there for Civic Center staff. A large rut was left in the broken Zamboni's aftermath on the ice near the north blueline. Extensive repair was needed for the rut, which took over an hour to properly fix. Meanwhile, the ‘Ice Crew' swept the ice with brooms, trying to smooth over the rocky surface.

After a delay that lasted an hour and 56 minutes, play was re-started. Jamie McKinven scored his third goal in just six games to tie the game at four for the Gorillas, who proceeded to take two penalties late in the game. After one penalty kill, and with just one second remaining on the final penalty, Aaron Davis deflected a puck off a falling Gorman and into the net to give the Rage a 5-4 lead. The strange goal, scored at an odd angle, was brought about after Gorman got a skate caught in a rut in the ice.

Despite some late opportunities, the Gorillas never threatened again, as Davis' third goal stood up as the game-winner. Gorman (2-5-0) stopped 33 shots in the loss for Amarillo (4-12-0), who will play Rocky Mountain tomorrow at 8:05 PM CST.

Enjoy all the benefits of being an Amarillo Gorillas season ticket holder, including pregame meetings with Coach Coolen and one-of-a-kind access to special events! Gorillas season tickets for 2008-09 are available by calling (806) 242-PUCK (7825) or by visiting the Gorillas office at 901 Buchanan in Amarillo.



Central Hockey League Stories from November 28, 2008


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