Gorillas road struggles continue
Published on November 26, 2008 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release
Amarillo, TX 11/26/08 - In their sixth straight road game, the Amarillo Gorillas could not overcome a second-period onslaught by the Oklahoma City Blazers, dropping a hard-fought affair 4-1.
The Blazers and Gorillas battled to a scoreless first period, which began with fireworks-Amarillo's Neil Smith and Oklahoma City's Robin Gomez engaged in fisticuffs just three seconds into the opening frame. Mike Gorman, the starter in net for Amarillo, turned aside all 13 Blazers shots during the first twenty minutes of action.
Things would turn sour for Amarillo, however, at the onset of the second period. At the 1:37 mark of the period, Chad Hinz drew first blood with a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle, beating Gorman to give the Blazers a 1-0 advantage. Just over two minutes later, Oklahoma City tallied again, as Ted Vandermeer took a Simon Lambert feed in the slot and tossed a backhand into the net at the 3:45 mark. To round out the Blazers' rally, at the 6:21 mark of the second period, Cam Doull poked a Vandermeer centering pass behind Gorman (2-4-0) for Oklahoma City's third goal in under five minutes of playing time.
The second period action wasn't just limited to Blazers goals, though. Amarillo's James Jernberg and Jamie McKinven both engaged in fights before the end of the middle frame. In addition, the Gorillas outshot the Blazers, 11-8 in the second period; Oklahoma City netminder Doug Groenestege held tight between the pipes for his team, turning away each Amarillo opportunity.
Robin Gomez kick-started the third period scoring on a Blazers powerplay, when he took a cross-ice pass from Jason Seerey and deposited it into the Gorillas' net to give Oklahoma City a 4-0 advantage. Just under four minutes away from Groenestege's first shutout of the season, however, Amarillo's Austin Sutter put a Jake Morissette centering pass behind the Blazer goaltender to put the Gorillas on the board. Still, the Blazers held off a late onslaught by Amarillo and drew a late Gorillas penalty to emerge victorious, 4-1.
Amarillo (4-11-0) will return to the Amarillo Civic Center for the first time in six games as they host the Rocky Mountain Rage Friday night at 7:05 PM. During "Dad's Night Out," children get in free with a paying adult. In addition, hot dogs will be just one dollar at Civic Center concession stands. The game will be the Gorillas' only home tilt until December 13. Tickets are still available by calling (806) 242-PUCK (7825) or by visiting www.panhandletickets.com.
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 26, 2008
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- Thunder Slug Tulsa - Wichita Thunder
- RiverKings Use Four-Goal Period in Rio Grande Valley - Mississippi RiverKings
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- Spend Your Holiday Weekend with the Bugs - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Bucks Toy Drive At LEC December 5 - Laredo Bucks
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