ECHL Tulsa Oilers

Oilers Comeback Effort Falls Short in Season Opener

Published on October 14, 2017 under ECHL (ECHL)
Tulsa Oilers News Release


Oilers Comeback Effort Falls Short in Season Opener
Oilers Comeback Effort Falls Short in Season Opener
(Tulsa Oilers)

TULSA, OK - Trailing 4-0 early in the third period, the Tulsa Oilers battled back to within a goal, but fell 5-3 to the Kansas City Mavericks in the Season Opener Friday on the York Plumbing Ice at the BOK Center. Tulsa (0-1-0) outshot Kansas City (1-0-0) by a 42-25 margin.

In a game that saw 17 combined penalties, Tulsa went 0-for-4 on early power plays in the first eight minutes of the game. The Mavericks broke a scoreless tie, when Justin Breton bead Oilers goaltender Jake Hildebrand on a breakaway. Kansas City beat the buzzer, when Matt Robertson fired a shot into the net with two seconds left in the frame.

Kansas City added to its lead in the second period when Dan Correale snapped a quick shot off the blocker of Hildebrand from the right circle. The Mavericks carried that 3-0 lead into the third period.

After Robertson added his second goal early in the third period on a Mavericks power play, Dennis Brown put the Oilers on the board with a blast from the right point. 36 seconds later, Conner Bleackley cut the deficit in half when he jammed home a loose puck out of a goal-mouth scramble.

Tulsa had a power-play goal waved for goaltender interference midway through the final stanza, but Bleackley found Joey Sides cutting to the net, and Sides lifted a shot past Mavericks rookie goaltender Tyler Parsons to make it 4-3 with 6:19 to play. The Oilers comeback effort fell just short, as Mark Cooper tapped an empty-net goal in with three seconds left to seal Kansas City's 5-3 win.

The Oilers travel overnight to the Quad Cities for a 7:05pm Saturday night tilt at Taxslayer Center against the Mallards. Catch the action on the Sports Animal Radio Network in Tulsa (97.1/96.1/101.1 FM) or www.tulsaoilers.com by clicking on the "Listen Live" button.

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Oilers Comeback Effort Falls Short in Season Opener
Oilers Comeback Effort Falls Short in Season Opener
   



ECHL Stories from October 14, 2017


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