CHL Tulsa Oilers

Oilers Weekly News and Notes

March 18, 2013 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Tulsa Oilers News Release


Week In Review: The Oilers made the 873-mile trek to Rapid City, South Dakota this week and faced off with the Rush on Friday and Saturday night inside the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Friday, the Oilers erased two Rapid City leads and scored three times in the second period to earn a 4-2 road victory. Michel Beausoleil scored twice for the Oilers and Shane Madolora made 37 saves as Tulsa improved to 3-0-0 this season against the Rush. Ryan Menei, a former member of the Rush, sealed the win with an empty net goal and assisted on the game-winning tally by Ryan Cramer.

Saturday, the Oilers watched their one goal lead evaporate at the end of the third period and suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the Rush. Tulsa spotted Rapid City an early 2-0 lead but roared back by scoring all three of its goals on the powerplay. The Oilers carried a 3-2 advantage into the final minutes of regulation but Jesse Schultz tapped home the equalizer for Rapid City with just 1:07 remaining. The Rush went 3-for-3 in the shootout to pick up their first victory of the season over Tulsa.

Upcoming Games: This is the final week of the regular season and the Oilers have four games remaining, two on the road, and two at the BOK Center.

Tues. March 19 at 7:35pm CST - at Rapid City Rush

- Third meeting in last five days, season series finale, Oilers are 3-0-1 vs. Rush

Fri. March 22 at 7:05pm - at Missouri Mavericks

- Final road game of the season, Oilers are 3-5-0 against the Mavs, 1-3-0 in Missouri

Sat. March 23 at 7:35pm - vs. Wichita Thunder

- Season series finale, Oilers are 4-6-0 against Wichita this season

- Fan Appreciation Day, kids 12 & under get in free by redeeming ticket voucher (found on tulsaoilers.com and Oilers facebook page)

- Presentation of Oilers Awards

- Season Ticket Holder Party before the game

- Red Jersey auction after the game at the ONEOK Club

Sun. March 24 at 4:05pm - vs. Allen Americans

- Last game of the regular season, Oilers are 2-6-0 against Americans

- Kids 12 & under get in free by redeeming ticket voucher (found on tulsaoilers.com and Oilers facebook page)

- Papa John's Family Fun Day featuring post-game skate with Oilers players

- Papa John's Family Packs of 4 tickets start at $49

Still A Threat: With a pair of goals on Friday night, Tulsa's Michel Beausoleil reached the 20-goal plateau for the fourth consecutive season and for the ninth time in his 12-year career. The Montreal native followed up on Saturday with a pair of assists to give him 40 points for the fourth straight season. Beausoleil, 32, has 673 career points in 705 professional games.

Madolora Climbs The Ranks: Oilers goalie Shane Madolora is second in the CHL in total saves (1063) and has worked his way up to fourth place in overall save percentage (.915). The rookie netminder has made at least 30 saves in seven of his last eight starts.

Fox Flourishes: Second-year center Justin Fox set up two Oilers goals on Friday night and finished with a +3 rating in Tulsa's 4-2 victory. Fox added another assist on Saturday and is the only Oilers player with a positive plus-minus rating on the season.

Bell Gets Scrappy: Oilers forward Gordon Bell, who spent most of the season behind the Tulsa bench as assistant coach, squared off with Rush heavyweight Justin Sawyer at the end of Friday's contest. Bell dropped the gloves for the first time since November 15, 2008.

Menei Chases Scoring Title: Oilers winger Ryan Menei is tied for second in the CHL scoring race with 80 points. The Winnipeg native trails Missouri's Sebastien Thinel by nine points with four games to play. Menei leads the Oilers in goals (34), assists (46), and is tied for the lead with four game-winning goals. The sixth-year pro, who has points in 10 of his last 11 outings, has a chance to match his career high of 87 points which he set during the 2010-11 season as a member of the Rapid City Rush.

Cramer Connecting: With points in five of the last seven games, second year winger Ryan Cramer is making the most of his time on the Oilers top line. The 26-year old has six points (4 goals, 2 assists) in his last seven outings and has reached the 30-point plateau for the second straight season.

Former Dakota Boys: Oilers defenseman Gio Flamminio and right-wing Ryan Menei are returning to Rapid City this week, a place where both players enjoyed tremendous success. Beginning in 2008, Flamminio played three seasons for the Rush. The blue-liner recorded a career-high 32 points in the 2008-09 season and helped lead the Rush to the 2009-10 CHL Championship. Menei arrived in South Dakota for the 2010-11 campaign and appeared in every single game for the Rush on his way to career-highs in goals (39), assists (48), and points (87).

"Best of the Best" Recognition: The CHL's annual "Best of the Best" poll was released on Friday and the Oilers were recognized in several categories. Ryan Menei took second place honors for "Best Stickhandler" behind Wichita's Neil Trimm and Tulsa's leading scorer also finished second in the "Best Playmaker" category behind Sebastien Thinel of Missouri. Oilers heavyweight Daniel Amesbury, who has since departed for the SPHL, took home the award for "Best Pound for Pound Fighter" finishing ahead of David Simoes from Missouri and Garrett Clarke from Allen. Third-year center Gary Steffes ended up third in the voting for "Best Player on Face Offs" behind Wichita's R.G. Flath and Jason Morgan from Arizona. The Oilers home, the BOK Center, received plenty of recognition in the poll. The downtown venue earned second place in the "Best Arena" category and also finished second in the voting for "Best Locker Rooms" and "Best Arena Concessions." The Tulsa Oilers Ice Girls were selected as the third-best Cheerleading/Dance Team.

Milestones: Jason Weeks played in his 100th professional game on Saturday night in Rapid City.

Check out the Tulsa Oilers Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central