RoadRunners Take Division Title In First Season In Topeka
Published on March 29, 2008 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
FRISCO, TX MAR. 28, 2008: The Topeka RoadRunners hockey club clinched the Regular Season NAHL South Division Title on Friday night by defeating the Texas Tornado, 5-3.
"It's been an elusive dream", said RoadRunners head coach and GM Scott Langer after Friday's game, having claimed his first Division crown in 4 years as a head coach. "But we don't have a lot of time to enjoy it because playoffs begin next week and in the playoffs, everyone starts out even. This team has the potential to continue deep in the postseason, and that is my focus. Once summer gets here, then I'll be able to look back and enjoy the things we've accomplished."
He'll have plenty to reflect on. His first ever division title. His winningest year as a head coach. Settiing the mark as the winningest team in Topeka's short hockey history. And now, he can hang the first banner in the rafters of the Kansas Expocentre. Topeka hockey faithful hope it will be the first of many. "There's no doubt this is by far the best hockey Topeka has ever had", gushed season ticket holder and team volunteer Jim Yette. "I'm thrilled at how well they've fit in here". Others echo the sentiment. "We hockey fans are so grateful that (team owner) Mary Magdalene Lorang believed in us enough to bring her team here", said Mike Cline, who along with Jason "The BucketMan" Simonsen was instrumental in putting the RoadRunners and Expocentre together. "On this end, we knew it would be a good fit", said Simonsen. "And it's only just getting started, just wait and see how much this grows!" If the first season is any indication, BucketMan has hit it on the head. Attendance figures averaged a respectable 1,279 per game before Christmas, but as players and community grew to know one another, attendance rose to an average of 1,847 in the games after Christmas, including a solid 2,041 average over the 7 final games of the regular season. The highest single game was 2,922 fans who watched Topeka complete a 3-game sweep of the Wichita Falls Wildcats with a 9-0 victory to move into first place on March 15.
The playoffs begin Saturday April 5 as the RoadRunners will begin a best-of-5 series against the Texas Tornado, who ousted the RoadRunners in 5 games last April in Santa Fe. Tickets are on sale now at the Kansas Expocentre Box Office. Game 2 will be Sunday April 6 at 5:05 pm. Games 3 and 4 shift to Frisco, TX on April 11 and 12, and if a Game 5 is necessary it would be played back in Topeka on Monday April 14.
Last season in Santa Fe, the RoadRunners were an impressive 41-17-4 in the regular season but finished in second place behind a St. Louis Bandits team that played the majority of its games outside the division. The eventual Robertson Cup Champion Bandits lost 3 of 5 to the RoadRunners, but still finished 5 points ahead. "No question, they were a phenomenal team last year", recalled Langer. "It's just tough to gain ground on teams that play out of your division most of the year". This years Bandits squad has been realigned and positioned in the NAHL North this season, and the team is just as impressive. "They may have lost some firepower with (NHL's Philadelphia Flyers draft pick) Pat Maroon moving on along with some other key guys, but (St. Louis head coach Jon Cooper) Coops has put together another solid bunch of guys with a lot of skill and grit. They'll be tough in the Finals." By virtue of being the "host" team, the Bandits have an automatic berth. The Roberston Cup Tournament is a round robin tournament with the host team and three division leaders. For more information, visit www.robertsoncup.com.
Playoff hockey in Topeka has been scarce. In six years of prior teams, only three years saw Topeka make the playoffs. In 1998-99, the CHL Topeka Scarecrows were pounded by the Oklahoma City Blazers in three straight and were outscored 14-2 including the series clincher, a 4-0 Blazer win in the first ever playoff hockey game in Landon Arena. The following years club missed the postseason, despite a reasonable 35-27-8 record. In 2000-01, the CHL Scarecrows were eliminated in the first round by the San Antonio Iguanas 3 games to 1, losing both games at home after winning Game 1 on the road. The USHL version of the Scarecrows returned to the postseason in the 2002-03 season, only to be eliminated by the underdog Cedar Rapids Roughriders in a hard fought series, 3 games to 1. The first game, played in Topeka, was a double overtime thriller which Cedar Rapids won 3-2, and the following day Topeka dominated play, outshooting their opponent 52-16 yet was only able to squeak out a 2-1 win. The RoughRiders went on to win Games 3 and 4 in Iowa to take the series. The RoadRunners appearance in the playoffs marks the first playoff hockey in Topeka in 5 years and 2 days.
The RoadRunners first round opponent has historically been a tough foe, but this season the RoadRunners have fared much better against their old archrivals, going 7-1-2, including 3 shutout wins. The RoadRunners have a franchise postseason record of 3-6, but hope to start breaking postseason records just as they have broken regular season records all year.
For the latest Topeka RoadRunner news, bookmark www.topekaroadrunners.com
North American Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2008
- Mahoning Valley Tops U.S. National Under-17 Team - U.S. National Team
- Four Goal Period Fules Phantoms to Win in Regular Season Finale - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Jets Come From Behind on Harrison's Winner, 2-1 - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- RoadRunners Take Division Title In First Season In Topeka - Topeka Pilots
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