Runners Rewind
November 30, 2015 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
After lingering around the .500 mark for weeks, the Topeka RoadRunners are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the NAHL after sweeping Springfield for the second straight weekend to grow their win streak to five games.
On a weekend where the franchise honored billet parents as well as players families, the RoadRunners and Jr. Blues treated fans to two nights of nail-biting and entertaining hockey. Friday night, after a scoreless first period, Topeka came out with guns blazing in the second, outshooting Springfield by a staggering margin of 20-1. The one shot Springfield managed, though, was a heavy wrist shot from Sam Craggs that eluded goalie Juho Niku on the glove side and the Jr. Blues had a 1-0 lead. Topeka's relentless pressure eventually paid off, despite a solid effort by Springfield goalie Tommy Nappier. The 'Runners tied the game at 1 as Cam Strong moved the puck down low to Matt Jennings, and Jennings spotted Dominic Lutz out front, setting him up for the bang-bang one-timer to knot the score at 1-1 at 18:14 of the period. Just over a minute later, Yu Hikosaka drove up the middle, feeding a pass to Sami Tavernier, playing in his first game with the team. Tavernier fired a shot just wide to the left of the net, and the puck bounced back out front on the opposite side where Quinn Preston swatted it out of mid-air and just like that, Topeka led 2-1. The RoadRunners tightened the reins in the third, and a gritty forecheck kept the puck in the Springfield zone as the Jr. Blues looked to pull the goalie for the extra skater. They were able to get the extra skater on for the final :30 seconds but the 'Runners held on for the 2-1 win, their fourth consecutive victory. Niku needed to make just 13 saves to post the win.
Saturday night began in similar fashion, a scoreless affair through the opening 20 minutes. Topeka got on the board first when Yu Hikosaka scored while soaring through the air. After taking a pass from Tavernier, he cut to the net from the left wing and moving across the top of the crease, left his feet and tucked the puck behind Nappier for the 1-0 lead at 7:55 of the second period. Springfield pushed back hard, and tied it up with just tenths of a second on the clock at the end of the period on a feed from behind the net. Topeka outshot the Jr. Blues in the third period, but Tyler Johnson and Tommy Nappier both made some tremendous saves to send the game into overtime. The 3-on-3 overtime became a 4-on-3 power play for Springfield when Sami Tavernier was whistled for a tripping call at 2:16 of the extra session, but a Luke Radetic slashing call evened things out at 4:01. Topeka went on the power play for the final :44 seconds, and with 13 seconds left, Topeka's Matt Jennings won a neutral zone draw back to Tyler Hayes who swung the puck to the right point for Sami Tavernier. Tavernier stepped into the zone, drifted to his left to find a lane and fired. The shot hit Nappier's pads but came right to Dominic Lutz who buried it with 3.3 seconds left to play for the 2-1 victory. Tyler Johnson made 24 saves, picking up his 11th win.
Topeka (15-11-0) closes out their quick four game homestand when the Amarillo Bulls (5-17-3) come to town on Wednesday and Thursday. The Bulls are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games.
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North American Hockey League Stories from November 30, 2015
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- Brahmas 25 Days of Christmas - Lone Star Brahmas
- Runners Rewind - Topeka Pilots
- Jr. Blues Fall to Topeka - Springfield Jr. Blues
- Austin Bruins Raise over $22,000 for Defending the Blue Line - Austin Bruins
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