Special teams' struggles doom Gorillas in 2-1 loss
Published on December 20, 2008 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release
Amarillo, TX - The Amarillo Gorillas failed to convert on late power plays and surrendered a third-period power play goal to the Mississippi RiverKings en route to a 2-1 loss at the Amarillo Civic Center Friday night.
Mississippi's Dallas Steward drew first blood on a power play goal only 5:43 into the first period to put the RiverKings out to an early 1-0 lead. For nine minutes of playing time afterward, Mississippi continued to hold a slim one-goal margin. At the 14:24 mark of the first, Amarillo's Joe Guenther slapped a shot past RiverKings netminder Tyler Sims and into the back of the net to tie the game up at one.
Near the end of the first period, the over-three-thousand people assembled at the Amarillo Civic Center witnessed a moment of trepidation when Gorillas defenseman Nate Hagemo was checked awkwardly into the end boards by Mississippi's Brad Bonello. Hagemo laid on the ice for several minutes before being helped to the locker room; Bonello was assessed a five minute boarding major and a game misconduct for the hit.
Amarillo could not parlay the five-minute man advantage into a goal on the scoreboard early in the second period. The RiverKings controlled the pace of play for the better part of the second, drilling Gorillas goalkeeper Mike Gorman with 21 shots in the middle frame. Gorman kept Amarillo close, stopping each of the 21 chances and preserving a tie game into the third period.
The Gorillas found themselves in penalty trouble mid-way through the third period, as Mississippi was awarded a 5-on-3 power play. After a timeout by RiverKings head coach Kevin Kaminski, Mutt Summers scored on a pass from Louis Dumont to put the visitors up by one. The Gorillas managed to kill off another 5-on-3 moments later, but still found themselves trailing late in the third period.
Despite two late powerplays-one with just 1:08 left in the third-Amarillo could manage few chances on Sims, as the RiverKings preserved their 15th victory of the season, 2-1.
Gorman (6-8-0) stopped 41 of 43 RiverKings shots in the loss, while Sims (3-3-0) earned first star honors by stopping 25 of 26 Gorillas attempts. Amarillo (8-16-0) finished 0-for-4 on the power play, while Mississippi (15-10-0) went 2-for-9.
Amarillo will be back in action at the Amarillo Civic Center Tuesday when they face the Colorado Eagles at 7:05 PM. General admission tickets for the game are just $7, and can be purchased at any Panhandle Tickets location, at www.panhandletickets.com, or by calling (806) 242-PUCK (7825).
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 still available by calling (806) 242-PUCK (7825) or by visiting the Gorillas office at 901 Buchanan in Amarillo.
Central Hockey League Stories from December 20, 2008
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- Summers Aids RiverKings' 2-1 Win at Amarillo - Mississippi RiverKings
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