Tornado Squeeze Past 'Runners
March 3, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
In a tightly contested battle for second place in the NAHL South, it was a quirky goal that made all the difference as Texas used a late empty-netter to wrap up a 2-0 win over the Topeka RoadRunners on Friday night in Landon Arena.
With both teams having trouble putting together wins in recent weeks, both teams dealing with injuries, and Topeka being forced to use TWO emergency goaltenders the stage was set for an unpredictable night. The tone was set early when Richard Young and Skyler Spillar dropped the mitts at 5:01 of the first period for a solid scrap. Texas took a 1-0 lead when Taylor Herndon fired a puck toward the 'Runners net and goalie Alex Larson, in good position with the paddle of his goal stick flush on the ice, saw the puck have enough steam to clip the heel of the stick and sneak inside the far post at 9:33. Texas led 1-0 after one though Topeka clearly dominated play.
In the second period, the momentum swung when Topeka failed to score on a five-minute major power play when Spillar was ejected for a head contact infraction. The 'Runners again had solid chances but still trailed 1-0 after two.
The final period began with Topeka forced to kill off a 5 minute major power play assessed to Luke Veitch for a spear at the 20:00 mark of the second period, which they did successfully, aided in part by a 2:00 minute interference call against Texas forward Jordan Lovick at 1:48. The third period though was just as fruitless as the first two for Topeka who hit posts and missed chances until finally Jack Prince hit the empty net at 19:34 for the final 2-0 margin, his 36th goal of the year. Frederick Leisner stopped 23 Topeka shots to earn the win, his third shutout of the year and sixth of his career. Alex Larson played a very strong game for the 'Runners, making several key saves to give his team a chance to stay in the game.
Topeka (32-16-3) and Texas (29-15-7) meet for the final time in the regular season on Saturday night at 7:05 pm. The Tornado can clinch their playoff spot with a win, overtime loss, or an Odessa loss or overtime loss on Saturday, when Odessa is at home against Corpus Christi. Watch the 'Runners and Tornado live at nahl.FASTHockey.com, listen live at countrylegends1069.com, or tune in at Landon Arena at 88.9 FM.
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North American Hockey League Stories from March 3, 2012
- Furious Rally Lifts Odessa To 2-1 Shootout Win - Odessa Jackalopes
- Stolarz Stops 43 Shots in Shootout Loss - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Bruins win 4-1 - Austin Bruins
- Texas drops season-series finale to Topeka, 4-1 - Texas Tornado
- Kalamazoo Heroically Forces OT, Loses in Shootout - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
- Tornado Squeeze Past 'Runners - Topeka Pilots
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