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CHL Tulsa Oilers

Tulsa Oilers Weekly News and Notes

December 30, 2013 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Tulsa Oilers News Release


Last Week's Games

Thu. Dec. 26 vs. Allen Americans (4-2 W)

Fri. Dec. 27 vs. Wichita Thunder (8-2 L)

Sat. Dec. 28 at Allen Americans (7-4 L)

Upcoming Games

Tue. Dec. 31 at Missouri Mavericks - 7:05 p.m.

Fri. Jan. 3 at Denver Cutthroats (in Aspen) - 8:00 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 4 at Denver Cutthroats (in Aspen) - 7:00 p.m.

- Game in Aspen listed in Tulsa time, CHL TV will not be available for either game

Week In Review: The Oilers played three games in three days following their Christmas break and went 1-2-0 in those contests. On Thursday night at the BOK Center, the Oilers overcame a 2-0 third period deficit and rallied for four unanswered goals in a 4-2 triumph over the Allen Americans. Tulsa was unable to carry the momentum into Friday's contest against the Wichita Thunder. The Oilers were routed 8-2 by their biggest rival and suffered their worst home loss of the season. Saturday evening in Allen, the Oilers dug themselves a 3-0 hole but battled back and leveled the game at 4-4 heading into the third period. Americans' defenseman Tyler Ludwig scored a natural hat-trick in the final frame to lift his team to a 7-4 victory. Tulsa allowed a season-high 48 shots on net and dropped to 4-5-1 in the season series against Allen.

Where They Stand: Tulsa has lost five of its last seven games and slipped into a tie for third place in the CHL standings with Allen. The Oilers continue to lead the league in games played (32), goals for (113), and goals against (118).

Comebacks: Thursday's win over Allen marked the third time this season the Oilers were able to claim victory after trailing at the start of the third period. Tulsa put together a third period comeback in a 7-4 win at Wichita on November 15 and erased a 3-2 deficit in St. Charles on November 27 to record a 4-3 shootout win.

Long Road Stretch: The Oilers travel to Missouri on Tuesday for the second of five consecutive road games. Tulsa will be looking to reverse the curse at the Independence Events Center where it has claimed victory only once in its last 10 visits. Wednesday night, the Oilers will board the bus for Aspen, Colorado for two games against the Denver Cutthroats. The road swing will finish on Tuesday, January 7 in Rapid City with the first meeting of the season against the Rush. Tulsa is 7-7-2 away from home this season and need just one more victory to match last season's total of eight road wins.

Slow Starts: In four straight games, the Oilers have given up the first goal. Tulsa has been outscored 7-1 in its last three first periods and has not held a first intermission lead in its last seven outings.

Defensive Struggles: The Oilers have surrendered 15 goals in their last two games, more goals than in any other two-game stretch this season. Tulsa is allowing 3.69 goals per game and only St. Charles at 3.80 is giving up more goals per contest.

Not Quite Enough: Saturday night in Allen, the Oilers lost for the only the second time this season when scoring four goals in a game. Tulsa's only other loss when reaching the four-goal plateau was also against Allen in a 5-4 setback at home on November 2. The Oilers are 11-2-0 this season when scoring four goals or more.

Workhorse: Shane Madolora leads all CHL goaltenders with 27 appearances. The second year pro, who has made 12 consecutive starts, is also tops in the league with 655 saves and number one in minutes played with 1,436.

Milestone for Menei: Right wing Ryan Menei appeared in his 400th professional game on Thursday night against the Americans. The seventh-year pro chipped in an assist in the Oilers victory and has recorded 387 points in 402 career games. Menei, who began his pro journey with the Muskegon Fury in 2006-07, has played for eight teams in four leagues. The Winnipeg native has 16 points (1 goal, 15 assists) in 17 games this season.

One More Point: Veteran forward Michel Beausoleil is one point shy of 700 for his career. In 13 seasons of pro hockey, Beausoleil has put up 329 goals and 379 assists in 762 games.

Power Play Revived: Entering Saturday's tilt in Allen, the Oilers had failed to score a power play goal in three straight games and had just one power play tally in their last 18 chances. In the second period against the Americans, Tulsa cashed in on two power play opportunities and finished the game 2-for-6 with the man-advantage. It was the first time Tulsa had scored multiple power play goals in more than a month and just the third time all year. For the season, the Oilers power play ranks fifth in the CHL at 16.8-percent.

Dupuis Debut: Rookie goaltender Alex Dupuis made his professional appearance on Friday night against Wichita. The 24-year old was called off the bench in relief of Shane Madolora during the second period of the Oilers 8-2 loss to the Thunder. Dupuis, who spent the last four seasons at Lakehead University in his home town of Thunder Bay, Ontario, allowed three goals on 17 shots in 36 minutes of action.

Ugly Sweaters: The Oilers uniforms took a hideous turn last week when the team unveiled its ugly Christmas sweater jerseys. The jerseys were worn for back-to-back games last week and auctioned off to the Oilers fans following the game last Friday against Wichita. The Oilers went 1-1-0 in the ugly sweaters and created a memorable Christmas home stand for their fans. The team also received extensive local media coverage like this story from The News On 6. -jerseys

Oil Drops: Todd Robinson has 45 points (10 goals, 35 assists) and is tied with Denver's Garrett Bembridge for the CHL scoring lead...Kyle Bochek leads the league with 111 penalty minutes...Tulsa ranks second in the CHL with 37 major penalties...Rookie forward Adam Pleskach leads the team with four "First Star of the Game" selections this season.

Check out the Tulsa Oilers Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from December 30, 2013


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