CHL Tulsa Oilers

Tulsa Oilers Weekly News and Notes

Published on March 3, 2014 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Tulsa Oilers News Release


Last Week's Games:

Fri. Feb. 28 at Wichita Thunder (3-0 W)

Sat. Mar. 1 at St. Charles Chill (4-2 W)

Upcoming Games:

Fri. Mar. 7 vs. Rapid City Rush - 7:35 p.m.

- First 500 fans receive blanket from Warren Clinic Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine

Sat. Mar. 8 vs. Rapid City Rush - 7:35 p.m.

- Budweiser Military Night presented by Oklahoma National Guard benefitting Folds of Honor Foundation

- Oilers will wear special patriotic themed jerseys which will be auctioned off immediately following the game

- "Seats for Soldiers" campaign, any $10 donation buys a ticket to the game for a veteran or active military member

Week In Review: The Oilers closed out their second straight week of perfection with a pair of road victories over Wichita and St. Charles. Friday night, the Oilers continued their dominance in the StoneWolf Casino Cup Series with a 3-0 triumph over the Thunder. Shane Madolora stopped 25 shots en route to his second straight shutout and seventh consecutive win. Ryan Menei opened the scoring with a successful penalty shot and Ben Gordon extended his goal streak to six games as Tulsa improved to 6-2-1 overall against Wichita and 4-0-0 at INTRUST Bank Arena. The Oilers finished the weekend on Saturday night in St. Charles for the fourth meeting of the season against the Chill. Tulsa overcame a 2-0 first deficit and reeled off four unanswered goals to surge past the Chill for a 4-2 win. Menei tallied twice and assisted on Blair Macaulay's breakaway game-winner while Ben Gordon dished out four assists to keep the Oilers perfect (4-0-0) against the Chill this season.

Trending Up: After finishing off a phenomenal February with a 9-1-0 record, the Oilers started the month of March by posting their tenth win in the last 11 games. It is the franchise's best stretch since winning 12 of 13 during the 2010-11 campaign, the last season the Oilers qualified for the playoffs. With 11 games remaining in the regular season, Tulsa is in sixth place in the CHL standings (61 points) and six games above .500 (29-23-3) for the first time all season. On the current five-game win streak, the Oilers have outscored the opposition 21-8 and have only trailed for 28 of the last 300 minutes.

Road Resolve: The Oilers have won six straight road games for the first time in franchise history. During the impressive run, Tulsa has scored 4.0 goals per game while allowing only 1.3 goals per contest. The streak includes single wins over Wichita and St. Charles along with a pair of victories in Rapid City and Arizona. The Oilers have carried leads into the third period of all six wins and are 14-12-2 away from home this season.

Patrolling The Pipes: Oilers goalie Shane Madolora has earned wins in eight straight starts posting a 1.88 goals against average and a .940 save percentage during that span. The California native, 25-18-1 on the season, has allowed only two goals and recorded two shutouts in his last three appearances. During his streak, Madolora, who leads the CHL in total saves, has stopped 237 of the 252 shots he has faced. The second-year pro is tied for the league lead with four shutouts and is also tops in the CHL in minutes and appearances.

Overcoming Adversity: Saturday night in St. Charles, the Oilers fell behind 2-0 in the first period but roared back with a pair of goals in the second period and two more in the third for a 4-2 victory. It was the fourth time this season that the Oilers were able to win a game when trailing by two goals or more and the first time since December 26th against Allen.

Keeping The Pedal Down: Ben Gordon finished the month of February with 14 goals, 8 assists, and back-to-back CHL Player of the Week awards. In his first game in March, the University of Minnesota alum chipped in four assists in the win over St. Charles to extend his point streak to seven games. Gordon has 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) in his last ten games and a +14 rating. The 29-year old center is third in the league with a career-best 78 points and ranks second in the CHL with 35 goals scored.

Menei's Memorable Weekend: Right-winger Ryan Menei scored the Oilers first penalty shot goal of the season in Wichita on Friday and also registered an assist to lead Tulsa to a 3-0 win. The Winnipeg native followed up with another stellar performance on Saturday in St. Charles by netting two goals and assisting on the game-winning goal. Menei ended the weekend with five points (3 goals, 2 assists) and has recorded 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in his last five games. With 12 goals on the season, Menei has now reached a double-digit goal total for the seventh consecutive year.

Scoring Shorties: The Oilers have scored three shorthanded goals in their last five games and two in the last two outings. On Friday, Michel Beausoleil connected for a long-distance empty net tally with the Oilers facing a 6-on-4 disadvantage and Saturday in St. Charles, Kyle Bochek finished a shorthanded breakaway by roofing a shot underneath the crossbar. The Oilers have eight shorthanded goals on the season, third most in the CHL.

Oil Drops: Defenseman Scott Macualay missed Saturday's game and was out of the line up for the first time since joining the Oilers in early November...Nathan Lutz is +11 in his last five games...Todd Robinson and Jake Obermeyer remain on the 14-day IR...After missing 7 straight games, Ryan Cramer returned to the Oilers lineup on Friday in Wichita.

Check out the Tulsa Oilers Statistics

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