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NAHL Oklahoma Warriors

Warriors Sweep Grit Thanks in Part to Huge Weekend from Stuski

January 12, 2025 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Oklahoma Warriors News Release


OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - The Oklahoma Warriors have now stretched their win streak to 3 after their dominant sweep of the Colorado Grit this weekend. Here's a recap of how the games went:

Friday: Coming off of a busy week of trades in which Oklahoma sent away two leading scorers and a top defenseman, there were certainly questions asked about how the Warriors would fare. However, those questions began to be erased as Oklahoma struck early on in the 1st via a Travis Bryson laser. It was Bryson's 18th goal of the season and Nate Farrell picked up the only assist, his 8th of the year. It was tough going offensively for both teams in the 2nd and majority of the 3rd as both teams' goaltenders held strong in between their respective pipes. Colorado though, would find the back of the net on a controversial goal that potentially could've been negated to a high-stick. Tied 1-1 in the final seconds of the 3rd period, Oklahoma would strike with 11.2 left on a rebound that Dominik Kiss buried from a Nate Farrell blue-line shot. It capped off a strong final period in which the Warriors outshot Colorado 13-6. Billy Stuski got the start in net and was terrific, stopping 27 Grit shots en route to his 6th win this season.

Saturday: After a thrilling buzzer-beater finish the previous night, the Warriors were ready to fight for their second sweep of the season. Similar to Friday, Oklahoma struck early in the first, once again from Travis Bryson on the Powerplay, his 19th score this year. Nate Farrell and Luke Rubin, who was traded to the Warriors this week, picked up assists on the goal. It was Farrell's 9th and Rubin's 11th, dating back to his tenure with Maryland. Heading into the 2nd, the Warriors were awarded with a pair more of PP opportunities. On a night where the Oklahoma Special Teams were as good as they have been all season, Oklahoma scored on both tries. First, it was Joey DeRosa on a loose rebound after a Rubin shot. DeRosa's goal was his 5th of the year and Dominik Kiss picked up the secondary assist, his 14th. Shortly after, on another PP chance, Nate Farrell sniped a bouncing puck into the top left corner of the net giving the Warriors a 3-0 lead. That goal was Farrell's 8th goal scored this year. As mentioned, the special teams for Oklahoma were on another level Saturday night. Colorado had 6 power play opportunities, 3 of which were in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd. By the end of the 60 minutes, the Grit had no success against Oklahoma's PK unit on any of their tries. A combination of stifling defense along with tremendous goaltending once again from Billy Stuski (33 saves), shut down the Colorado offense Saturday night as Oklahoma won 3-0. It was Billy Stuski's 2nd win in a row, his first career NAHL shutout, and 7th win this season. Over the 2 games, Stuski boasted a .983 SV % stopping 59 of the 60 Colorado shots.

With the wins, Oklahoma has now vaulted up to a tie for 7th place in the South, and only 5 points away from 4th. In addition to a raise in the standings, the Warriors are on a 3-game win streak, tied for their longest streak of the season. They'll put the streak on the line with a tough test next week in North Richland Hills, TX as they have a rematch series with the 1st place Brahmas. Fans can watch the game live on Friday and Saturday night on NATV at 7:30.

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