Win Streak at Six as 'Runners Sweep Bulls
Published on January 16, 2012 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
The Topeka RoadRunners have been on fire since dropping a pair of games at home on Thanksgiving weekend. Since that time, Topeka is 11-1-0 and has run their current win streak to a season high six games after sweeping the Amarillo Bulls on the road this weekend.
After a hard-fought 4-3 shootout win on Friday, the RoadRunners came out strong on Saturday night, getting the first 5 shots on goal and taking a 1-0 lead when Chris Bond blasted home a shot from the blue line at 3:06 assisted by Mick Bruce. Shortly afterward, Amarillo initiated a near line brawl which resulted in 4 player ejections (including Dan Dupell and Mick Bruce) and a RoadRunner power play. Topeka had all the momentum until the power play expired, when a tipped pass came in to the neutral zone right to the stick of Tyler Deresky, fresh on the ice after the penalty kill, and Deresky sprinted up the ice on a breakaway where he scored on a backhander to tie the game at 6:39. The goal energized the Bulls and they began to swarm in the 'Runners end. Clint Carlisle jammed a seeing eye shot between the pipe and the leg pad of Peter Traber at 10:53 and Amarillo had a 2-1 lead. Topeka managed to tie the game at 2-2 in the final minute. With Topeka on the power play, Ben Bahe drove up the right wing and fired a shot at Gregg Gruehl which he stopped but the rebound went airborne and was swatted out of mid-air by the stick of newly acquired Richard Young at 19:28. The goal was hotly contested by Amarillo but post game video revealed the goal was clearly legal. For the second night in a row, the two teams were tied at 2-2 after one.
In the second period, both teams tightened up defensively, and the only goal came as a direct result of the "friendly confines" for the Bulls. John Rey drove a puck down the right wing boards as the Bulls entered the zone, but the puck caught a gap in the boards and careened out to the front of the net, surprising Traber. T.J. Sarcona was there to tuck it in at 14:26, and the Bulls took a 3-2 lead into the locker room after 2. Topeka's task was daunting, as Amarillo has gone 22-0-0 in games they've led after two periods.
In the third period, Topeka focused on sticking to the game plan, rather than be drawn in to the extracurriculars. It paid off at 9:55 when Trace Strahle scored his second goal in as many nights to knot the game at 3-3, assisted by Sean Gaffney and Gage Hough. For the second night in a row, the game headed to overtime, but the extra five minutes yielded no solution and a shootout would be required.
Jake Lynes scored for the second night in a row in the shootout, and Sean Gaffney also scored on a "Datsyukian" move (a reference to NHLer Pavel Datsyuk). Peter Traber stopped 4 of the 5 Amarillo shooters and Topeka prevailed for the second consecutive night, 4-3 in a shootout. The 'Runners end up 3-5-0 against the Bulls on the season and will not meet again unless in the postseason.
Topeka (25-11-2) heads home to begin a six game homestand, starting with the Texas Tornado (24-10-6). Texas leads Topeka by two points in the standings, though Topeka has two games in hand and a higher winning percentage. The teams split a pair of games in Texas in October in their only meeting of the year thus far. The games both start at 7:05 pm and will be broadcast live with streaming audio at countrylegends1069.com, available for pay-per-view at FASTHockey.com, and also broadcast in the arena at 88.9 FM.
North American Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2012
- Jets Skaters as Waiters Event Benefits the United Way of North Rock County - Janesville Jets
- Win Streak at Six as 'Runners Sweep Bulls - Topeka Pilots
- Topeka Tops Bulls In Shootout - Topeka Pilots
- Wings Clip TC in Shootout - Traverse City North Stars
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