Eagles fly over Tulsa 4-3.
TULSA, OK—The Tulsa Oilers entered the amazing BOK Center on a roll, fresh off a sweep of the Missouri Mavericks over the weekend. The 3-2 Friday shootout victory and the 4-2 regulation win on Saturday gave the Oilers 4 crucial points and sent the Oilers back into the 5th and final playoff position in the CHL North conference, just 3 points shy of tying the 4th place Mississippi Riverkings. With Colorado, Bossier-Shreveport and Mississippi all in action…Bossier and thje Riverkings all playing tonight the Oilers are poised to move forward should they win tonight as their closest pursuer Missouri is idle tonight.
Tonight’s opponent would be the perennial CHL powerhouse Colorado Eagles, who came to Tulsa in their 6th game of a seven game road swing. Tonight’s game is the third of 5 meetings between Tulsa and Colorado and the Eagles have won both of the previous games by one goal; 7-6 on December 1 and a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime decision on January 29.
Colorado would get on the board first at 7:19 of the first period on a goal by Adam Hogg assisted by Steve Haddon. Ryan Tobler would put the Eagles up two goals at 8:36 assisted by Riley Nelson. The period would reflect what is becoming an Oilers trademark, which is a slow start that gets capitalized on by their opponents. The Oilers matched the in shots on gaol at 10 apiece, but beyond that the period was all Colorado. They simply couldn’t get anything going.
The Oilers would finally get on the board at 14:11 of the 2nd when Jake Ridde shoved a backhand shot past Colorado goalie Andrew Penner with Travis Banga getting the assist. The period would end with the Oilers in the penalty box and the Oilers trailing 2-1. The Eagles would capitalize on the ensuing power play with a scant 6 tick off the BOK scoreboard clock on a goal by Ryan Tobler assisted by Kevin Ulanski and Riley Nelson. The Oilers would answer on a 5-on-3 power play with a goal by Dan Riedel assisted by Aaron davis and Derek Eastman at 1:44.
Colorado would aswer with a power play goal of their own at 5:44 when Ed McGrane sent the disc past Oilers goalie Trevor Cann on the odd man rush with assists coming from Jim Jackson and Ryan McLeod. Tulsa would close to within a goal when Mighty Marty Standish shot one past a sprawling Andrew Penner at 7:32 with Adam Bartholomay assisting. Battling back and forth the Eagles managed to hold their scant one goal lead through a barrage of shots to escape with yet another one-goal win and their 3rd in a row over Tulsa.
The Oilers travel to Allen to face the Americans on Thursday night and then return home to face the Amarillo Gorillas at 7:35 on Friday in the amazing BOK Center and again on Saturday night against Mississippi.
Tickets for those games and all remaining home games can be purchased at tulsaoilers.co, the BOK Center box office and all Reasors locations. And if you can’t make the game you can listen online to Steve McCall on edgetulsa.com for all the exciting play-by-play action.
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Photos: Kevin Pyle
SHOTS ON GOAL
Colorado 27
Tulsa 24
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
Colorado - Adam Hogg (Steve Haddon) 7:19
Colorado - Ryan Tobler (Riley Nelson) 8:36
Period 2
Tulsa - Jake Riddle (Travis Banga, Troy Riddle) 14:11
Period 3
Colorado - Ryan Tobler (powerplay) (Kevin Ulanski, Riley Nelson) 0:06
Tulsa - Dan Riedel (powerplay) (Aaron Davis, Derek Eastman) 1:44
Colorado - Ed McGrane (powerplay) (Jim Jackson, Ryan McLeod) 5:23
Tulsa - Marty Standish (Adam Bartholomay) 7:32
PENALTIES
Period 1
Colorado - Adam Hogg - (Hooking), 2 min, 1:33
Tulsa - Derek Merlini - (Tripping), 2 min, 9:53
Colorado - Jason Beatty - (Slashing), 2 min, 13:44
Tulsa - Aaron Davis - (Hooking), 2 min, 15:41
Period 2
Tulsa - Marty Standish - (Hooking), 2 min, 10:23
Colorado - Steve Haddon - (Hooking), 2 min, 16:12
Tulsa - Marty Standish - (Slashing), 2 min, 19:58
Period 3
Colorado - Ryan Tobler - (Hooking), 2 min, 0:19
Colorado - Steve Haddon - (Slashing), 2 min, 0:42
Tulsa - Tyler Butler - (Interference), 2 min, 5:06
Tulsa - Travis Banga - (Hooking), 2 min, 10:13
Colorado - Jay Birnie - (Slashing), 2 min, 13:00
ATTENDANCE: 3,589
REFEREE: Paul Mariconda
LINES 1: Chris Petrin
LINES 2: Jordan Crowell
1ST STAR: Tobler, Ryan (COL)
2ND STAR: Nelson, Riley (COL)
3RD STAR: Riedel, Dan (TUL)