NYE GAME DAY: Oilers @ Rapid City

(Photo by Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com) 

TONIGHT’S MATCHUPTulsa Oilers @ Rapid City Rush – 7:35 p.m. at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice ArenaWatch on ECHL-TVListen on Ustream

PREVIOUS MEETINGS0-1-0-0

TEAM CAPSULESTulsa OilersOverall: 13-10-2-1 (29 points)Home: 8-6-2-0Road: 5-4-0-1Rank: 3rd in Central Division

Rapid City RushOverall: 13-11-2-1 (29 points)Home: 8-6-0-1Road: 5-5-2-0Rank: 4th in West Division

OILERS LEADERSGoals: Emerson Clark – 10Assists: Dennis Brown – 14Points: Adam Pleskach, Dan DeSalvo – 19+/-: Dennis Brown +13PIM: Mathieu Gagnon – 62

RUSH LEADERSGoals: Mikhail Stefanovich – 9Assists: Winston Day Chief – 13Points: Winston Day Chief – 20+/-: Johnathan Narbonne, +9PIM: Garrett Clarke, Jimmy Bonneau – 50

TULSA VS. RUSH ALL-TIMEOverall: 18-21-4Home: 10-12-1Road: 8-9-3

TONIGHT’S MATCHUPThe Oilers return to the ice tonight in Rapid City, South Dakota as they face the Rush at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center for the first time this season. Tulsa welcomed the Rush to the BOK Center for a solo contest earlier in December but look for a different outcome in Rapid City after suffering a 4-2 loss. With both franchises tied at 29 points, who will come out on top after this two-game series weekend?

PENALTY MURDERERSIn their last five contests, the Oilers have gone a total of 19/22 on the penalty kill. In their last three games, Tulsa has been a perfect 14/14. The Oilers rank 12th overall for the penalty kill in the ECHL.

NINJA GOALIEGoaltender Kevin Carr has started in each of the Oilers’ last 14 games and ranks fourth in the ECHL. With 1,141 minutes played this season, Carr is 11-7-1-0 with a 1.89 goals against average. Carr ranks second in the league for both minutes played and shootout wins.

ROLLING MEADOWS NATIVE ON ROLLRookie forward Dan DeSalvo is currently on a five game point streak. DeSalvo joins the Oilers this season in his first professional campaign after time with Bowling Green State University (14 goals as a freshman) the last four years. The Illinois product has played in 24 games with the Oilers and has registered 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists)—ranking 11th among rookies in the ECHL.

EXTRA DROPSThe Oilers defense is firm as they rank fourth in the ECHL for shots against at 26.77… Phil Brewer leads rookies in shootout goals going 2/2…

Looking for things to do in Tulsa?

Below is an Excerpt for a Tulsa Oilers Game

Jeff: We’ll have a face off again in the Tulsa end. Face off to the left of Carr. 17 seconds left in Thunder penalty to Lutz. Tulsa will be at full strength. Wichita will have only 4 players out there still at that point. Puck comes along the board to the near side. Here come the Oilers with it. Out of the zone. Here’s DeSalvo. Gives it ahead to Brewer. Brew in the right circle. Tried a center rink pass. Lutz out of the penalty box. Tulsa at full strength. 20 seconds now with a man advantage for the Oilers. Cleared away into the neutral ice. Tulsa with a power play chance here. Let’s see if they can get one more rush going with 10 seconds left in the man advantage. On the left wing for DeSalvo. He gets bumped into the boards and taken down to the ice. Now coming out of the penalty box is Neal for Wichita. They’re back to full strength. Both teams at full strength.

Puck bounces off the boards behind the goal. Caught by the goaltender Shantz. He’ll hang on for the face off in the Wichita end. No words for where there on those 2 penalties that were given out both one to Tulsa, one to Wichita. Neither really contributed to anything scoring-wise. We’re back to even strength, 5 on 5 hockey with a 1 goal lead for the Oilers. 1, nothing is our score with 6:36 left to go here in the second period. On the face off in the Wichita zone, the Thunder get it. Coming away with it is Laroux. Paxton Laroux sends it ahead into the Tulsa end. Now off the boards on the near side and brought back by the Oilers. One of the Oiler players there bringing down a man without the puck. Could’ve been a penalty there, but there’s not called. Back in the neutral zone. Slapped off the boards to the far side and sent back into the Wichita end. 6 minutes remaining in the second period.

Now we’ve got an icing call against the Thunder as they whip the puck quickly up the length of the ice. The face off will come back into the Wichita zone … That’ll be to the left of the goaltender, David Shantz. On the draw is Lalancette against Joey Sides. Lalancette wins it in the corner boards after it is Pleskach. He gets bumped. Now it’s cleared away to the near side. Not out. Kept in along the boards by Brisebois. Now it’s sent around to the far side. Center rink pass. Pleskach turn around shot. No good. As he gets tipped away by the goaltender. Cleared in the neutral zone. Nice play by Pleskach nonetheless to try to get that puck around from that far side on his little spin move. Now it goes into the corner and we’ve got offside or icing. I think it’s offside. We’ve got an offside pass there from the neutral zone. Although the referee is talking to the linesman about it.

I think they’re going to admit a mistake and take a center ice face off. I think that’s probably the right call now, honestly. They’ll just take a center ice face off, and we’re back to the action. Puck goes into the Wichita end. After it is Logan Nelson for it. Behind the goal. Nelson for the Thunder sends it around to the far side and out of the zone. Brown chasing after it. He has a man with him, Baptista. They go into the Tulsa end. Baptista with it on the boards on the right side. Backhands it behind the goal and around to the near side. There for Nelson. Nelson changes places with Oslansky, who comes in to get the puck. Oslansky goes behind the goal. Oslansky puts it in front. It’s tipped away. Now cleared by the Oilers. Back comes Tulsa with it. Pass over on the right side, DeSalvo. DeSalvo steps around a man, gets it into the corner. Sends it behind the goal for Clark.