FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2018
OILERS COME UP SHORT AGAINST AMERICANS
Tulsa battled back from a 3-0 deficit, but its comeback effort fell short in a 5-3 loss to Allen at the BOK Center
TULSA, OK – The Allen Americans increased their lead to five points over the Tulsa Oilers in Mountain Division playoff race with a 5-3 win over the Oilers Saturday at the BOK Center.
The Americans scored first when Colby McAuley buried a rebound on a 3-on-2 just past the midway point of the first period. Both teams generated 12 shots on goal in the frame, with Allen’s Jeremy Brodeur stopping all 12, and Tulsa’s Jake Hildebrand stopping 11.
Zach Pochiro gave Allen the 2-0 lead when he ripped a quick wrist shot from the right circle over Hildebrand’s blocker. Vincent Arseneau then made it 3-0 on a scramble in front of the Tulsa net. The Oilers capitalized on a late second period power play, when Kale Kessy snuck a shot from a sharp angle under the crossbar to bring the score to 3-1 through 40 minutes.
Evan Richardson set up Steven Kaunisto for the Oilers’ second goal early in the final stanza on a 2-on-1 rush to cut the deficit to 3-2. But Spencer Asuchak backhanded a shot past Hildebrand on a delayed penalty 1:07 later to put the Americans back ahead by two. Kessy added a second goal on a shot from an impossible angle along the goal line to make it 4-3, but Allen scored an empty net goal in the final minute to halt the comeback effort.
The Oilers next head on a three-game road trip starting with a Tuesday night game in Moline, IL against the Quad City Mallards, a continuation of the November 17 game at TaxSlayer Center that had to be suspended when Tulsa Head Coach Rob Murray suffered a medical emergency. The game will continue where it left off, with the Oilers leading 2-1 in the second period with 12:08 to play. Catch the action on the Sports Animal, www.tulsaoilers.com or ECHL.TV, with coverage starting at 6:45pm.
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