MORRIS AND SPECIAL TEAMS SHINE IN OILERS VICTORY

MORRIS AND SPECIAL TEAMS SHINE IN OILERS VICTORY

Riley Morris stopped 47 of 48 shots in Oilers debut in 4-1 victory over Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, Mich. —The Tulsa Oilers, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks and the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, defeated Kalamazoo 4-1 at the Wings Event Center on Friday night,

Both teams left the opening frame scoreless, with Riley Morris stopping all nine chances.

Karl Boudrias opened the scoring 5:21 into the second, driving a power-play blast from the left point past Hunter Vorva. Eddie Matsushima put Tulsa up by two 1:47 later, deflecting a Justin Bean seam pass into the back of the net. Justin Taylor — a former Oiler — made it a 2-1 game with a power-play tally of his own with 6:30 left in the second.

Dante Sheriff dizzied the defense before guiding the puck past the goal line with 2:42 remaining in the game, giving the forward a team-high, seven-game point streak and the Oilers a 3-1 lead. Matsushima closed the game with his team-leading 25th goal 26 seconds remaining.

Morris stopped 47 of 48 shots, stopping all but a five-on-three goal in the victory. The rookie goaltender’s staggering stat line and highlight-reel saves earned him first-star honors.

Game two of a three-in-three weekend in Kalamazoo kicks off at 6:00 p.m. CT tomorrow, March 4 at the Wings Event Center.