How You Can Help Our Neigbors in Moore: The Tulsa Oilers have partnered with the Salvation Army to collect donations for the folks in Moore, Shawnee, and other parts of the state that were devastated by tornadoes.  Through Sunday, May 26 at 4 p.m., please drop off your donations at the Oilers Ice Center at6413 South Mingo Rd.  Please DO NOT bring clothes, the Salvation Army does not have a need for clothes at this time.  Cash gifts will be accepted along with the following items:

• Bottled Water
• Gatorade
• Work gloves
• Individually wrapped snacks
• Sunscreen
• Hand Sanitizer
• Wet wipes
• Heavy-duty trash bags
• Personal hygiene items (toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant, etc.)

On Saturday from 12-4 p.m. and Sunday from 1-3 p.m., anyone who brings a new or used blanket to the Oilers Ice Center will receive free admission and skate rental for the public skating session.  The Oilers Ice Center and the Tulsa Figure Skating Club will collect those blankets for those people who are staying in shelters, churches, and dormitories at the University of Oklahoma.

We have all been heartbroken by the scenes of destruction, but our hearts have been lifted by the spirit and generosity of the people of Oklahoma.  Help us help our neighbors during this difficult time.  Thank you!

Eat Pizza, Raise Money: The Oilers are proud to partner with Papa John’s and provide another way to help the victims of the Moore tornado.  This Sunday, May 26^th, all Papa John’s locations in the Oklahoma City metro area and Tulsa metro area will donate $1 from every purchase to the Salvation Army to benefit the people of Moore.  Just by ordering a pizza, you can show your support for all those who have lost so much in this terrible tragedy.  Thank you Oilers fans and thank you Papa John’s!

Closing In On the Cup: The NHL Conference Semifinals are rolling right along and that means we are getting closer to the Stanley Cup Finals!  For hockey fans in the Tulsa area, the only place to properly enjoy the Finals is at Twin Peaks with your friends, family, and fellow Oilers fanatics!  Do you want to enjoy great food at a reasonable price with superior service? How about cold beer and pretty girls? Now, what if we throw in chances to win amazing prizes and the greatest game in the world on dozens of HD flat screens?  Yep, you’ve found your happy place.  Stay tuned to www.tulsaoilers.com and the Oilers facebook and twitter feeds to get all the details on Stanley Cup watch parties dates and times.

NHL Playoffs update:

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings (Detroit leads 2-1)

The Wings are effectively taking time and space away from the likes of Toews, Kane, Hossa, and Chicago’s other offensive threats.  Each game has been chippier and nastier than the last, exactly the way playoff hockey was meant to be.  Buckle up for the long haul, this has seven games written all over it.

#5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #6 San Jose Sharks (Series tied 2-2)

With San Jose’s 2-1 win on Tuesday night, both sides have held serve at home in what has turned into a best-of-three series.  The Sharks are 4-0 at home in the playoffs but the Kings have won 12 straight postseason games at the Staples Center.

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Ottawa Senators (Pittsburgh leads series 2-1)

Could Daniel Alfredsson’s late heroics in Game 3 prove to be a turning point in this series? Not if Ottawa can’t find a way to earn a victory in Game 4.  Even with the return of Jason Spezza to the lineup, it feels like the ‘Sens days are numbered.

#4 Boston Bruins vs. #6 New York Rangers (Boston leads 3-0)

The blue shirts squandered a third period lead on Tuesday night and gave up two goals to Boston’s fourth line.  Bruins’ netminder Tuukka Rask may be the star of these playoffs so far and the first round comeback against Toronto seems to have given Boston a new level of confidence and belief.  The Rangers’ powerplay is 2-for-38 in this postseason. Enough said.

A New Addition To the Gordon Family: The Oilers would like to congratulate Ben Gordon and his wife Maile on the birth of their baby boy, Mack James Gordon.  Mack arrived on the morning of May 18^th and weighed in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces.  The Gordon’s truly appreciate all the love and support they have received from their family, friends, and Tulsa Oilers fans.

Tags: ben gordon, chl, donations, give, help, hockey, mack, moore, neigbors, nhl, oklahoma, papa john's, pizza, playoffs, salvation army, stanley cup, tornado, tragedy, tulsa oilers, twin peaks, victims, watch parties

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 at 2:54 pm and is filed under CHL News, News, Oilers News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Oilers are joining forces with the Salvation Army in collecting donations for the victims of the devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.

Starting Wednesday morning at 8 a.m., donations can be dropped off at the Oilers Ice Center located at 6413 S. Mingo Road.  The Salvation Army is asking for the following items:

• Bottled Water
• Gatorade
• Wet Wipes
• Individually wrapped snacks
• Hand sanitizer
• Work gloves
• Sunscreen
• Heavy-duty trash bags
• Personal sanitation items (toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant)

People are also encouraged to text “Storm” to 80888 to donate $10 to the Salvation Army to aid in the tornado relief efforts.

The Oilers Ice Center will be open and accepting donations from 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, and 12-4 p.m. on Sunday.

During the Memorial Day weekend public skating sessions, the Oilers Ice Center will be collecting blankets.  Anyone who donates a new or used blanket will be granted free admission and free skate rental on Saturday, May 25 from 12-4 p.m. and Sunday, May 26 from 1-3 p.m.

The Oilers Ice Center is partnering with the Tulsa Figure Skating Club and all blankets brought to the Oilers Ice Center will be taken to Oklahoma City and then distributed to either the Red Cross or the University of Oklahoma which has opened its dormitories and other campus facilities in order to shelter families in need.

The Tulsa Oilers staff, The Oilers Ice Center staff and members of the Tulsa Figure Skating Club would like to extend their thoughts and prayers to all those affected by the tornadoes across Oklahoma.  Please help us to reach out to our neighbors in Moore and bring a small bit of comfort to those who have lost so much.

For more information, please call the Oilers office at 918-632-7825 or call the Oilers Ice Center at 918-252-0011.

Tags: aid, blankets, chl, collect, donations, give, help, hockey, moore, oilers ice center, oklahoma, salvation army, storms, tornado, tulsa figure skating club, tulsa oilers

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 21st, 2013 at 4:06 pm and is filed under CHL News, News, Oilers News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

And Then There Were Eight: Now that the second round of the NHL playoffs are underway, we’re one step closer to seeing that magnificent piece of silver known as the Stanley Cup.  The Cup is something to be celebrated and the proper way to celebrate is to gather your fanatic hockey friends and family and come on down to Twin Peaks for the Tulsa Oilers annual Stanley Cup watch parties.  Hockey in high-definition is a sweet gift from above and when you combine dozens of flat-screen TV’s with the cold beer, phenomenal food, and outstanding service of Twin Peaks, you’ve got yourself a professional party.  Throw in games, contests, and great Oilers prizes, and you’ll be begging for a seven-game series.  The NHL has yet to set the dates for the Finals, but keep checking back to www.tulsaoilers.com for all the details and your Stanley Cup playoff updates.

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings (Game 1 – Wed. 7pm)

Regional rivals clash in an “Original Six” series that has hockey purists happy and TV executives drooling.  The Hawks played the role of favorites brilliantly in round one as they cruised past the Wild in five games and they’ve won seven straight games over the Wings dating back to last season.  Detroit has plenty of momentum and belief after winning Game 7 on the road in Anaheim, but perhaps most encouraging for the Redwings is the recent play of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk who combined for 12 points in the last two games.

#5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #6 San Jose Sharks (Kings lead series 1-0)

Since dropping two games to St. Louis to start the first round, the defending champs have ripped off five wins in a row and seem to have recaptured the form that led them to a Cup last year.  It isn’t pretty hockey and it’s not the most entertaining brand, but Darryl Sutter knows how to win in the postseason and the Kings have mastered the art of playing the hard-checking, low-scoring, contest.  Were the Sharks just that good in their sweep of the Canucks or was Vancouver just that awful?  It’s still hard to tell.  San Jose has plenty of work to do to deny the doubters.

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Ottawa Senators (Penguins lead series 1-0)

The Pens, shaky at times in their first round series with the Islanders, cruised past the Sens on Tuesday night to snatch an early series lead.  Since taking over for Marc-Andre Fleury in net, Tomas Vokoun is 3-0 with a 1.28 GAA.  Dan Bylsma has found his hot goalie, don’t expect Fleury to leave the bench anytime soon.  Ottawa scored fewer goals in the regular season than any other team in the playoffs but lit up the Canadiens in round one with 20 goals in five games.  The Senators must find a way to maintain that kind of offensive production in order to push the Penguins.

#4 Boston Bruins vs. #6 New York Rangers (Game 1 – Wed. 6:30pm)

Both teams are coming off Game 7 victories, the Bruins just slightly more dramatic than the Rangers.  Will Boston feed off of one of the greatest games in the city’s sports history or will there be a letdown before the Bruins realize they still need to win three more series?  Rick Nash hasn’t scored in the playoffs but as long as Henrik Lundqvist is playing at a high level, the Rangers will be competitive in any series.

Americans Comeback To Earn CHL Title: Maybe Wichita Thunder fans and Toronto Maple Leafs fans can join a support group for gut-wrenching losses and playoff disappointment.  In Game 7 of the Ray Miron President’s Cup Finals, the Thunder carried a 2-0 lead into the third period on Allen’s home ice.  Jarrett Lukin put the Americans on the board at 7:13 of the final frame and Trevor Hendrikx notched the game-tying goal with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.  Todd Robinson, a late-season acquisition for the Americans, netted the overtime winner to give Allen its first CHL championship.  The Americans became the eighth team in league history to win the regular season title and postseason title in the same season while Wichita had to settle for second place for the second year in a row.

Can You Entertain Without Talking?: If you or someone you know has ever dreamed about dressing up as a mascot, the Oilers need your help!  The Oilers are looking for people with passion and energy to entertain and attract fans at the upcoming Stanley Cup watch parties.  The right people will have a great attitude, a sense of humor, and the ability to interact with Oilers fans of all ages.  If you think you have what it takes, please call the Oilers today at 918-632-7825.

Learn Hockey Safety at Camp Bandage: For the second straight year, the Tulsa Oilers will have a booth at the annual children’s safety festival known as Camp Bandage.  On Saturday, May 18 from 10am-3pm at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Broken Arrow (400 N. Aspen), the ayor let them try on the hockey pads to find out how Oilers players stay safe on the ice.  Dozens of exhibitors will be handing out free prizes and food and the day will come to an end with a mock car accident.  Get an up-close look at how our first responders save lives and how you can prevent serious accidents.  Visit  www.campbandage.org for more information.

Tags: camp bandage, chl, hockey, mascot, newsletter, nhl, parties, playoffs, stanley cup, tulsa oilers, twin peaks, watch

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 at 12:42 pm and is filed under CHL News, News, Oilers News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

TULSA, OK – The Tulsa Oilers organization was shocked and saddened to learn of the recent passing of longtime public address announcer Fred Campbell.

Campbell passed away on April 30, 2013 at the age of 74.

Born in Daytona Beach, Florida, Campbell began working for the Oilers in the 1960′s.  His voice became a fixture of the Tulsa sports landscape as he added energy and excitement to every Oilers home game.

“Fred was a great friend and he meant a great deal to our team,” said Oilers President, Jeff Lund.  ”He was so loyal to our organization and I know how much our fans loved listening to him.  We were all stunned to hear of his passing and our deepest condolences go out to his family.  He will be missed.”

Campbell still holds the distinction of being the only Oilers P.A. announcer to be kicked out of a game.  He was ejected from a contest in the mid-1990′s, a moment that will long be remembered by many Oilers fans and one that was recently recreated during the Oilers 2008 Alumni Game.

To share a story about Fred Campbell or to leave condolences for the family, please click the link below.

http://www.ninde.com/book-of-memories/1566443/Campbell-Fred/obituary.php

Tags: announcer, condolences, death, fred campbell, obituary, tulsa oilers

This entry was posted on Friday, May 10th, 2013 at 11:17 am and is filed under CHL News, News, Oilers News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Countdown To The Cup: The NHL playoffs are underway and that means we’re just a few weeks away from the Stanley Cup Finals.  Maybe you’re team will be lucky enough to play for the greatest trophy in sports or maybe you’re just a fan of hockey at any level.  Whatever the case, the Tulsa Oilers are inviting you to the biggest hockey parties in the state at Twin Peaks for each game of the Stanley Cup Finals.  Bring the family and become a part of our hockey family as we celebrate the game we love with cold beer, good eats, and great friends!  Each party will feature games for the kids, trivia and prizes for the adults, and most importantly hockey on dozens of HD, flat-screen TV’s!  No matter which team you support or where you come from, you don’t want to miss the hoisting of the Cup and you definitely don’t want to miss the party at Twin Peaks!  The Stanley Cup Finals should begin in mid-June so be sure to check back at www.tulsaoilers.com for dates, times, and all the details.

Playoff Update (No, not the NBA. The real playoffs.): We’re only halfway through round one and already we’ve been treated to overtime thrillers, line brawls, the return of playoff hockey to starving fan bases, chirping in the media, and of course the yearly disappointment that is the Vancouver Canucks.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #8 Minnesota Wild (Chicago leads 2-1)

Jason Zucker’s overtime winner in Game 3 pulled the Wild back into this series, but the best story of these playoffs is Minny’s goalie, Josh Harding.  Everyone should be rooting for this guy.

#2 Anaheim Ducks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings (Series tied 2-2)

A gorgeous snipe from Pavel Datsyuk and the hustle of Damien Brunner gave Detroit a comeback victory in Game 4 and Jimmy Howard played his best game of the series to give the Wings a much-needed lift in net.

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 San Jose Sharks (San Jose leads 3-0)

You mean to tell me that a team with no established #1 goaltender and all the skill in the world, but not nearly enough grit is getting shelled in the postseason? Shocking.  The Canucks annual playoff freefall looks even worse because the Sharks have been so sensational.  San Jose was 17-2-5 at home this season.  Get your broom out.

#4 St. Louis Blues vs. #5 Los Angeles Kings (Series tied 2-2)

The defending champs dug themselves out of an early 2-0 hole and held serve on home ice in Game 4 on Monday night.  If you like collisions, this is the series for you.  In Game 4, the two evenly-matched squads combined for 88 hits.  Old-time hockey is awesome.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #8 New York Islanders (Pittsburgh leads 2-1)

Isles fans waited six years for a home playoff game only to watch Chris Kunitz spoil the party with a powerplay goal in overtime to give Pittsburgh a 5-4 win in Game 3.  New York forward John Tavares is a superstar and could be in the Crosby-Ovechkin-Stamkos conversation if he played for another team or if the NHL made any effort at all to market its best talent.

#2 Montreal Canadiens vs. #7 Ottawa Senators (Ottawa leads 2-1)

Where to begin? This series has featured a controversial hit and subsequent suspension, a reference to a “fat walrus,” a donnybrook, one coach screaming at the other coach, and one player intentionally firing a slap shot at an opposing player.  This is what Canadians refer to as “fun.”  Cancel whatever plans you have and watch Game 4 tonight.  Seriously, do it.

#3 Washington Capitals vs. #6 New York Rangers (Washington leads 2-1)

After scoring just two goals in the first two games, the Rangers found their offense in Game 3.  The 4-3 triumph at the Garden made head coach John Tortorella only slightly less confrontational than usual.

#4 Boston Bruins vs. #5 Toronto Maple Leafs (Boston leads 2-1)

The Leafs faithful followers have no sympathy for the Islanders.  Toronto fans waited nine years for a home playoff game and then watched their team fall flat.  It’s cruel that the Leafs are taunting their fans with hope.  This won’t end well.

Meanwhile in the CHL…:  It’s a #1 vs. #2 fight for the Ray Miron Presidents Cup as the Allen Americans and Wichita Thunder face off in the CHL Finals.  The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 in Allen tonight.  The teams have alternated victories and now Allen has regained home ice advantage.  In Game 2, a 5-2 Allen win, the teams combined for 164 penalty minutes.  The Thunder, 10-2 in the playoffs so far, hasn’t won a league title since 1995 while the Americans are seeking their first championship.

The Amazing Battaglias: Brothers and former Tulsa Oilers, Bates and Anthony Battaglia, are one million dollars richer after winning the 22^nd edition of CBS’s Amazing Race.  Bates, 37, and Anthony, 33, dubbed themselves “Team Mullet” and covered 30,000 miles over 10 countries before arriving at Mount Vernon in Virginia to claim the victory.  The Battaglia’s played for the Oilers during the 2010-11 season.  Anthony appeared in 37 games and put up 33 points while Bates suited up for six contests alongside his little brother.

Try Hockey For Free!: On Saturday, May 11 from 5:30-6:30pm, the Oilers Ice Center and Tulsa Junior Hockey will be holding a “Try Hockey for Free” clinic.  This program is designed to introduce kids to the sport of hockey.  Boys and girls ages 4-8 are invited to attend and hockey equipment will be provided.  To register and reserve equipment, call the Oilers Ice Center at 918-252-3673 or visit www.tulsajroilers.com for more information.  If you have a child or grandchild who wants to try a new sport with absolutely no pressure and no obligation, this is the perfect opportunity to get on ice, learn about the game, and have some fun!

Learn Hockey Safety at Camp Bandage: For the second straight year, the Tulsa Oilers will have a booth at the annual children’s safety festival known as Camp Bandage.  On Saturday, May 18 from 10am-3pm at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Broken Arrow (400 N. Aspen), the Oilers, will demonstrate sports safety.  Let your kids take fire a few pucks at the slap shot booth or let them try on the hockey pads to find out how Oilers players stay safe on the ice.  Dozens of exhibitors will be handing out free prizes and food and the day will come to an end with a mock car accident.  Get an up-close look at how our first responders save lives and how you can prevent serious accidents.  Visit  www.campbandage.org for more information.

Tags: allen, amazing race, anthony battaglia, bates battaglia, camp bandage, nhl, playoffs, stanley cup, tulsa oilers, twin peaks, watch parties, wichita

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 at 3:00 pm and is filed under CHL News, News, Oilers News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Oilers goalie Shane Madolora stopped 44 shots and denied 9 of the 10 Allen shooters in Tulsa’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Americans on Feb. 12 at the BOK Center (photo by: Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com)

Tulsa Oilers fans have spoken.

The Oilers 2-1 shootout victory over the Allen Americans on February 12, 2013 was selected by the fans as the Best Moment of the 2012-13 season.  The shootout, which took 10 rounds to complete and finally ended with Sean Erickson’s game-winner, earned a whopping 44-percent of the vote.  Fans chose the shootout as their favorite over nine other moments including Ryan Menei’s back-to-back hat-tricks which finished a distant second with 12-percent of the vote.

Congrats to Oilers fan Charles Hinds who was randomly selected as the winner of an autographed Oilers t-shirt and mini stick!  With his vote, Charles was automatically entered into the contest and now he’s taking home some new Oilers merchandise!

A complete breakdown of the vote is listed below.  Thanks to everyone who voted, and don’t forget, season tickets are on sale now for the 2013-14 season of Tulsa Oilers hockey!  Call 918-632-7825 to reserve your seats today!

Final Results – Voting for Best Moment of 2012-13 Season

10-round shootout win over Allen - 44%

Ryan Menei’s back-to-back hat-tricks - 12%

Shane Madolora’s 46-save performance vs. Wichita - 10%

Third period comeback vs. Wichita - 10%

Tyler Fleck’s farewell - 8%

Daniel Amesbury’s fight vs. Jason Kostadine - 6%

Drew Fisher’s first career hat-trick - 6%

Ben Gordon’s six-point night - 4%

Gary Steffes’ hat-trick vs. Bloomington - 0%

David Beauregard’s OT game-winner at Fort Worth - 0%

Tags: allen, best moment, charles hinds, chose, ryan menei, tulsa oilers, vote, win

This entry was posted on Monday, April 29th, 2013 at 10:42 am and is filed under CHL News, News, Oilers News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Tags: 2012-13 season, favorite, moment, tulsa oilers, vote

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 at 3:28 pm and is filed under CHL News, News, Oilers News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

This concludes our list of the Top Ten Moments of the 2012-13 Season.  Check back to tulsaoilers.com tomorrow to vote for your favorite moment.  Everyone who votes is automatically entered to win an autographed Oilers t-shirt and an autographed Oilers mini-stick.  A random winner will be chosen at the end of the week. 

#1 The Magic of Menei 

Fresh off of a four-point (2 goals, 2 assists) performance on Friday, February 1, Oilers forward Ryan Menei carried plenty of offensive momentum into the February 2 tilt against the Wichita Thunder.

With the score deadlocked at 1-1 in the second period, Menei poked home a rebound to put the Oilers back in front.  Midway through the third, the Manitoba native broke a 3-3 tie when he fired in a pass from Drew Fisher and his quick snap shot in the shootout proved to be the difference in Tulsa’s 5-4 victory on Pink In The Rink Night.  Shootout winners count as goals in the CHL so Menei recorded his first hat-trick as an Oiler and pushed his squad to its third consecutive win.

Ryan Menei snaps the puck over the shoulder of Torrie Jung for the shootout winner in Tulsa’s 5-4 win over Wichita on February 2, 2013 (photo by: Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com)

For most players, an outing like that would be tough to top.  Somehow, Menei found a way to one-up himself in the very next game.

On Tuesday, February 5, the Oilers spotted the Rapid City Rush an early 2-0 lead.  Menei brought the Oilers to life at the 12:16 mark of the first period by tapping in a loose puck at the side of the Rush cage.  The 26-year old scored the lone goal of the second period by jamming in a rebound off the end boards to even the game at 2-2 with 16:54 remaining in the middle frame.  Tulsa led 3-2 late in the third when Menei provided breathing room by burying a gorgeous feed from Ben Gordon.  The icing on top of the hat-trick came with just 32 seconds left in the contest as Menei fired into an empty net for his fourth goal of the game and the exclamation point in a 5-2 Oilers triumph.

Ryan Menei scores on Rapid City goalie Danny Battochio for one of his four goals on February 5, 2013 (photo by: Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com)

The right-winger scored his four goals on four shots and concluded the night with a +3 rating.  Menei became the first Oiler to score four goals in a single game since Jason Bermingham accomplished the feat on December 12, 2003 against the Memphis Riverkings.  Current Oilers records date back to the 2002-03 season, and over the last decade, Menei is the only Tulsa player to record back-to-back hat-tricks.

In a four-game stretch that included his hat-tricks, Menei registered 11 goals and four assists.  He was named the CHL Player of the Week for the period ending February 3 and went on to earn Second Star of the Month honors for February.

Menei’s dazzling displays of offense became commonplace at home and on the road and the talented forward ended the campaign as the Oilers leader in goals (34), assists (48), and powerplay points (23).  In the CHL scoring race, Menei placed fifth with 82 points in 66 games.

Tags: goals, hat-trick, magic, moments, ryan menei, top ten, tulsa oilers

This entry was posted on Monday, April 15th, 2013 at 4:54 pm and is filed under CHL News, News, Oilers News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Over the next two weeks, the Oilers will count down the Top Ten Moments of the 2012-13 season.  There were plenty of memorable performances by team and no shortage of outstanding individual achievements.  Each day, a new memory will be shared and when it’s all said and done, you the fan, can vote on your favorite.

#2 – The Never Ending Shootout

On February 10, 2013, the Allen Americans blitzed the Oilers 5-1 at the BOK Center.  Just two days later, the clubs met again and what transpired turned into one of the most entertaining contests of the season.

The Americans and Oilers traded goals in the first period and from there, the goaltenders took control of the game.  Shane Madolora and Steve Silverthorn engaged in an “anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better” match with each man making spectacular saves throughout the final 40 minutes of regulation.  In overtime, each netminder stopped four more pucks and the Oilers found themselves in a shootout for the fourth time in the last eight games.

Three rounds of the shootout produced no goals as Michel Beausoleil, Ryan Menei, and Ben Gordon were all stymied by Silverthorn while Adam Pineault, Jamie Schaafsma, and Chris Doyle were foiled by Madolora.  Drew Fisher finally found the net in round four but he was promptly answered by a goal from Kale Kerbashian.

No player from either side was able to connect over the next five rounds.  With his bench getting shorter and his options becoming limited, Oilers Head Coach Bruce Ramsay gave the nod to defenseman Sean Erickson.  In his first and only shootout attempt of the season, Erickson slowed down as he approached Silverthorn.  As the Allen goalie went down and attempted a poke check, the Oilers blue-liner pulled the puck to his backhand and flipped it into the gaping net.

Trevor Hendrikx had a chance to extend the game for the Americans but he fired right into the pads of Madolora and the Oilers had two points and a 2-1 victory.

Madolora ended the night with 44 saves on 45 shots and he shut down nine of the ten Americans’ attempts in the shootout.

The Oilers would finish the season with a 4-2 shootout record and posted a CHL-best 41-percent success rate in shootout attempts.

Tags: allen americans, moments, sean erickson, shane madolora, shootout, top ten, tulsa oilers

This entry was posted on Friday, April 12th, 2013 at 3:01 pm and is filed under CHL News, News, Oilers News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Over the next two weeks, the Oilers will count down the Top Ten Moments of the 2012-13 season.  There were plenty of memorable performances by team and no shortage of outstanding individual achievements.  Each day, a new memory will be shared and when it’s all said and done, you the fan, can vote on your favorite.

#3 – Ben Gordon’s Six Point Night

From the drop of the puck through most of the first period, the Oilers were back on their heels against the Missouri Mavericks on February 1, 2013.  The BOK Center crowd of 4,401 sat in stunned silence as the visitors cruised to a 3-0 lead over the first 14 minutes of the contest.  The Oilers looked listless and uninterested.  The Mavericks looked faster, hungrier, and just plain better.

Then something snapped inside of Ben Gordon.

Just one day after his 28th birthday and less than two minutes after watching Missouri’s third goal, Gordon pumped home a powerplay slapshot to put the Oilers on the board and provide a hint of momentum heading into the second period.

Early in the middle frame, Gordon set up Fisher on the powerplay to cut the Mavs’ lead to one.  Two times in the next seven minutes, Gordon fed Ryan Menei who solved Missouri goalie Mike Clemente on both occasions and gave Tulsa its first lead of the evening.

Mid-way through the third, Gordon set up Jeff Buvinow’s first professional goal with his fourth assist of the night.  The Minnesota native capped off his outpouring of offense with another powerplay helper as he assisted on Sean Erickson’s goal, the Oilers sixth unanswered tally.

When the dust settled, the Oilers had a 6-4 victory and Gordon tied a career-high with six points in a single game.  The top-line center scored once, chipped in five assists, and helped his team go 4-for-9 on the powerplay.

Gordon became the first Oilers to score six points in a single game since Todd Marcellus notched three goals and three assists in a 7-1 win over the Fort Worth Brahmas on February 22, 2003.

Despite missing the final 14 games of the regular season, Gordon still finished second on the team in scoring and ninth in the CHL with 66 points.

Tags: assists, ben gordon, goal, missouri mavericks, moments, points, powerplay, six, top ten, tulsa oilers

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