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.

Oilers defenseman Sean Erickson fights for position with Thunder forward Dustin Donaghy during Tulsa’s 4-2 win in Wichita on January 18, 2013 (photo by: Johnna Raymond)

#4- Comeback Silences Thunder

Entering the third period of the January 18 contest in Wichita, the Oilers found themselves trailing 2-1.  The trends of the season to that point indicated very little hope that Tulsa could overcome the deficit and earn a road victory over its biggest rival.  In fact, at that point in the season, the Oilers had lost six of their previous seven games and were 0-21-2 when trailing after two periods.  The Thunder, a brutally efficient front-running squad, had a mark of 16-0-1 when leading after forty minutes.  Long odds to say the least.

Almost halfway through the third period, the Oilers found the equalizer.  Rookie winger Drew Fisher controlled the puck behind the Wichita net, created a passing lane, and tapped the puck to the waiting tape of Patrick Schafer.  The newly acquired forward, playing in just his fourth game as an Oiler, poked the puck past Thunder goalie Kevin Regan for the game-tying tally.

Fisher helped out on Schafer’s goal and six minutes later he would help himself.  With Wichita on a powerplay, Fisher stepped in front of Kevin Young’s snapshot and pounced on the loose puck in the neutral zone.  The Minnesota native sped past Young, moved in all alone on Regan and blasted the puck into the net for the Oilers first shorthanded marker of the season.  Tulsa was back in front.

Oilers netminder Shane Madolora stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third period and Ryan Menei’s empty net goal sealed the win for Tulsa.  Fisher, Menei, and Michel Beausoleil each recorded a goal and an assist and were among a group of six Oilers to finish with a +2 rating.

The victory was career win 300 for Oilers Head Coach Bruce Ramsay and just the second Oilers triumph in their last ten trips to Wichita.

Tags: chl, comeback, drew fisher, hockey, moments, third period, top ten, tulsa oilers, wichita thunder

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 at 4:42 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.

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.

Tyler Fleck is presented a framed jersey prior to the Oilers game against Wichita on March 23, 2013. (photo by: Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com)

#5 – Fleck Says Goodbye

Game after game, one night after another, #14 was an ever-present part of hockey in the state of Oklahoma.

For 14 years, Tyler Fleck entertained fans while sacrificing himself for his teammates and providing the highest caliber of leadership and integrity.

On the night of March 23, 2013, Oilers fans were able to show Fleck their appreciation.  One day after officially announcing his retirement, Fleck was honored by the Oilers prior to the game against Wichita.  As his lengthy list of achievements was shared and his name was announced, 6,346 rose to their feet at the BOK Center to salute one of the legends of the Central Hockey League.

Fleck, 34, recorded the final point of his career in the second period when he assisted on Ryan Cramer’s goal.  Less than 24 hours later, the Saskatchewan native turned bona fide Okie, laced up his skates one last time as the Oilers concluded their season against the Allen Americans.

Fleck left the game in second place on the CHL’s all-time list of games played with 773.  He spent ten years as a member of the Oklahoma City Blazers, made a brief stop in Missouri, and finished his last four seasons as a Tulsa Oiler.  A two-time All-Star and CHL Champion in 2001, Fleck walks away from hockey as one of the most revered and well-respected players to ever put on an Oilers sweater.

Tags: hockey, moments, retire, season, top ten, tulsa oilers, tyler fleck

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 at 4:10 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.

#6 – Amesbury Pummels Kostadine

Daniel Amesbury introduced himself to the CHL on December 15, 2012 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita.  The 22-year old scrapper, just called up from Columbus of the SPHL, picked his first fight as an Oiler with Wichita heavyweight Erik Lizon.  Before the game was over, Amesbury and Lizon danced again and the rest of the league was put on notice that the Oilers new enforcer would not be intimidated by anyone.

Two weeks later, in his second game at the BOK Center, Amesbury endeared himself to the Tulsa faithful in a center ice showdown with Quad City’s Jason Kostadine.  The bout featured very little clutching or grabbing and plenty of throwing.  Both combatants landed heavy punches but as the fight wore on, it was Amesbury who took control.  The 6-1, 215-pound product of Maple Ridge, British Columbia landed several right hands to the back and side of Kostadine’s head before bloodying the Mallards big man with a straight right to the nose.  As the linesmen moved in to corral the fighters, Amesbury continued to snarl at Kostadine and gestured to the crowd for more noise.  The Oilers followers gladly obliged and suddenly, Daniel Amesbury went from being a relative unknown, to one of the most popular players on the Tulsa roster.

In 31 games for the Oilers last season, Amesbury recorded 113 penalty minutes and 15 fighting majors.

Tags: daniel amesbury, fight, jason kostadine, moments, six, top ten, tulsa oilers

This entry was posted on Monday, April 8th, 2013 at 4:13 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.

#7 – Hats Off To Fisher

Drew Fisher started his rookie season of professional hockey on the Oilers blue line.  A month into the season, the 26-year old was shifted to forward and by early January, Fisher was eating minutes on Tulsa’s top line alongside Ben Gordon and Ryan Menei.

On the Sunday afternoon of January 20, Fisher’s offensive skill set was on full display.

Seven minutes into the first period of the tilt against Wichita, Fisher found himself all alone in front of Thunder goalie Torrie Jung.  A quick head fake and backhand flip deposited the puck into the upper portion of the net to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Fisher was just getting started.

With two Thunder players in the box in the latter stages of the opening frame, Fisher was robbed by Jung on a point-blank opportunity just outside the Wichita crease.  Only seconds later, Fisher got his revenge by one-timing a Gordon pass through Jung to even the score at 2-2.  The blast off of Fisher’s tape was picture perfect, but his best goal of the night was still to come.

Early in the second, Fisher jumped on a loose puck at his own blue and raced uncontested toward the Wichita zone.  As Jung came out to challenge, the Oilers forward faked a wrist shot and quickly pulled the puck to his backhand.  With Jung forced to slide over, Fisher saw daylight and neatly slid the puck between Jung’s legs.

Hat-trick complete.

The first professional hat-trick of Fisher’s career sparked a run of 12 points in seven games for the young winger.  He would go on to be named the CHL’s Second Star of the Month for January and took home the Oilers “Most Improved Player” honors at the end of the season.

Tags: drew fisher, goals, hat-trick, moments, one-timer, seven, thunder, top ten, tulsa oilers, wichita

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 4th, 2013 at 4:45 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.

The Oilers may have given up a season-high 50 shots on goal to the Thunder, but Shane Madolora was unflinching in the Tulsa net. (photo by: Kevin Pyle – www. photopyle.com)

#8 – He’s a “Mad” Man

On “Pink In The Rink” Night at the BOK Center on Saturday, February 2, the Oilers and Wichita Thunder dueled in one of the most entertaining games of the season.

Tulsa built a 3-1 second period lead over its rival but Wichita stormed back to tie the contest with nine minutes remaining in the third.  Ryan Menei’s second goal of the night gave the Oilers a 4-3 edge but Wichita was able to find the equalizer with only one minute left in regulation.

Oilers goalie Shane Madolora, who made 35 saves over the final two periods, stopped three more pucks in the overtime frame.  The rookie netminder stood tall in the shootout and shut down to of the three Thunder attempts.  Michel Beausoleil, Menei, Ben Gordon, and Drew Fisher all found the back of the net for the Oilers and when the dust settled, the home team had earned a hard-fought, 5-4 victory.

Madolora, who often made the spectacular look routine, accumulated a season-high 46 saves to lead Tulsa to its third straight win.

Tags: 46, moments, pink in the rink, saves, shane madolora, top ten, tulsa oilers, wichita thunder

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 at 4:39 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.

David Alexandre Beauregard celebrates his overtime game-winner in Fort Worth on November 10, 2012 (photo by: Robert Keith)

#9 – Beau Knows Game-Winners

On November 10 the Oilers played the second game in a back-to-back weekend series against the Fort Worth Brahmas.  Just 24 hours earlier, the Brahmas had outlasted the Oilers for a 5-4 win on their home ice, but the sequel would prove to be much less offensive.

Tulsa  put on its best defensive performance of the season and allowed a season-low 16 shots over the entire contest.  After a tight first period devoid of chances for either side, the Oilers began to get better looks at the net in the second and third frames.  Each time, Brahmas goalie Brad Fogal had the answer.  At the other end, Ian Keserich was the Oilers backbone, deflecting every shot he faced and shutting down two Brahmas breakaways.

The scoreless stalemate seemed destined for a shootout, until veteran winger David Alexandre Beauregard was granted an opening.  With less than 90 seconds remaining in overtime, Tulsa’s French connection proved to be the difference in the game.  Michel Beausoleil slipped a pass across the Brahmas zone and found Beauregard waiting at the near post.  The oldest player on the Oilers roster batted home the puck before Fogal could slide across and the Oilers had their victory.  Beauregard led all skaters with five shots on goal and Tulsa improved to 5-5-1 on the young season.

The Oilers would not win in Fort Worth the rest of the season and their roster would undergo drastic changes.  However, Beauregard made his mark and provided one of the most thrilling Tulsa goals of the 2012-13 campaign.

Tags: 2012-13 season, brahmas, david alexandre beauregard, fort worth, game winner, hockey, michel beausoleil, moments, oilers, overtime, top ten, tulsa

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013 at 4:09 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.

Gary Steffes reaches for a loose puck during the Black Friday contest at the BOK Center against the Bloomington Blaze. (photo by: Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com)

#10 – Steffes Is Batman

Entering the November 23 contest against the Bloomington Blaze, Oilers center Gary Steffes was already lighting up the stat sheet.  Through 15 games, the third year pro had recorded 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) and was due for a breakout performance.

Maybe it was the special “Batman” jersey he wore as the Oilers changed their name to Gotham City Crusaders for Black Friday, or maybe it was the chemistry he had developed with linemates Michel Beausoleil and David Alexandre Beauregard.  Whatever the case, Steffes wasted no time in kicking off a night worthy of a superhero.

Less than three minutes into the game, Steffes poked a loose puck past Blaze goalie Gerry Festa to put the Oilers on the board.  With just five seconds left in the second period and the Oilers trailing 4-2, Steffes returned the momentum to the home team when he tipped in Kyle Mariani’s blast from the point.  The Grand Blanc, Michigan native completed his hat-trick at the 6:09 mark of the third when he shoveled home a rebound near the Bloomington crease to give the Oilers their first lead since the opening period.

The three-goal outing was Steffes’ first hat-trick of the season and second of his career.  He found the twine three times on just six shots and each tally was recorded at even strength.

The Oilers would go on to lose 6-5 in overtime, but Steffes provided one of the first outstanding, individual performances of the young season.  The 2012-13 campaign would only get better for Steffes who was rewarded for his hard work with a call-up to the AHL in early January.

Tags: 2012-13 season, batman, crusaders, gary steffes, goals, hat-trick, top ten moments, tulsa oilers

This entry was posted on Monday, April 1st, 2013 at 4:48 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.

The Tulsa Oilers office will be closed on Friday, March 29th.  The office will re-open at 9 a.m. on Monday, April first and will resume normal business hours.

For questions regarding tickets or inquiries into other matters, please call 918-632-7825 and leave a message.  Someone from the Oilers staff will return your call on Monday morning.

Thank you and Happy Easter!

Tags: closed, easter weekend, friday, monday, office, tulsa oilers

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 28th, 2013 at 4:58 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.

(photo by: Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com)

Season Finale:  The Oilers came up just short in the 2012-13 regular season finale on Sunday, dropping a 3-2 decision at the BOK Center to the Allen Americans.  Drew Fisher and Ryan Cramer scored for the Oilers, but a third period powerplay goal by Americans forward Brian McMillin proved to be the difference in the contest.  Ryan Menei recorded two assists in the loss while Tulsa goalie Shane Madolora made 27 saves on 30 shots.  The Oilers ended the season series against Allen with a 2-7-0 record.

Final Numbers: The Oilers end their 21^st season of hockey with an overall record of 22-39-5 and a .371 winning percentage.  Tulsa missed the playoffs for the second year in a row and for the seventh time in the last eight years.  The Oilers ranked tenth in the CHL in goals scored (177) and tenth in goals against (254).

Streak Snapped: With a final home record of 14-15-4, the Oilers snapped a streak of three consecutive seasons with a record of .500 or better at the BOK Center.  Tulsa’s longest home winning streak of the season was five games from January 22 to February 5 and the Oilers endured a season-long five-game home losing streak from December 29 to January 20.

Finale Frustration: Tulsa hasn’t had too much luck in season finales.  Including Sunday’s loss, the Oilers are 0-8-1 over the last nine years in the last game of the season.  Tulsa hasn’t finished the season with a victory since beating the Memphis Riverkings 4-3 on March 14, 2004.

Farewell To Fleck: Oilers defenseman Tyler Fleck announced his retirement last week and played his final professional game on Sunday.  Fleck, the Oilers captain for each of the last three seasons, played in his 773^rd career game on Sunday and every single game of his career has been played in the Central Hockey League.  The 34-year old is second on the CHL list of all-time games played and is one of only five players in league history to surpass the 700-game mark.  After ten distinguished years with the Oklahoma City Blazers, Fleck played 20 games for the Missouri Mavericks and has suited up for 208 games in a Tulsa uniform.  The Saskatchewan native hangs up the skates with career totals of 40 goals, 158 assists, and 1,522 penalty minutes.  Fleck recorded 12 points in 66 career postseason games.  From October 15, 2010 to October 28, 2012, the veteran blue-liner appeared in 147 consecutive contests.  Gifted with incredible toughness and durability, Fleck played in 60 or more games in eight seasons.

Tyler Fleck skates toward his wife Melissa and daughter Taryn to receive a framed jersey from Oilers owner Jeff Lund and GM Taylor Hall prior to Saturday’s game against Wichita. (photo by: Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com)

Deans of Discipline: The Oilers wrapped up the 2012-13 season as the least penalized team in the entire Central Hockey League.  Tulsa recorded 897 penalty minutes for an average of 13.6 penalty minutes per game.

Shooting Stars: In 2012-13, no team in the CHL was more efficient in shootouts than the Oilers.  Tulsa went 4-2 in shootouts and scored on 14 of its 34 shootout attempts for a league-leading 41-percent success rate.

Menei Reaches Rare Air: Oilers winger Ryan Menei is just the sixth Tulsa player in the last 11 seasons to reach the 80-point plateau.  The Winnipeg native chipped in two assists on Sunday to finish the season with 82 points and a fifth-place finish in the CHL scoring race.  Menei led the Oilers in goals (34), assists (48), and tied for the lead with four game-winning goals.  The sixth-year pro fell just short of his career high of 87 points which he set during the 2010-11 season as a member of the Rapid City Rush.

Premier Puck-Stopper: Goalie Shane Madolora, recently named the Oilers Rookie of the Year, finished second in the CHL with 1156 saves.  Madolora ended up just nine saves behind Missouri’s Mike Clemente (1165) even though he appeared in nine fewer games than Clemente over the course of the season.  The California native wrapped up his rookie campaign with the fifth-best save percentage (.912) in the league and made at least 30 stops in 21 of his 36 appearances.

Shane Madolora wrapped up his rookie season with a 3.18 goals against average and a .912 save percentage (photo by: Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com)

Super Support: For the ninth consecutive season, the Oilers finished in the top half of the CHL in attendance.  Tulsa placed fourth in 2012-13 in overall attendance (137,506) and fourth in average attendance with 4,166 fans per home game.  The Oilers had seven games in excess of 5,000 fans and the largest crowd of the season was 6,346 on Saturday, March 23 against Wichita.

Top Tens: Despite missing the final 14 games of the regular season with a broken leg, Oilers forward Ben Gordon still finished ninth in the CHL scoring race with 66 points (26 goals, 40 assists).  Gordon’s fellow Minnesota native, Drew Fisher, ended the year in seventh place in rookie scoring with 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists), and Sean Erickson tied for sixth in defensive scoring with 37 points (7 goals, 30 assists).

Milestones: Several Oilers players reached notable career milestones during the 2012-13 campaign.

#3 Gio Flamminio – appeared in 400^th CHL game on Jan. 20 vs. Wichita

#8 Jeff Buvinow – scored first professional goal vs. Missouri on Feb. 1

#10 Ryan Menei – notched 200^th career assist vs. Missouri on Dec. 29…appeared in 100^th CHL game at Fort Worth on Jan. 5…posted back-to-back hat-tricks (7 goals total) on Feb. 2 and Feb. 5…recorded 350^th career point at Missouri on Feb. 9

#13 Ben Gordon – scored at Bloomington on Dec. 14 for 250^th career point…registered 100^th career goal at Missouri on Jan. 11…tied career high for points in single game with six (1 goal, 5 assists) vs. Missouri on Feb. 1…played in 300^th career game vs. Arizona on Feb. 15

#14 Tyler Fleck – moved into second place on CHL’s all-time games played list with 746^th game on Jan. 19 vs. Wichita…reached 1,500 career penalty minutes on Feb. 2 vs. Wichita…played in 200^th game as an Oiler vs. Arizona on Mar. 6

#15 Sean Erickson – scored 100^th point of pro career vs. Allen on Nov. 30…appeared in 200^th game as an Oiler on Dec. 4 vs. Missouri

#19 Patrick Schafer – appeared in 100^th CHL game on Jan. 22 vs. Arizona

#20 Drew Fisher – scored first professional hat-trick vs. Wichita on Jan. 20

#22 Gary Steffes – recorded 100^th career point on Oct. 27 at Quad City…named CHL First Star of the Month for October…first career AHL call-up in January, played 16 games for Lake Erie Monsters and recorded a goal and two assists

#27 Ryan Cramer – played in 100^th career game on Jan. 29 vs. Denver

#29 Shane Madolora – first professional shutout with 39 saves vs. Arizona on Feb. 15

#33 Ryan Barlock – scored first pro goal on Dec. 28 vs. Quad City

#90 Michel Beausoleil – scored 300^th career goal at Fort Worth on Nov. 9…250^th game as an Oiler on Feb. 9 vs. Missouri…400^th CHL assist at Arizona on Feb. 26…fourth consecutive season of 20 goals and 40 points

Head Coach Bruce Ramsay – won 100^th game as Oilers coach on Dec. 2 vs. Arizona…300^th professional victory on Jan. 18 at Wichita…coached 600^th career game on Jan. 29 vs. Denver

Tags: 2012-13 season, attendance, chl, finale, hockey, milestones, news, notes, ranks, tulsa oilers, weekly

This entry was posted on Monday, March 25th, 2013 at 11:47 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.

TULSA, OK – The Allen Americans denied the Tulsa Oilers a season-ending home victory and secured the top seed in the Central Hockey League playoffs with a 3-2 win Sunday night at the BOK Center.  The Oilers were unable to get one more win for their captain Tyler Fleck, who retires after a 14-year professional career. 

The Americans struck quickly in the first period when Jarrett Lukin buried a rebound off of Shane Madolora’s pad and gave the visitors the early 1-0 edge at the 2:16 mark. Just over a minute later, a Drew Fisher wrister past Allen netminder Aaron Dell squared the game at 1-1. The score remained tied until Kale Kerbashian lasered a shot off both posts and in to give the Americans a 2-1 lead with 6:24 left in the opening frame. 

In the second stanza, Ryan Cramer equalized the score at 2-2 with 9:20 remaining for the only score of the period. It was Cramer’s 14^th goal of the season and his second goal in as many nights. 

The game-winning goal came from Allen forward Brian McMillin with 17:34 left in the game. On the only Allen powerplay of the night, Trevor Hendrikx flung the puck at the net and McMillin deftly tipped it past Madolora. 

Fleck, the Oilers captain for the last three seasons, walks away from the sport as a hockey legend in the state of Oklahoma. The Saskatchewan native spent 10 seasons playing for the Oklahoma City Blazers and appeared in 208 games as a member of the Oilers.  The 34-year old played 773 career CHL games, which places him at second all-time. 

With two assists, Oilers forward Ryan Menei finishes the season with 82 points. Menei is only the sixth Oiler in the last 11 seasons to post at least 80 points. 

Madolora had 27 stops on the night, completing his rookie campaign with 1,156 saves and a record of 14-18-3. Americans goaltender Dell finished a stellar regular season with a record of 22-11-6. 

The Oilers wrap up the season with four-straight losses and at the bottom of the CHL standings at 22-39-5.  Tulsa wraps up its 21st season of hockey with a 14-15-4 mark at the BOK Center, snapping a streak of three consecutive seasons with a home record of .500 or better. 

Allen ends the year at 39-18-9 and will have home ice advantage throughout the upcoming playoffs.

Tags: allen americans, chl, hockey, tulsa oilers, tyler fleck

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 24th, 2013 at 6:55 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.