TULSA, OK – For the second straight game, the Tulsa Oilers fell behind by two goals.  For the second straight game, the Oilers came back to win in the third period.  In front of 5,244 at the BOK Center, the Oilers scored four unanswered goals to beat the Allen Americans 5-3.

Jarrett Lukin’s second goal of the game at 6:54 of the second period gave Allen a 3-1 advantage, but the resilient Oilers refused to go away.  Dylan Clarke hammered home a rebound off a Sean Erickson slap shot and Tulsa found itself down by only a goal after forty minutes of play.

It didn’t take long for the home team to even the score in the third.  Just 12 seconds into the period, Gary Steffes redirected David Solway’s pass into the net.  It was Steffes’ second tally of the game and it brought the Oilers to life.

Only 34 seconds had ticked off the clock when the Oilers took the lead.  Clarke swatted a pass from Erickson that bounced over Americans’ goalie Marco Cousineau and trickled into the net.  The powerplay tally gave Tulsa its first lead of the night and Clarke wasn’t finished.  Halfway through the period, Clarke sped down the left wing, made a quick move to the high slot and wristed a laser past Cousineau to give the Oilers a two-goal cushion.  Clarke had a chance at a four-goal night when he was awarded a penalty shot late in the game, but the Oilers’ rookie winger couldn’t convert the opportunity.

Ian Keserich made 37 saves for his 14^th victory of the season.  The veteran netminder shut out the Americans over the final 33 minutes of the contest.

The Oilers have now won five of their last six games and stand just three points back of first place in the Berry Conference.  Tulsa will play the first of four straight road games Friday night at Rapid City.

Tickets: Season tickets for the Oilers 20^th season in the CHL are now on sale.  More information is available by calling the Oilers office at (918) 632-PUCK (7825) or by visiting www.tulsaoilers.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 27th, 2011 at 11:34 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 entry was posted on Tuesday, December 27th, 2011 at 1:15 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 of the Central Hockey League have acquired Tyler Sheldrake from Quad City in exchange for future considerations the team announced Monday.

Sheldrake, a 6-foot-2, 200 pound defenseman, appeared in 16 games this season with Quad City and recorded a goal, an assist, and 57 penalty minutes.  Last season, Sheldrake played 18 games for the Mississippi Riverkings.  The native of Dunnville, Ontario began his professional career in 2009 with the Corpus Christi IceRays after playing three seasons of junior hockey in the OHL.

“Tyler is big, physical presence and is known throughout the league for his toughness and willingness to stand up for his teammates,” said Oilers Head Coach Bruce Ramsay.  “He can play forward or defense and we’re excited to see how he can help our hockey team.”

The Oilers picked up a 5-2 victory over Wichita on Sunday night and will return to action on Tuesday at the BOK Center for a 7:05pm start against the Allen Americans.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 26th, 2011 at 2:52 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.

Week In Review:  The Oilers took to the ice just two times in the past seven days, suffering a 2-1 setback in Bloomington last Friday but rebounding with a 5-2 comeback win at home over the Thunder on Christmas Day.  Against the Blaze, backup goaltender Mike Garman stopped 52 shots including 27 in the first period.  Garman’s save total ties him with Bloomington’s Zane Kalemba for the most saves by a CHL goalie in a single game this season.  Troy Ofukany had the lone goal for Tulsa which lost in Bloomington for the second time in two weeks.  Sunday night at the BOK Center, the Oilers fell behind 2-0 to Wichita but scored five unanswered goals to surge past the Thunder.  Tulsa scored four times in the third period with two of the goals coming in the span of eleven seconds from Sean Erickson and Ryan Raven.  Eleven different players registered points for the Oilers.  With a goal and an assist, Mike Ullrich had his eighth multiple point game of the season while fellow rookie Raven recorded his first multi-goal game as a professional.  The season series with the Thunder is now even at four wins apiece and the rivals will meet again January 7^th in Wichita.

Goalies Getting It Done:  Mike Garman’s amazing performance between the pipes in Bloomington is just the latest evidence that the goaltender position is one of the Oilers greatest strengths.  Garman’s 52 saves were the most of his career at any level, junior, collegiate, or professional.  In five appearances this season, Garman has allowed only 13 goals on 170 shots for an impressive .924 save percentage.   Garman’s counterpart in net, Ian Keserich, picked up his 13^th win of the season by making 25 stops against the Thunder on Christmas night.  Keserich continues to lead all CHL goalies with 662 saves and is second in wins behind only Nick Boucher of Fort Wayne.

Home Is Where The Wins Are:  Sunday’s win over Wichita pushed Tulsa’s record at the BOK Center to 9-2-2 for the season.  The Oilers are tied with Evansville for the fewest home losses in regulation in the CHL.  Over the last ten games on home ice, Tulsa is 8-1-1 and undefeated at home in the month of December.  Oilers fans are being treated to plenty of offense as Tulsa is scoring more than four goals per game through 13 home contests.

Blueliner Hits 150 Games:  When he hit the ice in Bloomington last Friday, defenseman Sean Erickson played in his 150^th game as a member of the Oilers.  The 27-year old is in his third full season in Tulsa and played in every single game for the Oilers last year.  In the 2010-11 campaign, Erickson finished with a career high 36 points but this season he’s well on his way to surpassing that mark.  Erickson, who plays on Tulsa’s top defense pairing with Jeff Terminesi, has 20 points (6 goals, 14 assists) in just 26 games.  A native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Erickson is third in points among all CHL defenseman.

From The Ice To The Floor: Six Oilers players traded in their skates for sneakers last week to take part in a floor hockey game at Childers Middle School in Broken Arrow.  The game was a reward for the two Childers’ classes that collected the most donations for the school’s annual holiday food drive.  Oilers rookies Jeff Terminesi, Ryan Raven, David Solway, Ryan Cramer, Dylan Clarke, and second year pro Gary Steffes all participated in the floor hockey game along with the kids and selected members of the Childers faculty.  The game, played in front of the entire school, was a great opportunity for the Oilers to share the game of hockey with kids and the food drive was a huge success.  The kids at Childers collected 103 turkeys and over 4,000 food items that were donated to Broken Arrow Neighbors charity.  Read more about the event here: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=19&articleid=20111226_19_A12_CUTLIN262313

Coming up on January 3^rd, Oilers players will be hosting a floor hockey camp at the Central Community Center in Broken Arrow.  Two sessions will be held for different age groups and kids will learn floor hockey fundamentals such as shooting, passing and stick handling.  Call 918-258-8437 to sign up or ask for more information.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 26th, 2011 at 2:15 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 – Christmas night at the BOK Center was in danger of being a disappointment for the Oilers.  Then the third period started.  Down 2-1 entering the final frame, Tulsa scored twice in the span of 11 seconds and totaled four goals in the period to stun the Thunder with a 5-2 win.

Alex Bourret and Matt Robinson gave the visitors a 2-0 lead midway through the second, but Mike Ullrich brought the Oilers to life just 25 seconds after Robinson’s tally.  Ullrich used his size and speed to find open ice and wristed a shot past Ryan MacDonald at the 12:05 mark of the middle period.  It was the 16^th goal of the season for Ullrich who moved back into a tie for first place in the CHL in goals scored.

It took the Oilers just 1:29 to even the score in the third period.  Defenseman Sean Erickson tipped a puck past MacDonald after a strong shift from forwards Gary Steffes, David Solway, and Michel Beausoleil.  Before the fans were back in their seats, Ryan Raven streaked down the right wing and beat MacDonald to give the Oilers their first lead of the evening.  At 4:29, Marty Standish won a faceoff to Raven on the left side and the rookie out of Mercyhurst College promptly found the back of the net again to give the home side a two-goal advantage.  Raven registered his first multi-goal game as a professional and six of his nine points have been scored in the month of December.

With MacDonald out of the net and less than two minutes on the clock, Ryan Cramer’s empty net goal sealed the victory for the Oilers.  Tulsa evened the season series with Wichita at 4-4 and snapped a three-game losing streak to the Thunder.  The Oilers have won four of their last five games and return to action Tuesday night against the Allen Americans.

Tickets: Season tickets for the Oilers 20^th season in the CHL are now on sale.  More information is available by calling the Oilers office at (918) 632-PUCK (7825) or by visiting www.tulsaoilers.com.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 25th, 2011 at 11:37 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.

CHRISTMAS NIGHT THE OILERS TAKE ON THEIR ARCH RIVAL, THE WICHITA THUNDER AT 7:05 PM ON PAPA JOHN’S FAMILY PACK NIGHT,

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 25th, 2011 at 10:29 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.

BLOOMINGTON, IL – Mike Garman did everything in his power to propel the Oilers to victory on Friday night in Bloomington.  The Oilers backup goaltender stopped 52 shots, but Tulsa couldn’t muster enough offense in a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Blaze.

Bloomington fired 28 shots on goal in the first period, more than any other team in a period in the CHL this season.  Garman stopped 27 of those shots and thanks to a goal by Marty Standish, the Oilers were tied 1-1 going into the second period.

Jon Booras broke the deadlock late in the second frame with his 13^th goal of the season.  Garman made the initial save on a one-timer by Kyle Laughlin but couldn’t control the rebound and Booras pounced to put the home side in front for good.

Tulsa battled hard in the third period, but couldn’t solve Blaze goalie Zane Kalemba who finished the night with 26 saves.

The Oilers snapped a three game winning streak and fell to 14-9-2 overall.  Tulsa is back in action on Christmas night against the Wichita Thunder.

Tickets: Season tickets for the Oilers 20^th season in the CHL are now on sale.  More information is available by calling the Oilers office at (918) 632-PUCK (7825) or by visiting www.tulsaoilers.com.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 23rd, 2011 at 10:42 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.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 at 9:13 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.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 at 8:34 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.

Week In Review:  The Oilers are fresh off a perfect week of hockey with a win over Texas last Tuesday and a pair of victories in Arizona on Friday and Saturday.  In the fourth meeting of the season against the Brahmas, Tulsa came back twice from one-goal deficits and outscored Texas 2-0 in the third period to skate away with a 4-2 win.  David Solway got the game winner for the Oilers who picked up their third win of the season over the Brahmas.  In the first game against the Sundogs, the Oilers found themselves trailing by a goal going into the third period.  Dylan Clarke tied the game for Tulsa and Solway notched his second straight game winning goal to push the Oilers past Arizona for a 4-3 win.  Mike Ullrich added a pair of goals and an assist in the effort, and Mike Garman stopped 31 shots to earn his second win of the season in goal.  Saturday night it was Ryan Cramer who gave the Oilers an offensive lift.  Cramer’s back-to-back tallies in the second period gave Tulsa a 4-1 lead and despite a late surge from Arizona, the Oilers held on for another 4-3 win.  With 47 saves, Ian Keserich was outstanding in net for the Oilers and played a key role in preserving the lead.  After sweeping the weekend series from the Sundogs and picking up four valuable points, the Oilers now sit just four points back of Allen and Wichita for first place in the Berry Conference standings.

Ullrich Back In Front: Rookie center Mike Ullrich had gone four games without a goal but found the back of the net twice in Friday’s game at Arizona.  With 15 goals for the season, Ullrich stands alone as the top goal scorer in the Central Hockey League.  The 25-year old finished the weekend with two goals and three assists and seems to enjoy playing against the Sundogs.  In three games this season against Arizona, Ullrich has nine points (5 goals, 4 assists) including his first career hat-trick in the first meeting with the Sundogs back on November 22.  Ullrich’s 15 goals have come on just 69 shots, meaning the Banff, Alberta native is scoring on almost 22 percent of his shots.  It’s the top shooting percentage on the team and best percentage in the CHL among players with at least 50 shots on goal.

Solway Sees Streak End:  Left winger David Solway saw his league leading nine game point streak snapped Saturday at Arizona.  Despite losing the streak, Solway still has 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists) in his last ten games.  The former Bowling Green standout leads the Oilers with four game winning goals on the season and ranks eighth on the team in total points even after joining the team five games into the season and missing five games with a concussion.  While Solway was sidelined with the concussion, the Oilers went 2-3.  Since his return to the lineup, Tulsa is 4-1.  Solway is ninth in the CHL in rookie scoring and has shown a remarkable knack for winning puck battles despite his diminutive 5’10” 168 pound frame.

Milestone For Marty:  Saturday in Arizona, Oilers veteran center Marty Standish played in his 585^th Central Hockey League game.  Standish is now tied with Don Margettie for eighth place on the all-time CHL games played list.  Playing in his 13^th season of professional hockey, Standish spent eight seasons as a member of the Oklahoma City Blazers and is in his third year with the Oilers.  The 33-year old native of Kelvington, Saskatchewan is tied for 18^th on the CHL’s all-time point list with 518 points (206 goals, 312 assists).  Standish has also spent time playing in the IHL, UHL, and AHL and stands just two points shy of 650 for his entire professional career.

Staying Out of the Box:  With 337 penalty minutes this season, Tulsa is the second least penalized team in the CHL.  Only Texas, at 319 minutes, has spent less time in the penalty box than the Oilers.  In the month of December, the Oilers are only allowing opponents an average of three powerplay opportunities per game.  The penalty killing unit has been very strong throughout December with successful kills in 21 of the last 23 opposition powerplays.  Tulsa’s penalty kill is now operating at 82.1 percent for the season, fifth best in the league.

The New Web Sensation:  In case you still haven’t seen it, the Oilers have their very own Christmas music video!  Get into the holiday spirit with the Oilers players as they do their best Britney Spears impression.  They can skate and shoot, but they can also sing and dance!  Check out the video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdBecrYL6kg

Upcoming Games:

Friday, December 23 – at Bloomington Blaze at 7:05pm

Sunday, December 25 – vs. Wichita Thunder at 7:05pm (Christmas Day, Papa John’s Family Pack Night)

Tuesday, December 27 – vs. Allen Americans at 7:05pm ($2 Beer, Papa John’s College Night)

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 11:56 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.