FORT WORTH, TX – Saturday night’s contest between the Oilers and Brahmas mirrored Friday’s matchup until the final twenty minutes.  For the second night in a row, Tulsa held a 1-0 lead heading into the third period, but this time around the Brahmas found enough offense late to secure a 3-1 victory and even the weekend series at a game apiece.

With 3:12 to play in the second period, Gio Flammino broke a scoreless tie with a slapshot from the blue line that sailed over the glove hand of Texas goalie Mark Guggenberger.  It was Flamminio’s third goal of the season and second in as many nights.

Emotions ran high on both benches as the physical play intensified throughout the second period.  Texas forward Ryan Hand was given a match penalty for slew footing Mike Ullrich at the 4:59 mark of the middle frame.  Ten minutes later, Oilers forward Ryan Cramer was assessed a match penalty for what was deemed an illegal hit to the head on Ross Rouleau.  Brahmas defenseman Andrew Lackner was slapped with a misconduct after the ensuing fight with Cramer.

Four minutes into the third, Chad Woollard pulled the home side even when he came streaking down left wing and deftly tucked a backhand underneath Oilers netminder Ian Keserich.  Adam Hogg stuffed in the go-ahead goal with less than two minutes to play and Calin Wild hit the empty twine in the final seconds to salt away the win for Texas.

It was just the Oilers second loss in seven meetings this season with the Brahmas.  The two sides will complete their weekend series tomorrow evening at 5:30 p.m. from NYTEX Sports Arena.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 26th, 2012 at 1:28 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 – Against a stingy, defensive minded team like Texas, the Oilers were thankful for every bit of offense even if it came from the most unlikely of sources.

Veteran defensemen Tyler Fleck and Gio Flamminio scored for the Oilers in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the red-hot Brahmas in front of 5,771 at the BOK Center.

Fleck, playing in his 698^th professional game, broke a scoreless tie at the 9:32 mark of the opening period when he darted down from the blue line to fire a shot from the high slot past reigning CHL Goalie of the Week, Mark Guggenberger.  The goal was Fleck’s first of the season, and just his third tally in two and a half years as an Oiler.

The game remained a defensive stalemate until the third period when the Oilers got the insurance marker from Flamminio.  Again it was Beausoleil who set up Flamminio, and the seventh year defenseman sent a fluttering puck past Guggenberger to give the home side a 2-0 edge.

Five minutes later, T.J. Fox spoiled Steve Christie’s shutout bid but it was Christie who got the last laugh.  The Tulsa netminder stopped 29 shots and shut the door down the stretch to preserve the Oilers triumph.

The Oilers beat the Brahmas for the fifth time in six meetings and cooled off the hottest team in the CHL.  Texas snapped it’s seven-game win streak and eight-game point streak but remains eight points ahead of Tulsa in the Berry Conference.

The weekend series now shifts to Fort Worth where the two sides will clash Saturday at 7:45 p.m. and Sunday at 5:30 p.m.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 24th, 2012 at 11:46 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 Friday, February 24th, 2012 at 11:37 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 – Tulsa goaltender Steve Christie did his part, but the Oilers failed to get the last laugh Tuesday night in a 2-1 overtime loss at the hands of Fort Wayne (32-16-3) in front of 3,951 at the BOK Center.

Christie, starting his third straight game in net, turned aside 20 shots in the first period, and only allowed Chris Auger to poke home a rebound that gave the Komets a 1-0 edge.

The Oilers (23-20-6) found the equalizer late in the second period when Bobby Chaumont’s errant pass ended up on the tape of Gary Steffes.  Tulsa’s second year forward lifted the puck over the outstretched pad of Fort Wayne goalie Gerry Festa for his 15^th goal of the season.

The Komets outshot the Oilers 13-5 over the final 20 minutes, but Christie held firm on each Fort Wayne rush to send the game to overtime.

At the 3:02 mark of the extra frame, Brent Henley’s shot from the point caromed off of traffic in front and Kaleigh Shrock was there to bury the rebound.  The win gave Fort Wayne its league-leading 18^th road victory of the season.

Christie took the loss despite making 42 saves on 44 shots as the Oilers fell to 0-5 in overtime games.  Tulsa did earn a valuable point and now stands five points clear of Rio Grande Valley for the fourth and final Berry Conference playoff spot.

The Oilers begin a three-game series against Texas on Friday at the BOK Center at 7:35 p.m.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 11:51 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 six-game home stand continued with a Tuesday tilt against Dayton and a Friday face off with Evansville.  Tulsa fell behind the Gems early but ripped off four-straight goals on the way to a 4-2 victory in the one and only meeting of the season with Dayton.  The Oilers, who went 2-4 on the powerplay, directed 32 shots at the Dayton net while Steve Christie made 26 saves for his third win of the season.

Friday, the Icemen and Oilers locked up for the second time in six days.  Evansville took a 2-0 lead after the first period, but the Tulsa powerplay came to life in the middle frame.  Mike Ullrich and Dylan Clarke scored goals on the man advantage to level the game heading into the third.  In the final period, Evansville forward Todd Robinson one-timed a rebound off the end boards past Christie to put the Icemen on top for good.  With the 4-2 defeat, the Oilers closed the season series against Evansville with a 0-2-1 mark.

A Boost For The Bench:  Bruce Ramsay’s lineup was nowhere near full-strength this week thanks to a string of injuries and a suspension.  Tulsa triumphed over Dayton with only 13 skaters on the bench, and took the ice against Evansville with only 14 skaters.  The Oilers blue line was bolstered by the signing of 21-year old Matt Ridley who played his first game as an Oiler on Friday.  Ridley arrives in Tulsa after playing 40 games this season for the Mississippi Surge of the SPHL.  The 6’3”, 230 pound defenseman played three seasons of junior hockey in the BCHL and recorded four goals, 12 assists, and 95 penalty minutes in his time with the Surge.  Ridley, a Kelowna, British Columbia native, is the son of Mike Ridley who played for four teams during a 12-year NHL career.  Veteran center Marty Standish, who was suspended by the league for two-games, will return to the lineup for Tuesday’s game against Fort Wayne.

Opponents Sit, Oilers Score: Over the last three games, the Oilers powerplay has come to life with 6 goals on 15 opportunities.  Tulsa scored a pair of powerplay goals in each of the last three contests, going 2-1 in that stretch.  Rookie forwards Mike Ullrich and Dylan Clarke, who are tied for the team lead with seven powerplay goals, each scored on the man advantage in Friday’s bout with Evansville.  So far this season, the Oilers powerplay has done most of its damage at the BOK Center where 27 of the 41 total powerplay goals have been scored.  Tulsa’s powerplay is slowly climbing up the CHL rankings, and now stands as the eighth best powerplay in the league.

A Lot From A Little:  Through 48 games played, the Oilers have fewer shots on goal than any team in the CHL, but the low shot total doesn’t mean the Oilers are near the bottom of the league in scoring.  Tulsa ranks eighth in goals (159) and second in the CHL in shooting percentage (.112).  Only Wichita (.118) sees a higher percentage of shots go in the net than the Oilers.

Upcoming Games:  The Oilers have a busy week ahead as they square off with Fort Wayne on Tuesday before a three-game weekend series against Texas.

Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7:05 p.m. vs Fort Wayne Komets – The Komets come into the BOK Center for the third and final matchup of the season with the Oilers.  The two clubs split a pair of games in January in Fort Wayne.  It’s another Papa John’s College night at the arena, plus beer and soda are just $2 all night long.

Friday, Feb. 24 at 7:35 p.m. vs. Texas Brahmas – It’s the first of three-game weekend series with the Brahmas as the Oilers will head to Fort Worth for Saturday and Sunday’s contests.  Tulsa boasts a 4-1 record against the Brahmas this season, but Texas holds a nine-point lead over the Oilers for third place in the Berry Conference.  Since its Friday, that means it’s ladies night at the BOK Center with discounts and special perks for female Oilers fans.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2012 at 1:56 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 – As he has been for Evansville all season long, Todd Robinson was once again the difference for Evansville in a 4-2 victory over the Oilers on Friday night in front of 4,333 at the BOK Center.

Robinson’s powerplay goal at the 6:50 mark of the third period gave the Icemen the lead for good as they defeated the Oilers for a second time this week to sweep the three-game season series.

A shorthanded goal by Josh Beaulieu and a tally with an extra attacker from Brian Bicek gave the visitors a 2-0 lead after the first twenty minutes.

In the second period, the Oilers took advantage of a string of Evansville penalties to get back in the game.  With his team a man up, Mike Ullrich flipped his 24^th goal of the season past Pier-Olivier Pelletier to put Tulsa on the board.  Four minutes later, still on the powerplay, the Oilers pulled even thanks to a tip-in from Dylan Clarke off a point shot by Jay Sprague.

With the game still tied in the third, the Icemen were handed a powerplay when Jason Weeks was nabbed for tripping.  Matt Gens sent a screaming slapshot off the end boards and Robinson one-timed the ricochet past Oilers netminder Steve Christie.  Matt Pierce added an empty-net goal for Evansville to seal the deal and put an end to the Oilers two-game win streak.

Robinson, the CHL’s leading scorer, finished the night with the game-winning goal and two assists.

The Oilers will take the weekend off and return to action Tuesday night for a home game against Fort Wayne at 7:05 p.m.  Tulsa is 1-1-0 against the Komets this season.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 17th, 2012 at 11:40 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 announced the signing of defenseman Matt Ridley on Friday.

Ridley arrives in Tulsa from the Mississippi Surge of the SPHL.  In 40 games this season with the Surge, Ridley had four goals, 12 assists, and 95 penalty minutes.

Before starting his professional career, the Kelowna, British Columbia native played three years of junior hockey for three different clubs in the BCHL (British Columbia Hockey League).  Ridley is the son of Mike Ridley who spent 12 productive seasons in the NHL with New York, Washington, Toronto, and Vancouver.

“I’ve heard nothing but positive things about Matt,” said Oilers Head Coach Bruce Ramsay.  “He’s big, he skates well, he’s very young, and I’ve heard he’s got some good potential.  People are saying he belongs at this level, so we’re going to give him a shot and see what comes out of it.”

The 21-year old Ridley won’t have to wait long to put on the Oilers jersey.  He’ll suit up tonight at 7:35 p.m. as Tulsa takes on Evansville at the BOK Center.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 17th, 2012 at 5:49 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.

All Too Familiar:  The Oilers and Icemen clash for the third time this season, but it’s their second meeting in six days.  Evansville triumphed 4-1 over Tulsa on Februray 11 at the BOK Center in a game that took an ugly turn in the final minutes.  Icemen forward Mike Sgroi’s vicious hit to the head of Oilers defenseman Luke Lucyk set off a meleé which resulted in a goalie fight between Tulsa’s Ian Keserich and Evansville’s Pier-Olivier Pelletier.  The altercation led to five misconducts and when the final buzzer sounded the teams had combined for 122 penalty minutes.  The CHL deemed Sgroi’s actions constituted an “illegal hit to the head,” and he was subsequently suspended for four games.  These clubs also faced off January 22 in Evansville with the Icemen earning a hard-fought 3-2 victory in overtime.

Photo by: Les Stockton

Last Time Out:  Tulsa fired 32 shots, picked up a pair of goals on the powerplay, and rolled to its second straight win with a 4-2 Valentine’s Day decision over the Dayton Gems.  The Oilers fell behind 1-0, but reeled off four unanswered goals to push past the Gems in their one and only meeting of the season.  Steve Christie backstopped the Oilers to victory with 26 saves on 28 shots for his third win in a Tulsa uniform.  The Oilers continue to hold down the fourth and final playoff spot in the Berry Conference by sitting four points up on Rio Grande Valley.

The Icemen are coming off a pair of games at Rio Grande Valley.  In Tuesday’s tilt with the Bees, Evansville overcame a third period deficit and went on to win 4-3 in a shootout.  The Icemen followed up Wednesday by holding the Killer Bees to only 22 shots on goal and posting a 3-1 win.  Evansville has won four in a row and sits atop the Turner Conference with 64 points.

Depleted, But Still Determined:  Due to injuries to several key players, and the suspension of Marty Standish, the Oilers dressed only 13 skaters in Tuesday’s win over Dayton.  Somehow, with a combination of eight forwards and five defensemen, the Oilers banded together on their shortest bench of the season.  Rookies Mike Ullrich and David Solway, the only centers remaining in the lineup, each recorded a powerplay goal for the Oilers.  Jay Sprague and Jason Weeks, who are both natural forwards, were converted to defense and performed admirably on the Oilers blue line.

Powerplay Awakening:  After slogging through an 0-15 slump, the Oilers powerplay has come to life in the last two games.  In wins over Rio Grande Valley and Dayton, Tulsa went 4-7 with the man advantage.  Rookie defenseman Jeff Terminesi, who has registered five points in the last two outings, continues to lead the Oilers with 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists) on the powerplay.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 17th, 2012 at 11:06 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 – Down to three true defensemen and without veteran center Marty Standish, the 13 skaters in the Oilers lineup banded together for a well-earned 4-2 victory over the Dayton Gems in front of 4,008 at the BOK Center.

Dayton forward Damien Surma put the Gems out front six minutes into the opening frame but it didn’t take long for the Oilers to respond.  Michel Beausoleil picked up a bouncing puck in the Gems zone and fluttered a shot past Larry Sterling to pull the Oilers even.  Four minutes later, rookie forward Dylan Clarke capitalized on a Dayton turnover by roofing a backhand over the blocker of Sterling for his 21^st goal of the season and fourth in the last two games.  Mike Ullrich continued the Oilers onslaught by showcasing his speed and strength with a tremendous individual effort on Tulsa’s first powerplay of the night.  Ullrich’s goal gave the Oilers a 3-1 lead going into the second period.

In the middle frame, the Oilers powerplay struck again.  David Solway buried a rebound from the side of the net to give Tulsa a three-goal advantage.

Jonathan Ornelas pulled the Gems within two early in the third, but the Oilers held on down the stretch to post their second straight victory and earn an important two points.

Tulsa goalie Steve Christie, who earned his third win as an Oiler, turned aside 26 shots despite being tested at close range on several occasions.

The Oilers return to action for a fourth straight home game Friday night against Evansville.  It will be the second meeting with the Icemen in six days after Evansville recorded a 4-1 win in Tulsa on February 11.  The first 3,000 fans (21 and over) into the arena on Friday will receive a voucher for $10 in matchplay to River Spirit Casino.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 at 11:05 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 suffered their first shutout of the season on Friday night in a 3-0 setback at Wichita.  Tulsa put up 42 shots on goal but couldn’t solve Thunder goalie Adam Russo in the 11^th and final meeting of the regular season between the regional rivals.  The Oilers finished the season series against Wichita with a mark of 4-6-1.

Back at home for Saturday’s tilt with Evansville, the Oilers fell behind early and never recovered.  The Icemen earned a 4-1 victory and Tulsa dropped its fourth game in a row.  The game turned ugly late in the third period when Evansville tough guy Mike Sgroi threw a vicious elbow to the head of Oilers defenseman Luke Lucyk.  The Oilers quickly rushed to the defense of their teammate and the ensuing melee led to a goalie fight between Tulsa’s Ian Keserich and Evansville’s Pier-Olivier Pelletier.  Five misconducts were handed out as the teams combined for 122 penalty minutes.  The Oilers won’t have to wait long for the rematch, the Icemen return to the BOK Center on Friday night.

With only four goals in the previous four games, the Oilers were in desperate need of offense for Sunday’s contest against Rio Grande Valley.  The first period didn’t disappoint.  Tulsa scored four times in the opening nine minutes, but the Bees fought back to tie the game at 5-5 late in the second period.  Seconds later, Mike Ullrich’s goal put the Oilers up for good.  Tulsa outscored Rio 3-1 in the final frame to post a wild 9-6 win and stay in front of the Killer Bees for fourth place in the Berry Conference.

Defense? Anyone? Anyone!?:  Sunday’s nine goal explosion was the Oilers highest offensive output of the season, easily surpassing the previous high of seven goals scored against Bloomington and Laredo.  Tulsa hasn’t put that many goals on the board since a 10-3 win over Mississippi on Feburay 15, 2008.  The hockey game turned track meet, featured 15 goals on just 55 shots and is the highest scoring game in the CHL this season.  On average, a goal was scored every four minutes in a nightmarish outing for the goaltenders.  Rio Grande’s Wylie Rogers and John Murray each gave up four goals while Ian Keserich earned an improbable win with 20 saves on 26 shots.  Dylan Clarke, one of eight Oilers to record multiple points on the night, registered his second career hat-trick, scoring three times on four shots.  Forwards Ryan Cramer and Gary Steffes also had three-point nights for Tulsa which improved to 2-1 this season against Rio Grande Valley.

Special Teams Rise and Fall:  The Oilers streak of 23 consecutive successful penalty kills was snapped Sunday as Rio Grande went 2-3 with the man advantage.  Though the PK unit faltered, Tulsa’s powerplay came to life for the first time in three games.  Coming into Sunday’s tilt, the Oilers were mired in an 0-15 powerplay slump, but it didn’t take long for that streak to end.  Jeff Terminesi scored a powerplay goal at the 3:13 mark of the first period and Dylan Clarke added a powerplay marker midway through the third.  Tulsa’s powerplay ranks tenth in the CHL at 17.3 percent while the penalty kill unit is eighth best in the league at 81.7 percent.

A Break From The Bus:  With only 20 home games at the BOK Center so far, the Oilers have played fewer games on home ice than any other team in the league.  Now, the tables turn and the well-traveled Oilers will enjoy 13 of their final 20 games in their own barn.  Tuesday night against Dayton the Oilers will play their third game in a season-long six-game home stand.  Tulsa is 13-5-2 at the BOK Center this season.

Oilers Fans Help Crush Cancer: The Oilers wore special pink jerseys for last Saturday’s Pink In The Rink Night which were auctioned off immediately following the game against Evansville.   Thanks to the generosity of the fans, the Oilers were able to raise $12,750 for local women’s and children’s cancer charities.  The bidding wars got serious as fans clamored to buy the game-worn jersey of their favorite players.  Oilers defenseman Gio Flamminio raked in the most dough for his sweater which sold for a whopping $1500.

Upcoming Games:

Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7:05 p.m. vs. Dayton Gems – Looking for a fun date idea for that special someone this Valentine’s Day?  Trade the dinner and a movie for a night of hard-hitting action at the BOK Center as the Oilers face off against the Gems in their only meeting of the season.  Beer is only $2 and the Oilers are offering two-for-one ticket specials for couples.  Suites and iceboxes are also available fordiscounted prices so you can save money and that special someone to a memorable evening.  Forget the frills and flowers and celebrate your love of hockey this Valentine’s Day!

Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:35 p.m. vs. Evansville Icemen – Evansville rolls back into town to take on what should be a very eager Oilers team on Friday night.  Just a few days ago, the Icemen handed Tulsa a 4-1 loss after emotions ran high on both sides thanks to hard hits and a series of fights at the end of the game.  The Oilers will get their chance at payback in the third and final meeting of the season between these newly minted rivals.  Friday’s contest will also feature a River Spirit Casino Match Play Giveaway as the first 3,000 adults 21-and-over will receive a $10 match play voucher from River Spirit Casino.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 13th, 2012 at 1:16 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.