Oilers Drop OT Decision To Mallards In Home Opener
TULSA, OK – Overtime wasn’t kind to the Tulsa Oilers in 2011-12 and the streak of post-regulation losses has now carried over into a new season.
Playing on home ice for the first time on Friday night, the Oilers were dealt a 4-3 overtime loss by the Quad City Mallards in front of 5,460 at the BOK Center. Mickey Lang provided the game winner for the Mallards with just 32 seconds remaining in the extra frame. Tulsa has now lost each of its last eight games that have been decided in the overtime period.
Drew Fisher, a rookie defenseman who played the final six games of last season as a Tulsa forward, put the Oilers out front early when his wrist shot from the left circle beat Mallards goalie Joe Palmer. Quad City responded quickly with a pair of goals in less than two minutes. First, Patrik Levesque, who started last season in Tulsa, poked home his own rebound to tie the game. Obi Aduba gave Quad City its first lead of the night when tapped a Jason Dixon pass past Dan Bakala for a 2-1 Mallards advantage.
In the second period, Oilers center Gary Steffes created a breakaway for David Alexandre Beauregard with a sharp pass through the neutral zone and the veteran left winger snapped a shot past the blocker of Palmer to level the game at 2-2. Seconds later, with Oilers forward Drew Akins trying desperately to dislodge Palmer’s stick from his skate, the Mallards took advantage of the momentarily crippled Oilers regained the lead on a goal by Lang.
Steffes promptly tied the game for the home team in the third when he shoveled a rebound under Palmer’s pad for his second tally of the season. The contest remained deadlocked at 3-3 through the end of regulation despite a decided 38-24 edge for the Oilers in shots on goal.
With less than a minute on the overtime clock, Lang picked up the puck behind the Tulsa net and circled the Oilers zone before firing from below the right circle. The low shot beat Bakala and the Oilers were forced to settle for a single point. Lang and Levesque each finished the night with three points while Gary Steffes (goal, assist) recorded his second multiple-point outing of the young season.
The Oilers head to Quad City on Saturday night to complete the home and home series with the Mallards before returning to the BOK Center on Sunday for a 4:05 p.m. face off with the Fort Worth Brahmas. Sunday is Family Funday and all Oilers fans are encouraged to stick around after the game for a post-game skate with the Oilers players.
Tags: chl, hockey, quad city mallards, tulsa oilers
