Game Day Preview: Oilers @ Rapid City

(Photo by Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com) 

TONIGHT’S MATCHUPTulsa Oilers @ Rapid City Rush – 7:05 p.m. MT at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice ArenaWatch on ECHL-TVListen on Ustream

PREVIOUS MEETINGS1-1-0-0

TEAM CAPSULESTulsa OilersOverall: 14-10-2-1 (31 points)Home: 8-6-2-0Road: 6-4-0-1Rank: 3rd in Central Division

Rapid City RushOverall: 13-12-2-1 (29 points)Home: 8-7-0-1Road: 5-5-2-0Rank: 4th in West Division

OILERS LEADERSGoals: Emerson Clark – 10Assists: Dennis Brown – 14Points: Adam Pleskach – 20+/-: Dennis Brown +14PIM: Emerson Clark – 63

RUSH LEADERSGoals: Mikhail Stefanovich – 10Assists: Winston Day Chief – 13Points: Winston Day Chief – 20+/-: Johnathan Narbonne, +9PIM: Garrett Clarke, Jimmy Bonneau – 50

TULSA VS. RUSH ALL-TIMEOverall: 19-21-4Home: 10-12-1Road: 9-9-3

TONIGHT’S MATCHUPThe Oilers look for a sweep against the Rush tonight as they return to Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena. Tulsa ended 2015 with fireworks–a victory over the Rapid City Rush, 2-1, on Thursday night. With goals from Adam Pleskach and Brady Ramsay, Tulsa is now 1-1-0-0 on the Rush this season.

PENALTY MURDERERSIn their last six contests, the Oilers have gone a total of 23/26 on the penalty kill. In their last four games, Tulsa has been a perfect 18/18. The Oilers rank 10th overall for the penalty kill in the ECHL.

NINJA GOALIEGoaltender Kevin Carr has started in each of the Oilers’ last 15 games and ranks fourth in the ECHL. With 1,201 minutes played this season, Carr is 12-7-1-0 with a 1.85 goals against average. Carr ranks second in the league for both minutes played and shootout wins—fourth in the ECHL with wins.

ROLLING MEADOWS NATIVE ON ROLLRookie forward Dan DeSalvo joins the Oilers this season in his first professional campaign after time with Bowling Green State University (14 goals as a freshman) the last four years. DeSalvo has points in five of his last six games played. The Illinois product has played in 25 games with the Oilers and has registered 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists)—ranking 12th among rookies in the ECHL.

MOOSE WATCHYesterday, Tulsa Oilers defenseman, Aaron Harstad, was recalled to the Manitoba Moose—Oilers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. Harstad, signed to an American Hockey League contact with the Moose, produced six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in eight games with the Oilers. The Oilers’ first transaction of 2016, Harstad returns to the Moose having played in seven games the northern squad and racking up 12 penalty minutes.

EXTRA DROPSThe Oilers defense is firm as they rank fourth in the ECHL for shots against at 26.74… Phil Brewer leads rookies in shootout goals going 2/2…Tulsa is on a five-game road winning streaking…

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Below is an Excerpt of a Tulsa Oilers Game

Jeff: The face off will be in the neutral ice. With 15:56 remaining, we’re in the second period of play. 1 nothing Tulsa with the lead. We’re glad to have you joining us this evening with Ustream.TV and also DCHL TV. Tulsa with the puck in their own zone. Now they bring it through the neutral ice over the blue line. Slapped away. Back into the neutral zone. Getting it again for the Oilers is Brisebois. Brisebois sends it over on the left side. Now it comes into the Wichita end. Cleared away by the Thunder. A head pass by Milan into the Tulsa end. Carr will stop it behind the goal. Leave it for a teammate. Now they bring it out. All the way back into the Wichita zone it goes, but it’s going to be icing.

That didn’t touch anybody coming in, so the icing call against the Tulsa Oilers … 1 to nothing, our score. Tulsa with the lead. 15:21 left to play in the second period of action. Face off to the left of Carr. Out to the blue line it goes. Kept in there. Now over on the left side for Martin Nemsick, he sends it down to the corner for the Thunder. Back out to Nemsick. Now over on the far side it comes out over the blue line. Wichita will have to reset. It goes back into the Tulsa zone. Carr leaves it behind the goal. From behind the goal it’s played out by Lutz. Now at the blue line, sent ahead and into the Wichita end. They recover there to the Thunder. They’ll send it away.

Miller with it, he tried to pass it ahead. Intercepted. Here comes Brewer. Brewer over the blue line for the Oilers. Back into the Wichita zone. Brewer one handed tried to go in the back-hander, and he has it knocked away. Nice play by Brewer though. Just trying to keep his balance and one hand on the stick. Back come the Thunder with it in the Tulsa end. Cleared around to the far side. Kept in at the point there by Oslansky. His shot went off the boards behind the goal. Now they take it out in front. Sticked away by Carr and played away to the near side. Cleared but not out. Kept in at the blue line as the Thunder turned it around. Baptista tried to put it back in. Now to the middle. Stepping into the right circle, a shot, save, rebound on the backhander. Gets knocked away.

Carr has one of the Wichita players on top of him. No call by the referee. Carr, no stick, catches the puck coming in, and he’ll hold it. Carr yelling at the referee. What in the world? He had one of the Wichita players sitting on his back. I don’t blame Kevin Carr for being upset. Not only did he have his stick out of his hands, he was on his stomach and he had one of the Wichita players sitting on his back. Both teams have gone to the bench now for a time out. I’m wondering if the referee is going to call something. Whether he’ll call a penalty now delayed or not, I don’t know. He went over to talk to Coach Kevin McClellan on the Wichita bench. The referee is talking to McClellan.

I don’t know if the referee’s going to call a penalty. After the stop, the only call would be abuse of the official, like Carr, maybe, but I don’t think he deserves it. I’m just saying. Carr was arguing with him. That would be the only thing, because he never had his arm up during play. No. The referee’s not going to call anything. He went over and talked to the coach of Wichita, but he’s not making a call. The point is, no harm, no foul on that, but thankfully enough, Wichita didn’t score in that situation with Carr down on the ice and a player on his back. I was going to say Tulsa got away with one. No, Wichita got away with one. They got away with a penalty, and Tulsa got away with not allowing a goal there in a bad situation that did not get called.