(Photo by Kevin Pyle – www.photopyle.com)
The Oilers came back from deficit against the Idaho Steelheads but couldn’t finish them off on a Tuesday night in Tulsa when then fell 5-3.
With attention on the Oilers’ attacking zone where Mathieu Gagnon and Zach Bell were engaged in on-ice brutality, Idaho’s Joe Basaraba sniped over the shoulder of Kevin Carr and the Steelheads took the first lead of the night.
Tulsa would prepare to head to the locker room down by one, but with 15 seconds left in the first period a deflection goal by Andrew Carroll on the Corbin Baldwin shot doubled Idaho’s lead 2-0.
The Oilers made their mark early in the second 20 minutes. Dan DeSalvo set up a perfect play for Jiri Fronk when he back-handed the puck to the other side of Jack Campbell. Fronk beat the ECHL’s top ranked goaltender for his first goal as an Oiler.
Off a pass from Adam Pleskach, DeSalvo crossed the blue line and shot a deep wrister over the head of Campbell where he tied up the contest 2-2 6:20 into the third frame.
Five minutes later another blue line shot was taken, this time by Zack Kamrass. Similar to their second goal of the night, a deflection off the stick of Carson McMillan put the Steelheads back on top, 3-2.
Heroics from Connor Kucera with under four minutes left tied the game and gave hope for the team to extend their win streak to four. From the top of the circle, the defenseman slapped in a one-timer.
Those dreams were crushed at the 18:57 mark when first star of the game, Rob Linsmayer, tapped in a goal off the shot of Tommy Fallen.
Idaho’s Kyle Jean sealed the score 5-3 on an empty net goal with 48 seconds remaining.
The Oilers’ loss put the Steelheads up three points on Tulsa and inked them the first place position in the West Division.
Tulsa is on the road this weekend as they take on the Cincinnati Cyclones and Fort Wayne Komets for the first time this season. The Oilers do not return to the BOK Center until March 18 when they host the Missouri Mavericks.
Looking for something fun and fresh to do in Tulsa? Look no further than a Tulsa Oilers’ game. The Oilers play in beautiful downtown Tulsa in the state-of-the-art BOK Center. The Oilers are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets and the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. The 2015-2016 season is the first season the Oilers have been affiliated with either the Jets or the Moose.
This season marks the Oilers second season in the ECHL. The ECHL is the premier AA development league of the NHL and AHL. The ECHL began as a league on the east coast, with five teams in four states. Now the ECHL fields 28 teams in 20 states and one Canadian province. The league also has affiliations with 29 of the 30 NHL teams. The ECHl has produced and help grow hundreds of NHL players over it’s long history, including NHL All-Stars Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas, Tomas Vokun, Mark Streit and many more. The ECHL has also produced dozens of Stanley Cup Champions and several Olympians.
Tulsa Oilers games provide a fun and safe family atmosphere that are fun for all ages, new, old, casual and hardcore fans. There are great ways enjoy your time at Oilers games, including scheduling birthday parties, attending special event nights and attending our fixed promotional nights.
Every Tuesday and Thursday home game is Papa John’s College night, which grants college students a ticket to the game and Papa John’s pizza all for only $12 with college I.D. Every Thursday home games are also Thirsty Thrursday, meaning that fans can purchase beer for just $1. Do you want dinner and a show, but you’re on a tight budget? No problem. Every Monday home game is $1 hotdog night and the action is just as good as any weekend game!
Now is the perfect time for fans, old and new to start purchasing tickets to see the Tulsa Oilers. There are only five more home games remaining in the regular season and Tulsa is making an aggressive push for the Central Division crown. The Oilers are currently ranked fifth in the Western Conference, but have enough games in-hand to move to the top of the standings in a tight Western Conference race. The top eight teams in the Western Conference will make the playoffs.
Even though there isn’t many home games left this season, you can still follow the Oilers on social media to get all the latest updates. The Oilers are on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram! There are plenty of away games in the months of March and April and each away game is just as important as each home game in the ECHL standings. Making the playoffs also means more opportunities to see your Tulsa Oilers live at home as each ECHL playoff round is a best-of-seven contest. The Eastern and Western Conference champions will play each other for the prestigious Kelly Cup. Make sure you catch all the action as the Oilers look to claim their first Kelly Cup and ECHL championship.
The Oilers upcoming road trip pits them against some non-divisional rivals. The Midwest Division will provide some opponents that Oilers have already beaten this season, as well as some opponents they haven’t played yet. The Cincinnati Cyclones, who are currently sitting in a lower-playoff spot, have not faced the Oilers this season. The Oilers currently have more wins and overall points than the Cyclones and will look to continue their dominance of the teams in the Midwest Division. The Oilers will also be playing the Fort Wayne Komets of the Midwest Division for the first time this season. Fort Wayne currently holds the first place in the Midwest Division, but are only two points total points or one win ahead of Tulsa in the Western Conference finals.
Don’t forget to keep up with all things Tulsa Oilers, including results, stats, promotions and more by visiting www.TulsaOilers.com, on twitter @tulsa_oilers, on Instagram @TulsaOilersHockey, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TulsaOilersHockey. You can also purchase tickets at www.TulsaOilers.com or talk to a Tulsa-based ticket sales representative at 918-632-7825
