It was a quality Saturday night for northwest Texas hockey fans, as both the Lubbock Cotton Kings and Amarillo Gorillas came away with road overtime wins over Northern Conference powerhourses Colorado and Wichita. Strome’s 12th goal of the season 46 seconds into the extra frame gave Lubbock a 3-2 win over the Eagles in Colorado, while Shannon potted his first goal of the year 1:45 into overtime to give Amarillo a 2-1 win in Wichita and back to back wins over the Thunder. Elsewhere in a full Saturday evening of CHL action, New Mexico topped Bossier-Shreveport 5-1, Tulsa edged Topeka 3-2 (SO), Oklahoma City slipped by Memphis 2-1, Fort Worth skated past Rio Grande Valley 5-2, Laredo stopped Odessa 5-3 and San Angelo beat Corpus Christi 6-4.
Lubbock 3 @ Colorado 2 (OT)
It took 10 tries, but the Cotton Kings power play finally clicked in overtime, as Anders Strome fired home the game winner to help Lubbock win their third straight. Nolan Graham and Jeremy Kyte also scored for the Cotton Kings, with Greg Pankewicz and Sean Robertson responding for Colorado.
Amarillo 2 @ Wichita 1 (OT)
What a time to score your first goal of the season. Ryan Shannon ended the contest in overtime, after Wichita’s Nate Metcalf tied the game midway through the third period on the power play. Patrick Levesque opened the scoring for Amarillo, who completed a two game sweep of the Thunder. Wichita, meanwhile, lost for the fourth straight game.
Bossier-Shreveport 1 @ New Mexico 5
Tough guys Shaun Lgault and Dan Wildfong traded goals in the first, but it was all Scorpions from there on, as Randy Murphy scored a goal and added three assists. New Mexico went 2 for 6 on the power play, while the Mudbugs were held scoreless in eight extra man situations. Both teams (Wildfiong for Bossier-Shreveport and Peter Ambroziak for New Mexico) had shorthanded.
Tulsa 3 @ Topeka 2 (SO)
The Oilers completed a two game sweep in Topeka with Klage Kaebel’s shootout game winning goal. Jaroslav Cesky and Todd Marcellus also scored for Tulsa, while Jonathan Dubous had both Tarantula goals. Tulsa won their third straight game, while Topeka dropped their third straight.
Oklahoma City 2 @ Memphis 1
The Blazers won their third straight on the strength of Brad Herauf’s sixth goal of the season with just 2:06 left in the third period. Newcomer Travis Banga had his first of the season for Memphis, while Jarad Bourassa had his fourth for Oklahoma City, who outshot Memphis 40-27 in the contest. The teams meet again Sunday in Memphis.
Rio Grande Valley 2 @ Fort Worth 5
Martin paquet took over the CHL scoring and assist lead with three assists for the Brahmas. Jan Jas, Chad Woollard, Bryan Lundbohm, and Aaron Davis all had two-point nights, while Jason Tessier and Joe Guenther had power play goals for the Killer Bees. The clubs meet again Sunday in Fort Worth.
Laredo 5 @ Odessa 3
Dion Hyman had a pair of goals, and Adam Paiment scored and added two assists as the Bucks completed their three game road trip with a 2-1 record. Brent Cullaton and Jeff Bes each scored and added assists, while Odessa, who went scoreless on eight power play opportunities, got goals from Paul Davies, Don Margettie and Chris Paradise.
Corpus Christi 4 @ San Angelo 6
Kevin Vandewaeter scored twice and Trevor Weisgerber added a single as the Saints bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit. Derrick McIver scored twice in the second period to tie the game, but Bret Dececco and Jon Hoswe put San Angelo up 5-3. Jason Baird closed the gap to 5-4 with his 13th of the year late in the third, but Dececco added an empty net goal to close out the contest.
