Rio Grande Valley and Wichita were the biggest winners Friday night, earning a valuable two points in their struggles to earn a post-season bid. The Killer Bees never trailed and handled visiting Austin 5-1, while Wichita got a late third period power play goal from Scott Rozendal to edge the Oilers 4-3 in Tulsa. Both clubs are in very tight battles for playoff spots, and knocked off chief rivals Friday.

Austin 1 @ Rio Grande Valley 5
Bret DeCecco scored his third and fourth goals with the Killer Bees to give Rio Grande Valley a crucial win over Austin. Evan Lindsay made 25 saves and earned his 18th win of the year, while Miroslav Kopriva faced a barrage of 57 shots in the Austin net. The win moves the Killer Bees into a tie with Amarillo for the fourth and final Southern Conference playoff berth, with both teams trailing the Ice Bats by two points.

Wichita 4 @ Tulsa 3
Joe Blaznek had three assists as the Thunder snapped a two game winless skid against the Oilers. Henry Kuster scored for Tulsa late in the second period to even the score at 3-3, but Scott Rozendal’s power play goal with 3:17 provied to be the difference for Wichita. The win moves the Thunder two points up on Tulsa in the playoff race, with Wichita also enjoying a pair of games in hand.

Amarillo 3 @ Odessa 4
Acting captain Matt Cressman moved the Jackalopes a step closer in their pursuit of the Southwest Division title, scoring with late in the third to complete a comeback from a 3-1 deficit. The Jackalopes now have a healthy 15 point lead over Amarillo, who slips into a tie with Rio Grande Valley in the race for CHL post-season position.

Bossier-Shreveport 5 @ Youngstown 3
Blair Manning opened the scoring with a power play goal and later set up two others in the Mudbugs win in Youngstown. Scott Sheppard and Brett Smith also had a goal and an assist for Bossier-Shreveport, who extends their Northeast Division lead to 15 points over the SteelHounds.

Memphis 4 @ Fort Worth 5 (OT)
Jimmy Sokol scored both the game tying and overtime game winning goal for the Brahmas, who have now earned five points in their last three outings.

Corpus Christi 3 @ Laredo 0
Scott Reid turned in an amazing 44 save shutout performance and Ryan Carter figured in on all three Rayz goals as Corpus Christi wins in Laredo for the second time in a ten day period.

Oklahoma City 1 @ Colorado 4
Riley Nelson and Greg Pankewicz each scored twice and added assists as Colorado wins their CHL-high 36th game of the season. The victory also gives the Eagles a seven point lead over Laredo in the race to earn potential home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.