(TOPEKA, KS) -  Labor Day in Topeka now officially has a new tradition.  A sizeable tailgate party in the Expocentre parking lot followed by a Topeka RoadRunners intrasquad scrimmage that is free and open to the public.  Last nights Blue White Classic II delivered as promised, thrilling the nearly 300 folks who came in for an early glimpse of this years team on their first full day of practice.

Goaltender Lyle Rocker turns aside a shot in the first period of Monday's Blue White Classic II.

The first period was scoreless as veteran goaltenders Lyle Rocker and Bryce Merriam squared off head to head, with Rocker wearing the white.  When both goalies were subbed out at the midway point of the second period, each had been perfect, with Rocker stopping 14 shots to Merriams 13. Each goalie, however, had also been the beneficiary of the goal post, notably a blast from Gustav Bengtson that clanged off iron in the first. The first goal of the game finally came at 16:57 of the 2nd when Randy Swank uncorked a bomb from the left point that sailed over Brandon Jaeger's blocker for a 1-0 Blue Team lead.  Steve Shafer nearly made it 2-0 in the final seconds as his shot trickled through but was poke checked away an inch from the goal line as the buzzer sounded. Blue led 1-0 after 2 periods, outshooting White 22-16.

Bryce Merriam turns aside a shot from Edgars Lipsbergs in first period action Monday night.

In the third period, Jeff Burke tied the game for the White Team, assisted by Jordan George and Andrew Blazek, jamming home a loose puck on the doorstep that Cooper Frederick was unable to cover. The goal came at 13:23.  The Blue Team had back to back power plays late in the period but were unable to score. This game would head into overtime.

In the overtime session, at 1:42, the White Teams Ryan McGrath was whistled for tripping as Alec Hagaman tried to battle his way through two defensemen. On the ensuing power play, Tom Kleidon sent a pass on the right side to Chris Rial, who snapped it sharply across to Hagaman who rifled it upstairs for the 2-1 overtime victory. A fun ending to a great night for fans, and a fun night for players as well. The team resumes its two-a-day practice regimen in preparation for the new season, just 15 days away.

RUNNER NOTES

• Four players from the Russell Stover Stars participated to round out the rosters. Brandon Jaegar looked sharp in net and Chris Rial had two assists.
• Former assistant coach Mike Aikens was on the bench for the Blue Team. He is now coaching with the Russell Stover program but will continue to consult with the RoadRunners.
• Forward Ryan Knutson was unable to play, as he is nearly recovered from an undisclosed injury prior to camp. He is expected to return to the ice soon.
• The Booster Club and others kept the grills burning and fed the team after the game. "It's all about the boys, gotta make sure they're taken care of", said fan and season ticket holder Curt Oglesby, who manned the grill.
• Tickets for the two exhibition games are on sale now at the Expocentre Box Office. All seats are general admission and cost $6.50.
• It was fitting that Randy Swank scored the first goal. He had scored the last goal in overtime to defeat Fairbanks back in April. That goal was from right point, this one from the left on the same side of the rink.
• Making his debut on the bench in Topeka for the White Team was new assistant coach Trevor Converse.