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'Runners Salvage 1 Point in St. Louis
Chesterfield, MO - The Summit Center has not been kind to the RoadRunners, who were winless in the only 2 prior visits in franchise history. This time around, a strong effort from the RoadRunners managed to yield a point, at least, forcing overtime on Saturday night after dropping a 4-3 decision on Friday night.
Friday night saw St. Louis take a 1-0 lead on a powerplay goal with :11 seconds left in the first period. Jake Hutt tied it up, knocking home a puck that caromed off the endboards and back out in front of the net, but four minutes later St. Louis retook the lead for good on a seeing-eye shot from the blue line that threaded the needle for a 2-1 lead. In the 3rd period, St. Louis added two more before Topeka began a comeback, with Matt Hartmann cutting the lead to 4-2 with just under 4 minutes to play, and Corey Jendras pulling the 'Runners to within one, as Topeka had pulled goalie Bryce Merriam for the extra attacker. Topeka took a timeout with 1:05 left, but were unable to tie the game, and the Bandits would improve to 5-0 on home ice.
Saturday night saw both teams engage in a full scale end to end battle, with solid defense, great goaltending, and creative passing. After 60 minutes, the game was still scoreless, and overtime would be needed to settle the contest. 1:17 into the extra period, the 'Runners turned over the puck in the neutral zone, and Bandit forward Kyle O'Kane raced down the left wing toward the net. As another Bandit forward and backchecking 'Runner defenseman converged, the net behind goalie Bryce Merriam was dislodged at about the same moment O'Kane's flip shot crossed the line. It was incredibly close, and the referee had no immediate call, but after conferring with the goal judge, awarded the game winner. In a way, it was a shame to see such a hard fought game end on such a controversial goal, but in the end, it was most likely the right call. The Bandits celebrated as the 'Runners skated off, at least with a point in the standings for their efforts. St. Louis is now 11-2-0, with the second highest winning pct. in the NAHL. Topeka remains in third place in the NAHL South.
The RoadRunners continue on the road with two games at Wichita Falls, TX on Friday and Saturday the 26th and 27th. The Wildcats are in first place in the NAHL South, and have won both prior meetings between the two clubs this season. All games will be available on local radio in "Topeka's TOP Sports Station, AM 1490 KTOP", with streaming video available with B2 Networks.
