Topeka RoadRunners Fall to Warriors in a Shootout 2-1

After three periods, a combined 50 penalty minutes, and 18 shootout attempts, the Topeka RoadRunners (1-0-1) fell one goal short against the Michigan Warriors (1-1-0) in Day Two of the NAHL Showcase. Michigan Defenseman Corey Schueneman scored the deciding goal on their ninth attempt, giving the Warriors a 3-2 shootout edge that the RoadRunners were unable to overcome.
The game was a defensive battle in every sense but it did not start out that way. Just 35 seconds into the first period, the Warriors were on the scoreboard as Jake Strzalkowski found the back of the net for his first goal of the season (assisted by Jake Hopfner). Michigan would lead for most of the period until Dan Dupell’s game-tying goal, also his first of the year, at 18:19 (assisted by Dallas Crum).
From that point on, neither team could break through with each goalie turning in a sterling performance. Mackenzie Sawyer stopped 26 shots for the RoadRunners but was overshadowed by his counterpart, Michael Pesendorfer, who turned the puck away 33 times in regulation. Despite a number of opportunities in the final period, the RoadRunners struggled to find any free space between the pipes.
The Penalty Kill also came up big for both squads. The Warriors went 0 for 4 on Power plays while the RoadRunners were 0 for 5.
“This loss shows how important the small details can be,” said Head Coach Scott Langer. “Mack[enzie] gave us every opportunity to win in regulation. We, as a team, need to bear down and finish our chances and take advantage of the solid goaltending we are getting.” Topeka was coming off an equally strong performance by Goalie Spencer Viele (1 G, 32 SV) in last night’s victory over Kenai River.
The game was not without extracurricular activity with Michigan racking up 28 penalty minutes to Topeka’s 26 (including 10 minute majors for Michigan’s Shawn Badali and Topeka’s Mick Bruce).
The RoadRunners look to rebound tomorrow morning against the Coulee Region Chill at 10:15am. On Saturday, they close out the 2012 NAHL Showcase against the Bismarck Bobcats at 3:30pm. Fans can hear all of these games streaming live at www.countrylegends1069fm.com.