Topeka RoadRunners Top The Wichita Falls Wildcats 2-1

The push to the Robertson Cup is starting off pretty well for Topeka. In their second-to-last game of the regular season, the RoadRunners jumped to an early two goal lead and hung on for a 2-1 victory over the Wildcats.

Peter Halash drew first blood for the RoadRunners, swatting a puck out of the air and into the Wildcat net at 9:46 of the opening period. A slashing call against Rudy Junda led to a powerplay goal by Tyler Andrew at 13:17, giving the Runners a 2-0 lead.

Goalie Evan Cowley would collect himself and hold the RoadRunners off for the rest of the game. But Spencer Viele was better, stopping all but one of the shots that came his way. That goal came at 17:02 in the third off the blade of Kyle Bauman. The lead was cut in half but not blown as the RoadRunners killed a penalty in the final minute, winning the night 2-1. In the loss, the Wildacts were eliminated from postseason contention as Corpus Christi secured fourth place with a win over Odessa.

The RoadRunners will close their regular season out tomorrow night against the Wichita Falls Wildacts. Fans can catch all the action at Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant at 7pm but get there early as seats are limited. Playoff dates have been announced. On Monday, April 1, tickets for the first round of the South Division playoffs go on sale to the general public. Games one and two will be at Landon Arena on Saturday, April 6 (7pm), and Sunday, April 7 (6pm). Tickets will also be available for the deciding game five of the series which will take place on April 19 if necessary.

Wichita Falls Comeback 4-3 Win Completes Sweep Of Topeka RoadRunners

After winning seven in a row, including six straight on the road, the RoadRunners returned to Topeka with momentum to spare. Maybe it’s good they’re going back on the road. Wichita Falls trailed 3-1 before netting the last three goals of the game, delivering a heartbreaker to the RoadRunners 4-3.
Conor O’Neil scored his second goal in as many games at 12:27 of the first period, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 heading into the second. And it was in the second that the RoadRunners made their charge. Brandon Brossoit scored on a power play to tie the game at 4:14. Inside the last three minutes of the period, Tyler Groat pushed Topeka ahead when he beat goalie Evan Cowley at 17:06.
Jerad Tafoya added an insurance goal 7:13 of the third and the RoadRunners had what looked like a comfortable 3-1 lead. Then the rains came. Sam Piazza scored unassisted, closing the gap to 3-2 at 10:22. Rudy Junda, Charles Hemstrom and Sami Salminen blew through the RoadRunners D with Salminen doing the honors, flashing the puck past a helpless Spencer Viele and tying the game at 17:10. Finally, with eight seconds left, Colin Staub ended it with an empty netter.
Fortunately for the RoadRunners, division rival Texas was once again idle so they maintained their five point advantage for second place in the South. The RoadRoadRunners will look to right the ship next weekend at Amarillo. Fans can catch all of the action at Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant. The games start at 7pm on Friday and Saturday but get there early as seats are limited.
The team will return to Landon Arena for a three game series against the Texas Tornado (Mar. 22, 23, 24).

Topeka RoadRunners Power Past Wichita Falls

Coming off an impressive series against the Tornado, the RoadRunners needed to keep up the pressure in what is becoming a tight race for second in the South. They did just that Friday night, scoring the puck when it mattered most to take the first game against Wichita Falls 3-2.
Sean Gaffney set the tone for Topeka with goals in the first and second period to put the RoadRunners up 2-0. Kyle Sharkey and Brandon Brossoit continued their strong work in the month of February, assisting Gaffney in his efforts (Sharkey with two assists to Brossoit’s one). The Wildcats finally dented the scoreboard with a powerplay goal from Eliot Grauer to make it 2-1 going into the third.
Early in the final frame, Rudy Junda would tie the game at two and give the Wildcats some much needed momentum. That is until Tyler Andrew, having just missed a golden opportunity to find the net, scored the game winner from the back doorstep at 14:14. Spencer Viele stood striong for the remaining minutes, earning his twentieth win of the season and the team’s twenty-ninth.
With the win, the RoadRunners sit just one point behind the Texas Tornado for second place in the South. The Tornado fell to the Amarillo Bulls 3-2 .
The RoadRunners and Wildcats complete the two-game set Saturday night in Wichita Falls. Fans can catch all of the action at Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant. The game begins at 7pm but get there early as seats are limited. The RoadRunners return to Landon Arena on March first against these same Wichita Falls Wildcats. One dollar from each ticket sold on that date will be used to help send Officers Gogian and Atherly’s families to Washington DC for the National Police Week Memorial.

Topeka RoadRunners Sweep Wildcats

Seems like forever since the Runners had swept a series (way back in October in fact) but the feeling never gets old. In a much tighter affair than Friday night’s contest, the RoadRunners scored first and last to clinch a series win against the Wildcats 3-1.

The RoadRunners set the tone in the first period with some slick puck handling in the Wichita Falls zone. Sean Gaffney and Kyle Sharkey worked the puck deftly up the ice with Gaffney finally feeding the puck to Tyler Andrew who found Evan Cowley’s blind side for a 1-0 lead at 6:03.

The tempo slowed in the second period, allowing Conor O’Neil to tie the game going into the final frame.

Both teams played to a near stalemate in the third until Gaffney found the back of the net again unassisted at 16:40, giving the RoadRunners a 2-1 edge. In the final two minutes of the game, Wichita Falls pulled Cowley for an extra attacker allowing Gaffney to fire in an empty netter from beyond center ice.

With the win, the RoadRunners close to within eight points of Amarillo who fell at home to Corpus Christi 4-3. Those same Amarillo Bulls will visit Landon Arena next weekend on Friday and Saturday night.

Topeka RoadRunners Fall To Wichita Falls Wildcats 5-2

You’d have to go all the way back to October to find a series in which the RoadRunners were able to complete a sweep. After taking the first game handily, Topeka was unable to stop the Wildcats from scoring early and often in their 5-2 defeat.

Conor O’Neil scored in all three periods, netting a hat trick for Wichita Falls. His first goal came at 1:58 in the first period to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead. Sean Gaffney later cleaned up his own rebound to tie the score at 12:25. With the clock winding down in the opening period, the Wildcats would capitalize on a power play. The goal by Sami Salminen coming with just one second remaining on the penalty kill. The score was 2-1 Wichita Falls going into the first intermission.

Eliot Grauer increased the lead to two with his goal at 7:26 of the second. O’Neil piled on another score with less than two minutes remaining in the period to make it 4-1.

Mackenzie Sawyer replaced Spencer Viele in net to start the third period, ending the bleeding but not influencing the outcome. Michal Pastor’s unassisted goal at 2:14 would be all the RoadRunners could muster the rest of the way. O’Neil’s empty netter in the final minutes sealed the deal for the home team, sending the RoadRunners home with that familiar bitter taste in their mouths.

The RoadRunners will depart Topeka again this Thursday, this time for South Division leader Amarillo. Fans can catch every second of the action at Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant on Friday and Saturday night. The games start at 7pm but get there early as seats are limited.

Topeka RoadRunners Explode In Second, Defeat The Wichita Falls Wildcats 3-2

Starting the new year off on the right note, the RoadRunners dialed up some offense with three goals in the second period to defeat the Wichita Falls Wildcats 3-2.

The Wildcats would draw first blood in the first as Conor O’Neil cleaned up a rebound off of Spencer Viele at 7:56. They wouldn’t dent the scoreboard again until the last second of the game, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves.

Ross Luedtke stood tall in the second. He tied the game at 1-1 with a netter at 2:18. Dan Dupell put the team ahead with a goal of his own at 3:47. Luedtke struck again with the eventual game winner at 16:33. Sean Gaffney assisted both of Luedtke’s goals, pushing his points total to 45.

In the third, Kyle Sharkey appeared to get the puck past Evan Cowley to give the Runners a 4-1 lead. The goal was waived off, however, due to a loose net. The ruling came without consequence as the Wildcats were unable to muster another score until one second remained on the clock. With the win, Topeka remains nine points behind Amarillo, and four points behind Texas, in the South Division race.            The Wildcats and RoadRunners go back at it Saturday night in Wichita Falls. Drew Kariofiles is expected back from his suspension for the game. Fans can watch the contest at Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant at 7pm but are advised to make a reservation or get there early as seats are limited.

Garris Ignites Comeback, Topeka RoadRunners Stun Wildcats 5-3

This team should consider selling third period tickets. On a night when the RoadRunners (18-5-4) made the spectacular look routine, the Wildcats (10-16-2) took a three goal lead into the third only to see Topeka score five times to win 5-3.

After a lackluster first two periods full of missed opportunities and sloppy play, Clint Garris got the RoadRunners on the board at 7:41 of the third. Colin Montgomery narrowed the Wildcat lead to one with his goal at 12:14.

Then came the Tyler Show.

Tyler Poulsen gave the home crowd of 1,471 a reason to roar when he tied the game at three at 15:05. Tyler Andrew then became the hero of the night, scoring unassisted at 15:26 and putting the game out of reach with a power play goal at 19:30. The RoadRunners held the puck the rest of the way, sealing an improbable 5-3 win.

Eliot Grauer and Kyle Bauman each had shorthanded goals and Rudy Junda capped off the scoring for Wichita Falls.

The RoadRunners head to Springfield to take on the Junior Blues next weekend. Fans in Topeka are invited to watch the games at Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant at 7pm on Friday and Saturday.

In two weeks, the Amarillo Bulls come back to town for another showdown of South Division leaders (Dec. 14 and 15). There will be a silent Christmas ornament auction during both games and the Teddy Bear Toss on Saturday night. Teddy Bears tossed by the fans will go to benefit the Topeka Rescue Mission this holiday season. For more information on tickets, call 785-286-PUCK or visit the Expocentre Box Office.