Ice Dogs, Bulls win on Thursday

January 19, 2018

Coulee Region 0 @ Fairbanks 8 - Goaltender Josh Benson backstopped his second shutout of the season, center Robert Blueger distributed four assists and seven other players had multiple points for Fairbanks in an 8-0 shutout win on Thursday over the Chill. A trio of Ice Dogs had three points each Thursday. Tanner Schachle recorded two goals and an assist; Jax Murray scored once and dispensed two assists; and Erkka Vanska had three assists. Four players — Kyle Mayhew, Jax Murray, Samuel Ruffin and Nolan Schaeffer — contributed a goal and an assist each. The first 10:30 of  Thursday’s game was scoreless. That changed two seconds later when Fairbanks produced the first two goals of the night in a span of 23 seconds. At 10:32 of the period, Luke Orysiuk trailed a 3-on-2 and lined a wrist shot from the slot that beat Chill goaltender Emil Zetterquist high glove side. Daniel Haider and Mayhew assists on the first goal of the series. Schachle, with help from Vanska and Blueger, cranked out a shot from the right circle that rang in off the left corner of the crossbar at 10:55. At 16:44, Schachle made it 3-0 by tipping in a power-play goal at the right edge of the crease with help from linemates Blueger and Vanska. Mayhew, set up by Murray and Ruffin, drilled a shot from the slot that went in off the crossbar at 18:05 of the first. Zetterquist (13 saves) was replaced at the start of the second period by John Graziano (25 saves). Murray, at 2:29, greeted Graziano with a high shot from inside the left circle for a 5-0 lead. Blueger and Vanska each had their third helpers on the play. Ruffin tacked on his 14th goal and team-high 37th point of the season at 13:17 of the second, courtesy of assists from Murray and Jack Johnston. Schaeffer scored at 4:53 of the third with a power-play shot from the slot, set up by Blueger and Schachle. Grant Ledford, helped by Connor Chilton and Schaeffer, sealed the win at 8:07 of the third. Boxscore

 

Odessa 4 @ Amarillo 5 - Brett Abdelnour scored with 75 seconds remaining in regulation time to lift the Bulls past the Odessa Jackalopes 5-4 in a highly physical and entertaining game on Thursday. That goal by Abdelnour was his second of the game, while Jason Brancheau, Alex Borowiec and Nick Stuckless had the others for the Bulls. Jason Grande posted the win in goal. After surrendering the game’s first goal to Odessa’s Jared Christy just 4:11 into the first, the Bulls caught fire and scored three straight markers. It started with a wraparound from Brett Abdelnour who scored just one second after the Bulls had killed off a penalty. Three minutes later, Alex Borowiec followed up his own rebound and slid it past goaltender Brett Epp. Jason Brancheau scored the Bulls third goal of the game, and fourth shorthanded one of the season, when he fired a rocket to the top corner. The Jackalopes added a power play goal late in the period from Zac Hermann to make it 3-2 after the first stanza in favor of the Bulls. There was only one goal in the middle frame as Petr Miko scored for Odessa just past the midway mark. Odessa controlled much of the play in the second and outshot the Bulls 18-9. The visitors took the lead in the first 99 seconds of the third period thanks to a power play as Jared Christy got his second. The Bulls didn’t back down and six minutes later tied the game at 4-4 as Nick Stuckless scored in the slot area from Jared Domin. It was a frantic pace over the final 12 minutes of regulation as the Bulls had to kill off a four minute power play. The Bulls sent their fans home happy as Brett Abdelnour and Gleb Murtazin combined on a rush up the ice in the final 80 seconds. Abdelnour tipped the puck into the open net to give the Bulls the lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Grande made 38 saves in the win for the Bulls, while Epp made 30 saves in the loss. Boxscore