TOPEKA, Kan. – A night after Max Harper provided the first Topeka hat trick of the season, Will Schlagenhauf decided he needed to one-up his teammate.
Schlagenhauf, who had been held without a goal this season, scored three times and added a pair of assists as the RoadRunners finished off Kenai River with a 6-2 NAHL victory Saturday night at the Kansas ExpoCentre.
The win, Topeka’s second straight, lifts its record to 10-13-2-1, while Kenai River slips to 4-18-1. Goaltender Mike Rockwell, who had not started a game for over a month, picked up his 6th win of the season with a 28-safe effort.
Schlagenhauf got things rolling 3:58 into the game, finishing off a sharp power-play effort with help from Alex Frye and Marcus Russell. After Kenai tied the game five minutes later, Alex Frye (Schlagenhauf and Russell) made it 2-1 with another power play goal.
The RoadRunners increased their lead with a three-goal outburst in the second period. In an eight-minute span, Schlagenhauf, Peyton Frantti and Schlagenhauf again ballooned the lead to 5-1. Defensemen Jay Keranen, Trevor Zins and Jake Rosenbaum helped out with assists, as did forward Jeff Makowski.
Sviataslau Kuchynski got Kenai’s second goal with 2:28 remaining in the second, finishing off a 2-on-1 break, but rookie defenseman Ryan Dickinson scored his second goal of the season with a 50-footer that beat Kenai goalie Robbie Goor to the far side. Devon Fields and Schlagenhauf assisted.
The RoadRunners return to action next weekend with a pair of games at Amarillo, and then are back at the ExpoCentre against the same Amarillo club for games Dec. 16-17 before the Christmas break.
