After relinquishing a three-goal lead Saturday night, the Topeka Pilots were looking to take back control.
Tied at three mid-way through the third, Topeka (23-10-3) did just that while on the powerplay. Forward Quinn Green netted his second goal of the night at 10:07 of the third to give the Pilots a 4-3 lead.
Even with a strong push from the Springfield Jr. Blues down the stretch, the Pilots held firmly on their lead, winning 4-3 to earn a two-game series sweep at the Nelson Center.
The two teams combined for a total of 141 penalty minutes, including three game misconduct penalties, one of which was on the Pilots, as forward Shawn Kennedy was penalized for a secondary fighting penalty at 5:26 of the second period.
Green’s game-winning goal came off of a screen in front of the net. He skated in from the blue line and ripped a shot past goaltender Alex Proctor. It was Green’s second goal of the night, as he also had a tally in the first period.
The Pilots got off to a momentous start on Saturday, tallying three goals in the first to take a commanding 3-0 lead to the first intermission.
They opened the scoring at 8:07 when forward Connor Zilisch netted his 10th goal of the season. Zilisch also had the game-winning goal in Friday’s game. His goal came after a preliminary shot from forward Michael Muschitiello was stopped. The rebound bounced right to Zilisch, who knocked it home.
Green then made it 2-0 at 16:17, with a nice individual effort to deke past Proctor and slide the puck into the net.
Tied as Topeka’s leading goal-scorer with Green, forward Austin McCarthy made it 3-0 with 20 seconds remaining in the first. His tally was on the powerplay, as the Pilots went 2-for-3 on the man-advantage Saturday.
Having finished a six-game road trip, Topeka now returns home for six straight at Landon Arena. After a weekend off, the homestand will begin on Jan. 17-18 against the Odessa Jackalopes. Puck drop each night will be at 7:05 p.m.