The NAHL South Division leading Amarillo Bulls got the better of the Topeka Pilots Sunday afternoon.
Topeka (15-13-4) stayed competitive with Amarillo (20-3-4) through the contest, including holding an early lead, but they could not overcome a 6-3 deficit in the third period.
After cutting the deficit to two goals on the strength of a goal from defenseman Max Finner, the Pilots could get no closer, falling 6-4 at the Budweiser Bull Pen.
Forward Hugh Quinn led the Pilots with a tally and two assists. In his second year in Topeka, Quinn now has 14 points on the season.
Quinn got the scoring started Sunday, picking up a loose puck after a Bulls turnover in the slot. Quinn ripped a quick wrist shot glove-side high on goaltender Jason Grande, giving the Pilots a 1-0 advantage.
The remainder of the first period belonged to the Bulls, with a quick succession of three goals in five minutes and seven seconds putting Amarillo out in front 3-1 after 20 minutes.
Forward Gabriel Seger extended the Bulls lead to 4-1 at 1:01 of the second period. Seger had two goals on the night, bringing him to seven tallies for the season.
Pilots forward Quinn Green got the Pilots back within two goals at 12:18 of the middle period.
The NAHL’s leading goal scorer, Bulls forward Logan Genuwine, answered back at 13:05, extending the advantage to 5-2.
Defenseman Cole Thiessen again cut the deficit at 14:49 of the second, tallying a powerplay goal. The two teams combined for six infractions from 12:10 to 14:28, including a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for Pilots defenseman Jordan Gonzalez for head contact at 13:20.
Outshot 33-16 in the first two periods, Topeka flipped the scripts with a 14-7 shots advantage in the final 20 minutes. After a goal from Amarillo making it 6-3, Finner beat Grande with a shot from the blue line, setting up a competitive third period.
Topeka gets another shot at Amarillo at 7:05 p.m. New Year’s Eve, looking for a split in the two-game series.
