Down 1-0 late in the third period, the Topeka Pilots gave it their best shot to equalize the game.
With goaltender Sam Metcalf pulled, Topeka (10-7-0) had several good looks but were stymied by the Lone Star Brahmas’ stout defense, falling 2-0 at Landon Arena in front of 1,985 fans on the second night of Military Appreciation Weekend.
Lone Star (7-7-2) led 1-0 until late in the contest. With Metcalf pulled, forward Gabe Potyk’s empty net tally iced the game at 19:21 of the third. Potyk’s goal was his first of the season.
Both teams played a solid game defensively, with shots on goal favoring the Brahmas with a margin of 24-21.
“You’re going to have nights where you just can’t find it,” Pilots head coach Simon Watson said. “I liked the way we competed. It just didn’t go our way tonight.”
A penalty on Brahmas forward Thomas Daskas at 15:34 gave the Pilots a chance to equalize the game, but they could not convert on the man-advantage.
The Brahmas opened the scoring with a goal from defenseman Kimball Johnson at the 14:02 mark of the first period. It was also Johnson’s first goal of the 2018-2019 campaign.
The teams amassed just nine combined shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes of the contest.
The second period opened up a little more, with Lone Star holding a 10-7 shots on goal advantage. During the final minutes of the frame, Topeka had several quality scoring chances, but they were turned aside by Brahmas goaltender Seth Eisele.
Topeka will now hit the road for a five-game road swing, starting Nov. 9-11 in Odessa, Texas as they face the Jackalopes.
“We’ll get back at in practice this week, and we look forward to the challenge next weekend in Odessa,” Watson said.