NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Tex. – The Topeka RoadRunners rallied with a pair of goals in the final 8 minutes of regulation to send the game into overtime, but Lone Star forward Hunter Stanley scored with only 1:21 remaining in the extra period to give the Brahmas a hard-fought 3-2 NAHL win over Topeka Saturday night at NYTEX Center.
The outcome left Topeka at 7-10-2 and in a three-way tie for fourth place in the NAHL South, while Lone Star remains on top of the division with a 14-3-1 record.
Topeka goaltender Ryan Snowden, playing in back-to-back games for the first time this season, was strong again for the RoadRunners. The Lincoln University, Pa., native faced 52 shots and gave his team a chance – especially with a 17-save effort in the second period that kept his team to win a goal entering the final 20 minutes.
The Brahmas, who held a 31-11 edge in shots over the first 40, gained a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the first period with a power-play goal from Pete Kessel, and then went up 2-0 early in the third with another goal from Kessel – his 9th of the season.
The RoadRunners, however, didn’t quit. Max Harper, with assists from Devon Fields and Brendan Doyle, made it 2-1 by beating Lone Star goalie Erik Gordon with 7:59 remaining. Then two minutes later, Alex Frye finished off a tic-tac-toe effort and scored into a wide-open net. Harper and Jeff Makowski assisted.
The RoadRunners failed to convert on a 4-on-3 overtime power play, and barely a minute after it ended, Stanley ended it. Snowden fended off defenseman Simon Loof’s attempt, and then Stanley’s follow-up, but Stanley collected his own rebound and back-handed a high shot into an open net for the winner.
The RoadRunners are off for the upcoming weekend, and return to action with a three-game series at Wichita Falls Nov. 17-18-19. Topeka’s next home games are Dec. 2-3 vs. Kenai River at the Kansas ExpoCentre.
