A third period flurry and an overtime game-winner pushed the Lone Star Brahmas past the Topeka RoadRunners Saturday night.
With Topeka (13-24-4) up 3-1, Lone Star turned up the heat in the third period firing 12 shots on goal, as momentum swung in the Brahmas’ favor.
In overtime, forward Justin Addamo tallied the game-winner, sneaking a shot past goaltender Ben Churchfield’s pad, giving Lone Star a 4-3 victory.
Forward Julian Biondo made it a 3-2 game at 9:01, taking advantage of a scrum in front of Topeka goaltender Ben Churchfield.
“In the third period, Lone Star came out really hard, and we didn’t,” RoadRunners head coach Josh Kamrass said. “It’s disappointing, knowing that’s not what we talked about in the second intermission.”
Lone Star (32-8-1) pulled goaltender Alec Calvaruso late in the game. This method paid off for the Brahmas, with a loose puck finding its way into the back of the net at 19:38, sending the game to overtime.
Addamo’s tally came only 34 seconds into the overtime.
After seeing his team battle to take a two-goal advantage, Kamrass said it was frustrating to see them relinquish it.
“When we had good work ethic tonight, we had success,” Kamrass said. “When we let off, we saw what happened. We have to learn from that.”
It was a balanced and competitive first period at Landon Arena in front of a raucous crowd of 2,671 on Boy Scouts Weekend, with Topeka and Lone Star looking sharp and focused.
Forward Carson Kelley got the Brahmas on the board halfway through the opening frame, with his 12th goal of the season. Screened by several bodies in front of the net, Churchfield couldn’t stop the shot, as it beat him glove side low.
Churchfield, the Sheffield, Great Britain native, was solid the remainder of the first period, keeping the Brahmas at bay.
Forward Jeff Makowski got Topeka knotted at one with his 12th goal of the season, with a nice wrist shot at 9:59, just 38 seconds after Kelley’s goal. Forward Nick Granowicz set him up on the play, dropping a pass for Makowksi in the slot, as he beat Calvaruso.
Forward Marshall Bowery gave Topeka its first lead of the night at 3:19 of the second period, with forward Max Harper grabbing the assist.
The Brahmas would compete to tie the game at two, but they were stricken by the post several times in the frame.
Late in the second period, at 17:13, forward Nigel Nelson grabbed his third goal of the season and first goal since Dec. 12, making it 3-1. Nelson’s goal came from a nice setup by defenseman Devon Fields, who fed the puck to Nelson for a tip-in.
Topeka led in shots on goal heading into the third, with a 19-17 advantage.
The Runners will look to split the series with a Sunday matinee game. Puck drop is at 2:05 p.m. at Landon Arena.