In a night dubbed "Star Wars Night", with the Topeka RoadRunners clad in Jedi Knight themed jerseys facing the Wenatchee Wild wearing StormTrooper jerseys, it was the Jedi who claimed a 3-1 win to wrap up a 14-game homestand on a high note in front of 2,510 fans.
As Star Wars characters roamed the concourse, Topeka took a 1-0 lead when Carlos Fornaris ripped a shot home, set up by a nice feed from Cam Strong at 17:37. Topeka outshot Wenatchee 10-8 in the frame.
In the second period, Topeka doubled their lead when Mike Gornall punched home a feed from below the goal line, set up by Tyler Irvine and Daniel Rzavsky. Topeka led 2-0 after 40 minutes.
With 2:17 left to play in the game, Topeka found themselves shorthanded. Wenatchee used their time out, and pulled the goalie for a 6 on 4 advantage, which they scored on after only :10 seconds to cut the Topeka lead to 2-1. Topeka ended up cementing the win when Fornaris fired the puck into the empty net with :27 seconds left for the 3-1 margin that would be the final. Matej Tomek stopped 22 shots, posting his 16th win of the year. Fernsler now has a point in 9 consecutive games.
Topeka (26-7-3) will hit the road for the first time since mid-November, heading south to face Wichita Falls (23-8-0). The RoadRunners and Wildcats have split their first four meetings with the home team winning every game. Catch all the action live at the RoadRunners Away Game Viewing Parties or listen to Sports Radio 1490 KTOP. The Runners will return to Landon Arena on Friday, January 16th, to take on the Lone Star Brahmas. For more information on tickets, call 785-286-PUCK or visit the Expocentre Box Office.