The Topeka Capitals and the Dallas Jr. Stars were evenly matched throughout their contest, but Topeka made the most of its opportunities and won, 4-2.
No lead was more than two goals during the contest, and the winning goal was scored by Nick Rizzo at 12:32 of the second period.
The Capitals were sparked by Rizzo, who grabbed one goal and one assist.
Topeka made Jr. Stars\’ goalies to work hard to keep the puck out of the net, firing 40 shots and forcing 36 saves. Nick Ross made 13 stops and Chris Mallon made 23. The Capitals stifled Dallas\’ power play, and did not give up a single goal while down a man. Topeka\’s defensemen played an important role in the offense, chipping in two goals. The Capitals could not stay out of the penalty box, as the team accrued 72 minutes in penalties during the game.
Others who scored for Topeka included Luke Thom, Connor Nichols, and Brandon Hawkins, who scored one goal each. In addition, Topeka received assists from Nolan Stanley, John Crusinberry, and Benton Deanovich, who each chipped in one.
The Jr. Stars were often in penalty trouble, totaling 13 minors and one major for 51 minutes in penalty time. Dallas had been averaging 25.0 minutes in penalties per game. Topeka was unable to stop the Jr. Stars from sending pucks towards the net, and Dallas eventually piled up 33 shots on goal.
The Jr. Stars were helped by Jake Gevaart, who tallied one goal. Gevaart scored 55 seconds into the first period to make the score 1-0 Dallas. Corey Burns picked up the assist. Raurie Petrich also scored for Dallas. More assists for Dallas came via Colin South, who had one.
Mike McElroy recorded 31 saves for the Capitals. Topeka registered three goals on nine power play opportunities. Dallas registered zero goals on four power play opportunities. The Jr. Stars ran into serious disciplinary problems during the contest, and Burns was ejected from the game.