TULSA, Okla. – Alex Dostie scored twice, while Adam Pleskach added a goal and two assists to power the Tulsa Oilers past the Kansas City Mavericks 4-2 in front of 3,126 fans at the BOK Center on Tuesday night. Dostie now sits alone atop the ECHL playoff scoring ranks with six goals.
Kansas City scored first for the fifth time in the best-of-seven ECHL Mountain Division Semi Final Series, taking a 1-0 lead on Corey Durocher’s fourth postseason goal 12:06 into the game. Playing inside the slot in front of Tulsa’s Devin Williams, Durocher pounced on a loose puck and tapped it into the net. Willie Raskob and Mark Cooper picked up the assists on the goal.
Pleskach tied things up two minutes later, beating Mason McDonald from the top of the left circle, during a delayed penalty, for his third score of the playoffs on assists from Mike McKee and Dostie.
Just under three minutes later, Dostie added his fifth goal of the postseason on an assist from Eric Drapluk to give the Oilers their first lead of the game. Taking the puck from the left boards, Dostie moved in on net, deked McDonald, and tucked the puck into the left side of the net.
The Mavericks wasted little time in the second, tying the game at 1:10 on Durocher’s second goal, assisted by Jared VanWormer. After an Oilers pass was broken up, Durocher took control of the puck in the neutral zone, skated past two defenders and wristed a shot into the left side of the net.
Steven Kaunisto put the Oilers ahead 3-2, scoring 15-seconds into their second power play at 12:38 of the second, jabbing home a rebound from in front of the net on assists from Pleskach and Stephen Perfetto. The goal would prove to be the game winner.
Dostie added an insurance goal at 17:23 of the middle frame, scoring just moments after being released from the box after serving a holding minor. Taking a drop pass from Scott Henegar at the top of the right circle, Dostie zipped across the slot and fired on net as he was dropped to the ice. Scott Moldenhauer picked up the secondary assist on the play.
The Oilers continued to put pressure on McDonald, but the Mavericks netminder held tough through the remainder of the period, and time expired with Tulsa holding a 4-2 lead.
Neither side would find the net in the final period of play, as the Oilers defense locked down, denying the Mavericks on two power play attempts. Tulsa was 1-for-3 on the man advantage for the night, while holding Kansas City to 0-for-3.
The Oilers and Mavericks now prepare to do battle one final time in game seven at BOK Center on Wednesday night at 7:05pm.
Contact the Writer: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com
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