TULSA, Okla – Against a stingy, defensive minded team like Texas, the Oilers were thankful for every bit of offense even if it came from the most unlikely of sources.
Veteran defensemen Tyler Fleck and Gio Flamminio scored for the Oilers in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the red-hot Brahmas in front of 5,771 at the BOK Center.
Fleck, playing in his 698th professional game, broke a scoreless tie at the 9:32 mark of the opening period when he darted down from the blue line to fire a shot from the high slot past reigning CHL Goalie of the Week, Mark Guggenberger. The goal was Fleck’s first of the season, and just his third tally in two and a half years as an Oiler.
The game remained a defensive stalemate until the third period when the Oilers got the insurance marker from Flamminio. Again it was Beausoleil who set up Flamminio, and the seventh year defenseman sent a fluttering puck past Guggenberger to give the home side a 2-0 edge.
Five minutes later, T.J. Fox spoiled Steve Christie’s shutout bid but it was Christie who got the last laugh. The Tulsa netminder stopped 29 shots and shut the door down the stretch to preserve the Oilers triumph.
The Oilers beat the Brahmas for the fifth time in six meetings and cooled off the hottest team in the CHL. Texas snapped it’s seven-game win streak and eight-game point streak but remains eight points ahead of Tulsa in the Berry Conference.
Photo by Les Stockton
Photo by Les Stockton
Photo by Les Stockton
Photo by Les Stockton
Photo by Les Stockton
Photo by Les Stockton
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