Reversal of fortune in Tulsa

TULSA, Oklahoma — A year ago, the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League were in a state of chaotic disarray. They had a team of individuals that lacked the chemistry necessary to win games. They were stung with a 5-1 loss to their in-state rivals, the Oklahoma City Blazers, in their home opener in front of the second largest crowd to ever witness such a game in CHL history (16,982). It was evident early on to many of the Tulsa faithful that it was going to be more of the same nonsense they had endured for so many years.  
 
It was bad, and it didn’t get any better as the season wore on.
 

Now off to a 4-2-0 start a year, and with players who are playing unlike the teams that have preceded them, the Tulsa Oilers have found new life. Credit the efforts of coach Bruce Ramsay, who took the helm in May of this year and cobbled together a team that skates together, attacks the puck, and does everything Oilers fans have seen other teams do around the league, like win.  
 
Fans are beginning to resurrect a long-dormant sense of pride in their team, as they witness how the Oilers don’t pack it in when the team gets scored on and how they play every minute of the game and don’t let up. It’s a long way from saying that the swagger of the early 90’s is back in Tulsa when it comes to hockey, but when Tulsa fans were beginning to put themselves in kind with fans of the Cubs, Red Sox and Buccaneers a year ago, the hope of a winning team has come alight in the BOK Center this season.
 
Leading the charge on the ice (and on the score sheet) is forward Rob Hisey. Hisey recently earned CHL Player of the week and Player of the Month for October and has seven goals and five assists for 12 points so far. He’s had his name attached to almost every point the Tulsa squad has scored so far this season, including the team’s first hat trick in the first game of the season, on the road in Mississippi.
 
An acquisition from Laredo, Rick Kozak, has shown his ability to be both an excellent screen for opposing goalies and also has the ability to put points on the board. Add to that a defensive corps led by player-assistant Tyler Butler, who make sure that players who dare to enter the Oilers defensive zone know they will have to work to get the disc past them.
 
Once again, it’s hard to judge where the Oilers will be as the playoffs approach because it’s still way too early. As for the right now, Tulsa fans are content to see the wins and a team that is genuinely trying to be winners. Above all else, the fact that the team looks like they are having fun playing the game helps too, and that’s something else Oilers faithful have not seen in quite some time.
 
Contact the author at rich.lohman@prohockeynews.com
 
Contact the photographer at les.stockton@prohockeynews.com