The RoadRunners attended the mid season NA3HL Showcase December 18th-20th in Blaine, MN. and went 1-2 on the weekend. Although the team started off on a very high note in game one they did not fair as well the last two games of the event. “We were a bit banged up and a few guys were a bit under the weather but we still needed to play much better then we showed. We did what we had to do in game one and came out with a huge win but one game does not determine a teams fate. We know what we need to work on heading into the second half of the season. Consistency and making teams play up to us will be the keys to our success,” States Runners Coach Mike Beavis
Game One Results:
TX RoadRunners 4 vs. Granite City 3 – In a battle of top teams from their respective divisions, a last-second goal and a hat-trick from Matvey Ivanov led the RoadRunners to a thrilling 4-3 win over the Lumberjacks on Day 1 of the Showcase. Ivanov scored first to give Texas a 1-0 lead. Granite City answered back with a pair of goals from Parker Mitchell and Jack Louko to take a 2-1 lead. Ivanov then scored back-to-back goals in the 2nd period for his hat-trick and a 3-2 lead. In the 3rd period, the Jacks tied the game at 3-3 with a goal from Nolan Widman. With time winding down, Jack Herron skated in 1 on 1 from the left side and lifted a shot top shelf for the game-winner with one second left. RoadRunners goalie Hunter Hein made 47 saves in the win.
Game Two Recap:
Oregon 2 vs. TX RoadRunners 1 – In a battle of division powerhouses, it was the Oregon Tradesmen outlasting the Texas RoadRunners in a defensive battle, 2-1. Oregon opened the scoring in the 2nd period with a goal from Dillon Schmidt. Nathan Walker would make it 2-0 in the 3rd period with a power play goal. The RoadRunners pulled to within one later in the 3rd period with a power play goal from Tyler Love. Walker Berner made 18 saves in the win, while Nash Wilson made 43 saves in the loss.
Game Three Recap:
Gillette 5 vs. TX RoadRunners 3 – The Wild picked up their first win of the Showcase as they beat the RoadRunners, 5-3. Gillette led 3-2 after two periods as Wylee Gladen, Alex Waller, and Isaac Young scored for the Wild, while Matvey Ivanov and Tyler Singpradith scored for Texas. In the 3rd period, Ivanov scored his second of the game for the RoadRunners, but the Wild pulled away thanks to a pair of goals from Saizha Norwegian including an empty netter in the final minute. Jake Turek made 21 saves in the win, while Hunter Hein made 46 saves in the loss.
The RoadRunners enjoyed a much needed two weeks off and will get back on the ice on Tuesday January 3rd to kick off the second half of the season. The Runners will hos the Mid Cities Jr Stars Friday, Saturday and Sunday January 6-7-8 to hopefully get back on track in the win column.