AMARILLO, TX – The Lone Star Brahmas (7-2-1) needed overtime to defeat the Amarillo Bulls (6-5-2) on Saturday night, and Levi Wunder was the hero in the 3-2 game.
For the second straight night, the Brahmas scored first in the opening 20 minutes. Working on the power play, Austin Kamer and Drake Glover worked in the corner on the forecheck and won the battle. Looking to center ice, Glover hit Peter Kessel at the far post, who jammed in a low one-time shot to take a 1-0 lead.
After a few defensive turnovers deep in the Brahmas zone, Erik Gordon made a couple of quality saves to keep Lone Star on top after the first period.
A little over five minutes into the second, the Brahmas wrapped it into the offensive zone and Kamer played the puck forward on the left wing board. He hit Glover with a pass at the corner and Kessel worked his way to center ice. As Kyle Madore slid off his post to play Glover, the Anchorage, Alaska native found a wide open Kessel at the crease who put the puck in the yawning goal mouth.
Amarillo did not allow the two goal lead to last very long. Three minutes after Kessel scored, Kosta Likourezos sprung free on a breakaway and buried a wrist shot past the blocker side of Erik Gordon to make it 2-1.
In the final moments of the second period, a seemingly harmless play by the Bulls ended up tying the game at two. Steven Ipri passed it up ice in the midst of a Brahmas line change and Brendan Walkom got as far as the face-off circle before he felt pressure. A pedestrian shot sneaked through Gordon’s five hole to tie the game with 25 seconds left to play in the period.
Both Kyle Madore and Erik Gordon made a handful of impressive third period saves to force overtime. The Brahmas could not capitalize on any of the seven power play minutes of the third period.
From the start of the 3-on-3 overtime period, the Brahmas took control and fired a few quality shots on net.
One minute and 15 seconds into the period, Hunter Stanley took a long range shot from the left point and Madore made the left pad save, but Levi Wunder was hungry and ready at the top of the crease. He picked up the rebound, shook off the defender, and put it in the back of the net to win the game and secure two more points in the standings for Lone Star.
The goal was Wunder’s first NAHL goal. Erik Gordon stopped 23 shots in the win to improve to 4-0-0. Lone Star went 1-for-6 on their power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
The Brahmas and Bulls close the three game series Sunday night at 7:05 from the Civic Center before returning to North Richland Hills. The Brahmas face the Topeka RoadRunners at NYTEX next weekend. You can order tickets online.