Matt Pierce scores the game-winning goal in the eighth round of a shoot out (Click on photo to enlarge)

Boo-yah!

Brahmas earn first win at the Allen Events Center in 2-1 shoot out

The Texas Brahmas defeated the Allen Americans 2-1 in the eighth round of a shootout this afternoon at the Allen Event Center. The game was the final regular season meeting between the clubs at the AEC and marked the first time that the visiting team won a contest in the season series. The teams will play their final regular season contest on March 10th at the NYTEX Sports Centre.

With the win (the Brahmas sixth in a row), the Brahmas record goes to 26-17-5 and with 57 points, the Brahmas re-take sole possession of third place in the Southern Conference (Laredo had tied the Brahmas in points after earning a point in their shoot out loss to Rio Grande Valley yesterday).

It was a much calmer affair than we witnessed on Saturday night (understatement). And there was a pretty fair sized crowd (3,189) in house for a Monday afternoon. The Americans had the upper hand in the first frame, stifling the Brahmas' offense and out shooting the visiting team 19-5.

A five-on-three opportunity led to the first score of the game. With AJ Gale (Roughing) and Jason Deitsch (Tripping) in the penalty box, former Fort Worth Brahmas defenseman Ryan Fairbarn fired a shot from the point, beating Brett Jaeger at the 12:22 mark. Colton Yellow Horn and Erik Adams were in on the assist.

The on-ice officials seemed to be targeting Matt Burto in the middle frame, assessing three minors (Roughing, Hooking, Hooking) on the Brahmas forward but the Americans were unable to convert any of the resulting power plays.

Near the end of the period, with Allen defenseman Erik Adams in the sin bin for Interference, the Brahmas scored the equalizer. Luke Sellars got the tally after sneaking in on Chris Whitley and releasing a wrister into the back of the net at the 19:21 mark. Jason Deitsch and Tyler Skworchinski and Jason Deitsch were credited with the assist.

Shots were even at 10 in the second and the period ended with the 1-1 tie.
Allen out shot the Brahmas 12-6 in the third period but were unable to beat Brett Jaeger for a second time. Likewise, Chris Whitley remained solid in net and stymied the visitors, forcing the game into overtime.

Both goalies held the opposing teams scoreless in overtime, and the clubs headed to a shootout for the third time this season, each team winning one a piece in the extra period before today.

Colton Yellow Horn and Nino Musitelli scored in the shootout for Allen, while Luke Sellars and Lee Jubinville had tallies for Texas. Forced into three extra rounds, the newest Brahma, Matt Pierce broke the tie after his shot went by Whitley in the eighth round, giving the Brahmas a 2-1 win.

Brett Jaeger made 43 saves on 44 shots and earned the win. His record goes to 15-10-1-2. Chris Whitley made 22 saves on 23 shots and takes the shoot out loss. His record goes to 25-7-3-1.

The Brahmas went one for five on the power play. Allen went one for 10. The Brahmas were assessed 25 minutes on 11 infractions. The Americans received 12 minutes on six infractions.

The 3rd Star of the game went to Brett Jaeger for his stellar performance in net. The 2nd Star was awarded to Chris Whitley, probably because someone felt sorry for him and the 1st Star went to Matt Pierce who scored the game-winning goal in the shoot out.

You can view the box score here

You can view my photos from the game here and here

Observations:

• Brett Jaeger earned his sixth win in a row and is now ranked fourth in the league with a 2.57 GAA and seventh with a .917 save percentage. In those six games, he allowed only eight goals and made 204 saves. He has won eight of his last 10 starts and has only four losses in his last 16 starts. He's moved into second place in goalie three star leaders and 16th place in all positions.
  
• Do you ever get tired of watching the heart and hustle of Matt Burto? I don't. Just amazing. In 41 games played, He's tallied 21 points (8 G, 13 A, +5) and has logged 82 penalty minutes - fourth on the team behind Hiebert, Sellars and Perrott. Take a look at my favorite photo of Burto from today's game here.
• Might as well mention how amazed I was that there were no suspensions announced today. Not sure how that happened - I was sure at the very least Chris Kaufman would sit for a few games for his hit on Jordan Cameron on Saturday. Is it possible the league decided it was a clean hit?
  

The Brahmas will have the night off to celebrate the win but will be back at NYTEX tomorrow to begin preparing for Friday night's game against the Wichita Thunder.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith