OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Warriors used their home ice advantage to the fullest when they beat the Shreveport Mudbugs 3-0 Friday at Blazers Ice Centre after a month and a half on the road.
A physical first period, which contained 48 penalty minutes, was highlighted by a fight nine minutes and 15 seconds into action between Cole Teleki and Shreveport’s Niklas Miller. The Warriors held a 9-6 shot advantage through 20 minutes of play.
Fans would have to wait until 10 seconds past the halfway point in the game to see the first Warriors goal scored at Blazers Ice Centre, but it was surely one to remember. Malte Hasselgren was tripped up on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. Skating in slowly on the right side, Hasselgren stickhandled his way to the slot and shoveled in a one-handed goal past the Mudbugs netminder to make history in front of the home fans. The Warriors, and goaltender Daniel Duris, were able to kill off two penalties in the middle frame to keep Shreveport off the scoreboard.
The Warriors defense and goaltending shined in the third period, and the shorthanded squad killed off three more penalties in the final frame to keep the Warriors up. With less than three minutes to go, Oklahoma took advantage of a powerplay of its own. Brendan Williams sent a puck from the far-side wall to Teleki at the point. Teleki then sent a slapshot toward the net and Rylan Brady tipped it in to make it a 2-0 game with 2:30 remaining. With one minute and six seconds left and the Shreveport net empty, Garrett Horsager sailed a puck from his own goal line all the way down into the yawning cage to secure the Warriors 3-0 win. Duris was credited with 15 saves for his fifth career shutout, and the Warriors’ first of the season, as he improved his record to 5-0 between the pipes.
The Warriors play the second game of the set against Shreveport Saturday, October 29, at 7:15 p.m.