Comeback Earns Glads Point as They Fall to Oilers 5-4 in Shootout

Atlanta continued their four game Western Conference road trip in Tulsa, OK as they took on the Oilers for the first time in franchise history as they looked to get back in win column.

Tulsa did not take long to take the 1-0 lead as they put one in past Gladiators' goalie, Dan Vladar 1:29 into the game. Brandon Martell took a shot from the point that was re-directed over the right shoulder of Vladar by his fellow Czech Republic native, Jiri Fronk. Jacob Poe got credit for the secondary helper on Fronk's first of the season.

Atlanta equalized the score at the 13:49 mark of the first when Tyler Murovich notched his second goal of the season. Thomas Frazee muscled two Tulsa defenders off the puck and brought the puck into the Oilers zone. The North Vancouver, BC native then found Murovich wide open on the right wing when the Gladiators' Alternate Captain wristed the puck into the goal past Oilers netminder Jamie Phillips.

Tulsa re-took the lead scoring the first goal of the middle period 5:56 into the frame. After Atlanta hit the post at one end, the Oilers went back in transition as Adam Pleskach deked Vladar and scored to put Tulsa up 2-1. The third goal of the season for Pleskach was unassisted.

Emerson Clark put the Oilers up by two with his first goal of the season just over two minutes after the last Tulsa tally. Phil Brewer sent a saucer pass over a sprawling Atlanta defender to Clark who sled the puck past Vladar from the left wing circle. Dan DeSalvo gets the second assist on the third Oilers score which came at the 7:17 mark of the second.

Eric Neiley scored just 38 seconds later for Atlanta to cut the lead back to one. Brock Higgs and Justin Buzzeo teamed up on the forecheck to get the puck in the slot to an awaiting Neiley. The Dartmouth product potted home his second of the season and made the score 3-2.

With just five seconds left in the second period, Dalton Reum and A.J. White moved in the offensive zone with some tic-tac-toe passing. Reum sent the puck to the low slot to Murovich who stick-handled around Phillips and scored his second of the game. With the assists on the play, Reum notched his first point with Atlanta and it was the first career point for White.

The Gladiators carried the momentum over to the third period and took their first lead of the game 5:08 into the period. The Captain, Derek Nesbitt found the back of the net on a wrist shot from the right wing circle for his second goal of the season. Bryan Cameron and Higgs got credit for the assists after moving the puck around the zone before they found Nesbitt open in the circle.

Tulsa would be awarded a five-on-three advantage after drawing a couple penalties. After nearing killing off the disadvantage, Atlanta would allow former Gladiator Danick Paquette to deflect a point shot into the goal and tie the game at five. Wes Cunningham and Brewer got the assists on the powerplay goal that came at 12:47 of the third period.

Five minutes of overtime was unable to decide a winner so the game shifted to a shootout. Both teams failed to score through the first five shooters of the shootout. On shot number six, Dan DeSalvo scored for the Oilers and Buzzeo was stopped by Phillips giving the Oilers the 5-4 shootout win.

Atlanta gets a point in the shootout loss and improved to five points on the season and a record of 2-2-0-1. Tulsa stays unbeaten and now sits at 3-0-0-0 with six points.Photo: Kevin Pyle / Tulsa Oilers