It was a record-breaking night in Amarillo as forward Luc Bydal grabbed his first career multi-goal game and Willy Johnson extended his point streak to three games while the Grit routed Amarillo in a 9-3 victory on Saturday night at the Budweiser Bull Pen in Amarillo.
For the second consecutive game, it was the home side that opened the scoring. Tallies from Emil Skeltins and winger Corson Maguire spotted Amarillo a 2-0 lead with 6:47 remaining in the first period. Grit goaltender Pete Sterling made 16 saves during the first period during the shooting gallery, finishing with 31 in the game.
The Grit offense sprang to life in the middle frame, notching four goals in just over ten minutes. Willy Johnson and Luke Helgeson scored within 61 seconds of each other, and had pulled Colorado level, 2-2, with 13:16 left in the second period. The rapid fire scoring didn’t end there – Bydal’s pair of tallies were separated by 97 seconds as he powered Colorado ahead, 4-2, with 4:37 to play in the period.
The Wranglers closed the gap to one, 4-3, with a Grayson Gerhard goal with 14:04 remaining in the frame. However, Colorado responded forcefully through a pair of unlikely goal scorers in short order. Defenseman Evan Smutney potted his first goal of the season at the 6:51 mark and winger Kennan Reyelts added another just 25 seconds later to make it 6-3 in favor of the Grit with 12:44 to play. The wheels fell off the Wrangler wagon down the stretch and once the dust settled, Colorado had powered in three more goals in the final 7:22 to hit the final buzzer in resounding fashion.
GRIT NOTES
– Colorado shattered their previous franchise high for goals – six – with a nine spot in Amarillo. Franchise scoring marks were set all over – eleven different skaters recorded a point, five power play goals were scored, and the five-goal third period is the most goals in a frame in Grit history.
– While securing their first road series victory of the season, the Grit continued their success in the Texas Panhandle. Colorado is now 3-1-1 in their last five games at Amarillo – scoring no less than two goals per game in that stretch.
– Willy Johnson continues to make a case as a possible South Division Star of the Week, which would be a first for a Grit skater. Through two games on the weekend, Johnson has five points (3-2-5) in two contests.
Good Title Names – Grit Record Breaking Night in 9-3 Victory. Something like that