A franchise record 52 shots from the Grit offense and a combined 40-save effort from Grit goaltenders Pete Sterling and Jack Erickson weren’t enough to earn the Grit an extra point as they fell 3-2 in the shootout to the visiting Amarillo Wranglers on Saturday afternoon.

 

The franchise record in shots hit the high water mark in the opening twenty minutes as the Colorado offense peppered Amarillo goaltender Charlie Zolin with 21 shots in the first period. The fireworks weren’t restricted to the shot count as Wrangler enforcer Divyne Apollon and Grit center Ethan McEneany exchanged haymakers at center ice and earned fighting majors with just 4:04 gone in the first period. The scoreline stayed knotted at zero until the tail end of the frame when winger Ben Rakowski took advantage of a turnover outside the Wrangler zone. The low wrist shot beat Zolin to the glove side and Rakowski’s fourth goal of the season gave the Grit a 1-0 lead with just 54 seconds remaining in the first period.

 

Colorado began the second period on a power play, but were unable to convert en route to finishing 0-for-5 on the man advantage during the contest. Early in the period, a fortunate bounce of the puck off Amarillo forward Alex Aleslov’s stick caromed past Sterling to tie the game, 1-1, with 14:12 left in the second period. Sterling battled an 18-shot onslaught in the second period, but was victimized by a second unfortunate bounce later in the frame. A loose puck kicked off a Grit defender and right to Aleslov, who potted his second goal of the period past a sliding Sterling to give Amarillo their first lead of the night, 2-1, with 8:42 remaining in the second period. Although Colorado was outshot in the period, Sterling’s 32 total saves kept the Grit within one, 2-1, headed into the second intermission.

 

A new period brought a renewed focus for the Colorado offense and a new goaltender, as Jack Erickson replaced Sterling, who left the game with an apparent injury after two periods. Erickson was hardly tested in the third period as the Grit offense surged forward, outshooting Amarillo 14-3 in the final twenty minutes while searching for a tying tally. Center Willy Johnson made his own luck just under halfway through the third period. He whipped a puck towards the goal, watched it pinball off two Wranglers and past Zolin to equalize the score, 2-2, with 10:07 left in regulation. The Grit were again unable to convert on a power play in the final five minutes off regulation as the two teams headed to the overtime session tied at 2.

 

Overtime provided each squad with a 2-on-1 opportunity – Erickson snuffed out the Wrangler advance and Ben Rakowski’s wrist shot just missed on the glove side of Charlie Zolin. A shootout beckoned after 65 minutes of hockey weren’t enough to find a victor. With both sides securing at least a point, Corson Maguire ensured the Wranglers got the extra point with a heavy wrist shot over Erickson’s glove as the only tally of the shootout to push the visitors into the win column, 3-2.